Treponema pallidum is a parasitic spirochete or spiral bacterium, primarily known for causing the STI syphilis . It's tricky to...

Amino acids are organic compounds. They create long chains of proteins and have essential functions in many biological processes. Amino...

Lactase is an enzyme important to breaking down lactose, a sugar found in milk and dairy products, into digestible elements. Lactase is...

Pasteurization is a process of treatments designed to remove microbes from milk. Most microbes inhabiting raw milk are lactic acid...

Feudalism is a structured system of land ownership and governance in which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It includes a...

German Romanticism (Deutsche Romantik) is an influential movement emphasizing profound emotions, the beauty of nature, and the power of...

Bona Dea, the "Good Goddess," has a special place among ancient Roman deities. Her mysteries are only for women. Goddess of fertility,...

Bacteria and archaea are the oldest life forms on Earth. Both defined as prokaryotes , they are fundamentally different in several ways....

Silvanus is a rustic Roman god of wilderness, fields, livestock, boundaries, music and fertility. His name comes from the Latin silva ...

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

Kakia in Greek mythology represents vice and moral corruption. Her name directly translates to wickedness. She relates to darker aspects...

Prokaryotes and eukaryotes are the two major types of cellular creatures on Earth. Prokaryotes are among the first life 3.4 billion years...

Bacteroides thetaiotomicron is found in the human gastrointestinal tract (GI) as part of the normal digestive system biota, along with...

Alchemy through the ages is a science affected by personal spirituality and religion. Rooted in ancient practices, alchemy takes shape in...

Andreas Libavius (c. 1550-1616) is one of the most influential figures of Renaissance alchemy, active in the Elizabethan era. His book...

Ammonium carbonate [NH4]2CO3 is the main ingredient in Victorian smelling salts. Also called baker's ammonia, sal volatile , salt of...

Glass of antimony , or vitrum antimonii , gives warm yellow or red hues. As Sb2O3, its use in alchemy is largely medicinal, one of many...

Johann Georg Faust or Doctor Faustus is an alchemist, physician and magician, a cryptic figure of the German Renaissance. Perceived by...

The German Peasants' War (1524-5) is short, bloody and violent, and changes the course of history in Europe. Up to 400,000 peasants rise...

Uric acid is a factor in conditions like gout and kidney stones. It's also essential to the animal body, plants and the rest of the...