Wonderfully written article that focuses on the ecological and biological roles phosphorus plays. The author did leave out a bit of the discovery lore (perhaps on purpose) that my brain has failed to forget since learning as a youth-
Macquer gave him (the alchemist noted in OP article) formal credit in his textbook, writing that “the phosphorus here described was first discovered by a citizen of Hamburgh named Brandt, who worked upon urine in search of the Philosopher’s stone.” [1]
Of course i found this hilarious, but its a prime example of serendipity. [2]
alt Hacker News
Wonderfully written article that focuses on the ecological and biological roles phosphorus plays. The author did leave out a bit of the discovery lore (perhaps on purpose) that my brain has failed to forget since learning as a youth-
Macquer gave him (the alchemist noted in OP article) formal credit in his textbook, writing that “the phosphorus here described was first discovered by a citizen of Hamburgh named Brandt, who worked upon urine in search of the Philosopher’s stone.” [1]
Of course i found this hilarious, but its a prime example of serendipity. [2]
[1] https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/hennig-brand...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serendipity