The practice of naming planets comes from the work of the Babylonians. The concept passes into the Greek, and from there, Romans begin...

"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...

Hematite, an iron ore with the chemical formula Fe2O3 (ferric oxide), is known for its metallic luster. In earthy form the stone offers a...

Aqua regia, Latin for “royal water,” is a powerful acidic solution known to dissolve noble metals like gold and platinum. It's used in...

Copperas, known chemically as ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄), has been a vital compound across various industries for centuries. Although...

The Ottoman-Venetian Wars are seven major conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice from the late 14th to the 18th...

Venice during the Renaissance emerges as a vibrant center of art, culture and commerce, influencing the broader European scope. The...

Antonio Neri is a Renaissance Florentine priest, well known for contributions to alchemy and glassmaking. As a youth Neri is drawn to the...

The 16th and 17th centuries mark a tumultuous period in European history, defined by a series of religious wars with cataclysmic effects...

In the medieval world, urine is a surprisingly versatile body fluid with a wide range of applications beyond the obvious disposal...

Urine has medical and practical applications though history. Renaissance alchemist Hennig Brand discovers phosphorus by boiling his...

Tellurium is the Latin word for earth. A brittle, non-malleable silvery white metalloid, tellurium (Te) is a rare element having both...

In Eastern and Western alchemy, the transformation of metals into gold (Au) symbolizes a process of maturation for metal and alchemist....

In alchemy an essential piece of equipment is the hearth or forge. Smelting metal applies heat and a reducing agent to separate one or...

In the European alchemical tradition, the elixir vitae or elixir of life is associated with the philosopher's stone. Legend has it...

The Guelphs and Ghibellines are feuding factions during the Italian Renaissance. Warfare and bloodshed between the two throw regions of...

Astrology prospers in the East after the 476 AD fall of the Roman Empire. Indian, Persian, and Islamic writers prolifically translate...

Artemisia annua or sweet wormwood appears in traditional Chinese medicine texts of Ge Hong ( 283 - 364 AD) as an early remedy to treat...

The malaria parasite P. falciparum has existed for up to100,000 years. Its numbers rise c. 8000 BCE with the Neolithic Revolution....

Lapis lazuli or "blue stone" is prized for its depth and brilliance in paint as the color ultramarine. Before the 1800s, ultramarine...