Magnesium is an element and electrolyte crucial to life on Earth. As the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body, magnesium is...

Muscle spasms are involuntary, often painful contractions. They happen for many reasons including stress, body imbalance or dehydration....

Pyrococcus furiosus is an extremophile first discovered in the boiling hot, anaerobic conditions of the volcanic island Vulcano. This...

Vulcano is part of the Aeolian Island archipelago of Italy. Named for Vulcan, Roman god of fire and metalworking, Vulcano is a unique...

Ancient microbes in harsh conditions are the earliest life forms. Fossil records appear in rock formations up to 3.7 billion years old....

Chalk is fundamentally calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and takes hundreds of millions of years to form. This seemingly mundane mineral has a...

Silica, silicon, and silicone refer to related but distinct substances with specific properties, applications, and origins. Silica is...

Natural glass gemstones are caused by extraordinary geological events, such as intense heat and cataclysmic impacts. Natural glass...

Silica, or silicon dioxide (SiO2), occurs in the Earth’s crust, the microcosm and daily life. Silica makes ancient glass such as...

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...

Nickel (Ni), a silvery-white metal with a lustrous sheen, is a transition element essential to industry and commerce, and known in...

Cobalt is a silvery grey metal used across various fields, including science, medicine, and industry. It receives its name from the...

Zaffre (zaffer) is a vibrant deep blue pigment developed by alchemists, major pigment creators, by c. 1550 AD. Characterized by brilliant...

Calcite is made up of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). With stunning crystal formations and a range of beautiful colors, calcite also has...

Sporosarcina pasteurii is a gram-positive bacterium with the extraordinary ability to precipitate calcite and solidify sand when exposed...

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is an amazing natural powder ground from the sedimentary stone diatomite. The stone itself is made of fossilized...

Diatoms, while invisible to the naked eye, are essential to the ecosystem and human survival. These tiny microalgae prolifically generate...

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is only one of the amazing bacteria used in biometallurgy. In an age of environmental concerns,...

Chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂) is vital to the earth's geology. A primary ore of copper, this scintillating mineral is influential to health,...

Copper (II) sulfate CuSO4 yields a vivid color and widespread applications. Also known as blue vitriol in alchemy and chalcanthite in...