Atoms & Light
  • Reads 70
  • Votes 17
  • Parts 12
  • Time 1h 18m
  • Reads 70
  • Votes 17
  • Parts 12
  • Time 1h 18m
Complete, First published Jan 24, 2021
In 1657, Otto von Guericke pumped the air from two hemispheres and eight horses could not pull them apart. 

Amontons found a volume of air shrank as the temperature fell and realized that it would become zero.

In 1774, Joseph Priestley isolated oxygen while Lavoisier released hydrogen and burned this with oxygen to make water. 

In 1832, Michael Faraday built the first electric motor and generator. 

John Newlands noticed similar chemical properties in a list of elements demonstrating the existence of unknown elements.

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek invented a microscope with 300 times magnification allowing him to see bacteria, spermatozoa and red blood cells.

In 1605, Kepler concluded that all the planets moved in elliptical orbits with the sun at one focus of the ellipse.

Galileo reported that the orbital periods of Jupiter's moons permitted accurate determination of longitude on Earth. 

Newton and Leibniz independently invented calculus, used extensively in mathematics, science, engineering and economics. 



WHO THE HELL ARE WE? is a series of short books and videos describing the evolution of civilization.  

Almost everyone on the planet is five times wealthier than their ancestors only 50 years ago.  This astonishing phenomenon has also improved health, education, and longevity.  The cause; an explosive growth in ideas and productivity.

It began when we learned to control fire, evolved articulate speech and stumbled onto the way to create infinite wealth; free trade.  The discovery of agriculture made us richer but we also learned  how to destroy wealth.  Great civilization grew up but then disappeared leaving only incredible ruins and ideas.

