“We are all star
stuff, but different star elements and minerals accumulated in different parts
of the world."
If you have an interest in the periodic table and what the
universe and matter are made of, read this book. If you are already an expert
in this department, I'm sure you will still get something out of it. If you are
a complete amateur - all the better, it's written in way that anyone can
understand and appreciate, and it’s so very informative and interesting. Packed with information about famous and
important scientists since the beginning of time to current time, including
political, romantic, tragic, heroic, and triumphant historical shenanigans, TheDisappearing Spoon is as exciting as a novel to read. I can’t recall every – sometimes jaw-dropping
– story and the loads of knowledge because there’s just so much, but below are
a few quotes and notes I made along the way. *I apologize if I should add
quotes and leave them out in places, I wrote these notes on my phone while
lying in bed so that I wouldn’t forget. The quotes may not be exact.
There is a section about the belief by some how every 26 million years or so, mass extinctions by asteroids or comets happen: "The goddess nemesis punished hubris. She made sure no earthly creature could grow too proud by striking down anyone more powerful than the gods. The analogy to the sun's companion star was that if earthly creatures evolved towards intelligence, Nemesis would wipe them out before they got traction." -- “The sun is dragged along our spiral solar system, getting closer with time, loosening debris like comets as it gets closer, which may hit earth if we are not saved by planets like Jupiter.”
There is a section about the belief by some how every 26 million years or so, mass extinctions by asteroids or comets happen: "The goddess nemesis punished hubris. She made sure no earthly creature could grow too proud by striking down anyone more powerful than the gods. The analogy to the sun's companion star was that if earthly creatures evolved towards intelligence, Nemesis would wipe them out before they got traction." -- “The sun is dragged along our spiral solar system, getting closer with time, loosening debris like comets as it gets closer, which may hit earth if we are not saved by planets like Jupiter.”
Another topic is about mining for cell phone minerals
in the Congo,
and the destructive behaviour that can ensue when wealth pours into a resourceful
region.
The biology section was one of the most interesting to me,
ESP how viruses invade cell DNA, and how poisonous elements, such as the less
talked about cadmium, thallium and polonium, wreck havoc in the body, and how
radon causes lung cancer. Sulphur (like
in garlic) prevents bacteria from reproducing by interfering with folic acid
production. Copper and silver are strong
antibacterials (money - coins - are mostly made of nickel and zinc and are covered
in copper to prevent bacteria from spreading). The gadolinium used in MRIs
could be a potential cancer treatment because of its ability to absorb neutrons
and become radioactive, producing a "nano-nuke" in the body. However,
this element may be toxic to eliminate, if not transformed. Pasteur's take on life and disease was that
disease is caused by bacteria, hormones, and chemicals, etc., but that lab work
could not mimic the workings inside the human body. Life is chirality... and
side handedness in the smallest life matters (see teratogen drug causing birth defects 1950s,
thalidomide). *This last part, chirality, I’m still trying to understand, I have to
confess.
Read the excerpt
from the website (the wonderful first chapter about mercury).
I wish my review could do this book justice. It really is
fabulous. I loved the writer’s humour, sincerity,
detail and intellect. I look forward to TheViolinists Thumb, and hopefully! more titles down the road.
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