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Sylvia Rose
Dec 25, 20244 min read
Pyrococcus furiosus: Extremophile of Vulcano
Pyrococcus furiosus is an extremophile first discovered in the boiling hot, anaerobic conditions of the volcanic island Vulcano. This...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 24, 20245 min read
Vulcano: Child Miners, Gods & Extremophiles
Vulcano is part of the Aeolian Island archipelago of Italy. Named for Vulcan, Roman god of fire and metalworking, Vulcano is a unique...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 18, 20244 min read
First Life on Earth: Microbes & Stromatolites
Ancient microbes in harsh conditions are the earliest life forms. Fossil records appear in rock formations up to 3.7 billion years old....
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 13, 20245 min read
Chalk (CaCO3): Bounty of the Primal Seas
Chalk is fundamentally calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and takes hundreds of millions of years to form. This seemingly mundane mineral has a...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 12, 20245 min read
Silica, Silicon & Silicone: Differences & Similarities
Silica, silicon, and silicone refer to related but distinct substances with specific properties, applications, and origins. Silica is...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 3, 20248 min read
Natural Glass Gemstones: Cataclysmic Fusion
Natural glass gemstones are caused by extraordinary geological events, such as intense heat and cataclysmic impacts. Natural glass...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 2, 20247 min read
Silica (SiO2): Nature of Glass & Gems
Silica, or silicon dioxide (SiO2), occurs in the Earth’s crust, the microcosm and daily life. Silica makes ancient glass such as...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 1, 20246 min read
Silicon (Si) Metalloid: Prehistory into the Future
Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust, next to oxygen. A ductile metalloid, it's integral to industry and...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 29, 20246 min read
Nickel (Ni): Metallurgy Facts & Folklore
Nickel (Ni), a silvery-white metal with a lustrous sheen, is a transition element essential to industry and commerce, and known in...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 28, 20246 min read
Cobalt (Co): The Little Goblin Who Could
Cobalt is a silvery grey metal used across various fields, including science, medicine, and industry. It receives its name from the...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 27, 20246 min read
Zaffre: Vintage Cobalt Blue Glass & Artists' Pigment
Zaffre (zaffer) is a vibrant deep blue pigment developed by alchemists, major pigment creators, by c. 1550 AD. Characterized by brilliant...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 20, 20245 min read
Calcite: Metal-Eating Bacteria to Coral Reefs
Calcite is made up of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). With stunning crystal formations and a range of beautiful colors, calcite also has...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 20, 20245 min read
S. pasteurii: Calcium Eating Limestone-Making Bacteria
Sporosarcina pasteurii is a gram-positive bacterium with the extraordinary ability to precipitate calcite and solidify sand when exposed...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 14, 20244 min read
Algae in Glass Houses: Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is an amazing natural powder ground from the sedimentary stone diatomite. The stone itself is made of fossilized...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 14, 20246 min read
Diatoms: Glass-Making Algae Crucial to Life
Diatoms, while invisible to the naked eye, are essential to the ecosystem and human survival. These tiny microalgae prolifically generate...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 12, 20245 min read
Biometallurgy: Microbes Mining Metals
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is only one of the amazing bacteria used in biometallurgy. In an age of environmental concerns,...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 11, 20245 min read
Chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂): Shining Copper Ore
Chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂) is vital to the earth's geology. A primary ore of copper, this scintillating mineral is influential to health,...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 7, 20245 min read
Copper(II) Sulfate: Blue Vitriol, Chalcanthite
Copper (II) sulfate CuSO4 yields a vivid color and widespread applications. Also known as blue vitriol in alchemy and chalcanthite in...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 5, 20244 min read
Lye (NaOH): Caustic Soda for Soap & Glass
Lye or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is a vital part of human history. Also called caustic soda, lye is a white odorless solid. A strong...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 4, 20244 min read
Potash: Agriculture, Plant & Garden Health
Potash is a mineral group prized in agriculture, health and human life though history. Potash covers various potassium-rich salts,...
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