The story of the first porcelain made in Europe gives some insight into the older threads, like alchemy, that are woven into modern chemistry, says Roald Hoffmann, a professor of humane letters in the ...

At the heart of alchemy was the quest to turn ordinary metals into gold. Despite the hopelessness of that goal, alchemists still made a lot of discoveries that formed the foundation of modern ...

In Philadelphia last week, a group of scientists busily polished what was, until recently, a rusty old science. Alchemy, the ancient pursuit of transmuting base metals into gold, has been absent as a ...

An engraved plate attributed to Augsburg printmaker Martin Engelbrecht in the early eighteenth century depicts an 18th-century engraving of a ragged, impoverished alchemist. Before he was a well-known ...

What is alchemy? Where magic meets chemistry, according to pop culture. The wizards in Harry Potter practice it. (The British version of J.K. Rowling's first book, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's ...

The traditional grand narrative of the scientific revolution styles it as a decisive rejection of magic and mysticism in favor of rationality and empiricism. This engaging study of early modern ...

MOST people do their best to avoid the manchineel tree. Even sheltering under it during a rain shower could give you a nasty surprise. Its sap is toxic and water-soluble, so any drips bouncing off the ...

Associate Professor Grace Stokes helps her chemistry students visualize equations by integrating Python coding into her curriculum. Associate Professor Grace Stokes helps her chemistry students ...