Distillations

At the onset of World War II the United States faced a sudden shortage of rubber, an essential wartime material. One concentrated effort to find a sustainable domestic source occurred in an unlikely place: a Japanese American internment camp in California.

One woman’s quest to end her pain. 

A wildlife painter who ran afoul of xenophobic authorities during World War II found refuge and renewed purpose in the lab.

Sophisticated drugs have enabled those with HIV to live long lives—as long as they take their medication.

A discovery by Indian scientist and statesman Meghnad Saha revealed the nature of stars.

Reatha Clark King wanted to be a research chemist, so she made the journey from the segregated South to Illinois. At the University of Chicago her dreams came true.

Some surprisingly controversial theories of human longevity. 

 Caroline Hampton and the forgotten origins of the first personal protective equipment.

An early cervicouterine device—aka a pessary—that was a precursor to the IUD.

Although many were skilled in making medicinal home remedies, only a few women ran their own apothecaries, competing with males for the right to make and prescribe medicines.