Later books detail some of the ideas and developments that increased the average life span from about 40 years to more than 80 and the average world income from less than $3 to more than $33 per person per day (and to $140 per day in some countries).
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Flight by duncmacphun
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The Orville and Wilbur Wright flew under power in 1903. The first flight travelled only 120 feet but Wilbur flew 24.5 miles in 38 minutes in August 1904. More powerful aircraft engines were developed during WW-1 but airframes were too fragile for aerial fighting. H.Focke's transverse twin-rotor helicopter, broke all helicopter world records in 1937. After WW-1, designers used duralumin airframes and smaller, monoplane wings for fighter aircraft like the Supermarine Spitfire. At Midway, in 1942, American dive-bombers sank three of the four Japanese aircraft carriers. I.Sikorsky developed the first practical single rotor helicopter with a single tail boom rotor and produced over 400 helicopters in WW-2. The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the first jet fighter in action in 1944. For maximum efficiency most jet aircraft need to cruise at about Mach 0.8 (610 mph) and at altitudes above 30,000 ft. In 2021, with battery powered, contra-rotating propellers spinning at 2500 rpm, NASA's Dragonfly helicopter lifted off from the surface of Mars. It weighed only 2 pound. WHO THE HELL ARE WE? is a series of short books and videos describing the evolution of civilization. Almost everyone on the planet is five times wealthier than their ancestors only 50 years ago. This astonishing phenomenon has also improved health, education, and longevity. The cause; an explosive growth in ideas and productivity. It began when we learned to control fire, evolved articulate speech and stumbled onto the way to create infinite wealth; free trade. The discovery of agriculture made us richer but we also learned how to destroy wealth. Great civilization grew up but then disappeared leaving only incredible ruins and ideas. Later books detail some of the ideas and developments that increased the average life span from about 40 years to more than 80 and the average world income from less than $3 to more than $33 per person per day (and to $140 per day in some countries).
We Eukaryotes by duncmacphun
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About 1.5 billion years ago, the single-celled eukaryotes became the common ancestors of all multicellular plants, animals, and fungi. Fish evolved a primitive lung sac and four limbs, 350 million years ago, so they could crawl between fresh water swamps. About 250 million years ago, the ancestors of all mammals, were tiny nocturnal insectivores and, about 6 million years ago, we began walking on two legs. The most recent Ice Age (2.6 million to 12,000 years ago), severely reduced rainfall in Africa, where Homo habilis was evolving. In Homo erectus (1.9 to 0.5 million years ago), cranial capacity increased to between 850 and 1000 cm3 implying the phenomenal increase of 125,000 more neurons with each generation. Between 70 and 50 thousand years ago, Homo sapiens spread out from east Africa. Then, about 20,000 years ago, evolution made a sharp change in direction. After 250 million years, we ceased to be hunter gatherers. The Neolithic Revolution meant we could never go back. WHO THE HELL ARE WE? is a series of short books and videos describing the evolution of civilization. Almost everyone on the planet is five times wealthier than their ancestors only 50 years ago. This astonishing phenomenon has also improved health, education, and longevity. The cause; an explosive growth in ideas and productivity. It began when we learned to control fire, evolved articulate speech and stumbled onto the way to create infinite wealth; free trade. The discovery of agriculture made us richer but we also learned how to destroy wealth. Great civilization grew up but then disappeared leaving only incredible ruins and ideas. Later books detail some of the ideas and developments that increased the average life span from about 40 years to more than 80 and the average world income from less than $3 to more than $33 per person per day (and to $140 per day in some countries).
Health by duncmacphun
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The human population increased from 1 billion to 7.8 billion between 1800 and 2020 because of sewage treatment, clean drinking water, vitamins, vaccines and antibiotics. In the USA in 1800, 46% of babies died before their fifth birthday; in 2020 less than 1% died. (Breastfeeding babies up to 12 months should be given 400 IU of vitamin D per day; 600 IU thereafter). In 1536, Jacques Cartier's crew were cured of scurvy with a tea made from the arbor vitae tree's needles (which have 50 mg of vitamin C per 100g). In 1796, Dr.E.Jenner developed a smallpox vaccine from cowpox. In 1812, When Napoleon invaded Russia only 40,000 soldiers survived a typhus epidemic; over 400,000 died. Between1848 and 1870, life expectancy in Liverpool, England, increased from 19 years to 40 years because of the new sewage system. In 1854, Dr. J. Snow identified a public well as the source of a cholera outbreak in London. In 1865, J.Lister applied a carbolic acid solution, to a boy's broken leg and was amazed when the leg bones fused back together without gangrene. WHO THE HELL ARE WE? is a series of short books and videos describing the evolution of civilization. Almost everyone on the planet is five times wealthier than their ancestors only 50 years ago. This astonishing phenomenon has also improved health, education, and longevity. The cause; an explosive growth in ideas and productivity. It began when we learned to control fire, evolved articulate speech and stumbled onto the way to create infinite wealth; free trade. The discovery of agriculture made us richer but we also learned how to destroy wealth. Great civilization grew up but then disappeared leaving only incredible ruins and ideas. Later books detail some of the ideas and developments that increased the average life span from about 40 years to more than 80 and the average world income from less than $3 to more than $33 per person per day (and to $140 per day in some countries).
