Dioscorides is a physician of Rome in the first century AD. He serves as a doctor in Nero's army and later writes De Materia Medici ,...

Salt is primarily sodium chloride (NaCl). As a naturally occurring mineral it's known as halite or rock salt. Vital for food preservation...

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) work to help transform milk into cheese, creating unique flavors and textures. They ferment sugars, mainly...

Wild yeast is a fascinating part of the natural world. Ubiquitous and often overlooked, it's a coveted organism of science, well-known by...

Yeast is a unicellular fungus essential in daily life. This gift of nature is used in baking leavened bread and in food fermentation. Its...

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

Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is the primary ingredient in alcoholic beverages. A clear, colorless liquid, it has a chemical formula of...

Rust, the reddish-brown coating that forms on iron or steel due to exposure to oxygen and moisture is a fascinating display of chemistry....

"Hematite" comes from the ancient Greek for blood. The stone makes red dust when cut and polished. The red color isn't always visible at...

Galena (PbS) is the primary lead ore for centuries. Lead can be smelted from galena in a regular wood fire. Some galena deposits contain...

Salt in alchemy is an independent mineral as well as one of the tria prima , or Three Primes, a medieval concept dominating Renaissance...

The circle is a magical place. With no beginning or end the circle is infinity. Circles hold or contain magic and spiritual energies....

Yumuktepe (Yümüktepe Höyük) is a Neolithic mound site active from c. 6300 BCE to Byzantine times. On the turquoise Turkish Mediterranean,...

Karaca Dağ (Karacadağ, Karaca Dag) is a primeval shield volcano in today's SE Turkey. Migrating birds disperse countless seeds for...

Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey. A saline soda lake, it's fed by numerous mountain streams. Van lacks a water outlet, making it...

Çayönü Tepesi (Cayonu) is a Neolithic settlement in SE Turkey. From c. 8630-6800 BCE it's a site of innovation, agriculture and human...

White pigments used in ancient art, spirituality and beauty include bone, limestone variations like chalk and other natural sources....

Red ocher is among the first colors appearing on the palette of early humans, along with white and red. Black, white and red are also...

Neolithic farmers in Britain and northern Europe are the first to drink milk. Early humans are lactose intolerant but consume dairy...

Broad beans ( Vicia faba ), faba or fava beans are cultivated as a crop from pre-Neolithic times to present day. Among the earliest...