20 min listen
Stop and Smell the Guano: How Fertilizers Saved the World - Episode 837
Stop and Smell the Guano: How Fertilizers Saved the World - Episode 837
ratings:
Length:
20 minutes
Released:
Nov 8, 2017
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
November 08, 2017 - A little more than a hundred years ago, the world's fast-growing population was outstripping humanity's ability to feed itself. Mass starvation was only averted when a pair of brilliant German scientists developed a new chemical process to snatch nitrogen gas from the air and use it to make modern fertilizers. As science writer Thomas Hager explains in this episode of Science Elements, it's a story of wars, greed, bird droppings and a discovery that continues to dramatically shape our lives today.
Music: "Wash Out" by Broke for Free, licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY 3.0.
Music: "Wash Out" by Broke for Free, licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY 3.0.
Released:
Nov 8, 2017
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Episode 03 - May 16, 2007: Equipping E. coli with a chemo-navigation system. Crusts from the Tower of London suggest yellowing in the future. Scientists isolate anti-cancer compounds from apple peel. New medications needed for neuropathic pain. Western drug makers expand use of In by ACS Science Elements