Neolithic by duncmacphun
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The first agricultural revolutions began about 10,000 BCE in Egypt, China and Mesopotamia (Iraq). Trading require counting and the first written language; in general use by 2600 BCE. The first epic poem, Gilgamesh, was written in cuneiform. The first alphabet assigned Semitic characters to Egyptian hieroglyphs about 2000 BCE. It was adopted by the Greeks about 800 BCE and later modified for the Roman Latin alphabet. The Chinese built the first blast furnaces (using piston-bellows driven by waterwheels) and cast iron farm tools and weapons were common by 500 BCE. Austronesians sailed outrigger canoes over 6,000 kilometers from Taiwan to reach New Zealand from about 3000 BCE. About 100 BCE the Malays of Indonesia traded between China, India and Africa in sailing ships carrying 1000 people and a 260 ton cargo. The Greek navigator, Pytheas, sailed to the north Atlantic about 325 BCE where he recorded polar ice, the Midnight Sun and lunar tides. The Roman Prefect of Egypt (26-24 BCE), Aelius Gallus, noted 120 trading ships leaving Myos Hormos for India. WHO THE HELL ARE WE? is a series of short books and videos describing the evolution of civilization. Almost everyone on the planet is five times wealthier than their ancestors only 50 years ago. This astonishing phenomenon has also improved health, education, and longevity. The cause; an explosive growth in ideas and productivity. It began when we learned to control fire, evolved articulate speech and stumbled onto the way to create infinite wealth; free trade. The discovery of agriculture made us richer but we also learned how to destroy wealth. Great civilization grew up but then disappeared leaving only incredible ruins and ideas. Later books detail some of the ideas and developments that increased the average life span from about 40 years to more than 80 and the average world income from less than $3 to more than $33 per person per day (and to $140 per day in some countries).
Engineering by duncmacphun
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Denis Papin built the first steam engine in 1705 and, by 1800, Boulton and Watt had built 451steam engines. In 1870, the British produced 4 million tons of coke for iron and steel production and locomotive and industrial engines. Axel Cronstedt identified tungsten in 1757. Tungsten carbide, proved almost as hard as diamond making it invaluable for cutting tools. Li Chun's Zhaozhou Bridge, in China, was finished in 605 CE and it is still in use. The Kap Shui Mun Bridge, Hong Kong, completed in 1997, has a main span of 430 metres (1,410 ft). In 1886, P.Héroult and C.Hall both dissolved alumina in cryolite, to make pure aluminum by electrolysis. E.Fouché and C.Picard developed oxygen-acetylene torches for welding and cutting steel in 1903. Henry Wickham smuggled 70,000 rubber tree seeds from Brazil, in 1876. Charles Goodyear developed vulcanization in 1840 and by 2017 the world produced 28 million tons of rubber; more than half of which was synthetic. WHO THE HELL ARE WE? is a series of short books and videos describing the evolution of civilization. Almost everyone on the planet is five times wealthier than their ancestors only 50 years ago. This astonishing phenomenon has also improved health, education, and longevity. The cause; an explosive growth in ideas and productivity. It began when we learned to control fire, evolved articulate speech and stumbled onto the way to create infinite wealth; free trade. The discovery of agriculture made us richer but we also learned how to destroy wealth. Great civilization grew up but then disappeared leaving only incredible ruins and ideas. Later books detail some of the ideas and developments that increased the average life span from about 40 years to more than 80 and the average world income from less than $3 to more than $33 per person per day (and to $140 per day in some countries).
Everyones Obsessed* by Cie1_5
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The past carries an unjust history. Immoral actions mark the present. The future holds untold consequences. Bad things happen to good people, and good people do bad things. | | || ||| ||||| |||||||| ||||||||||||| You, of all people, should understand the obsession. Whether it's the endless hours lost to a screen, the compulsion to scroll through forums, the need for that next high, the haunting grip of past trauma, the fixation on someone unattainable, the pursuit of a fleeting feeling, or even the inexplicable attachment to something as simple as frogs-obsession has woven itself into every corner of your life. •__ •_ •• •_• •_• • •••• / ••_ • •_• I have done terrible things because I let obsession take over me. It wasn't always that way. It started as a lie; it became true one day. I told myself I was in control and could stop anytime, but I only lied to myself. I was powerless. I never wanted to hurt anyone; I hurt him and myself. Now, I'm left with the wreckage of my choices. I wonder if there's any way to get things back to how they were before. Xgbs bqf zpv patfttfc xisg? To us, they are just another random person: the letters carved on the table, the artist of old graffiti, the person who also walked into the restroom, the reason the trash is full, or the garbage thrower on the side of the streets. But to them, they're the main fucking character in their own story, and each mark, item, digital trace, and photo they have makes a fragment of their existence. We may never know their face or name, but the traces they left remind us that everyone's lives intersect, creating a vast web of connections; unnoticed or not, they are never truly invisible. Dy32Al43Dy44|Dy11Al99Dy33|Dy44Dy87Dy22|Dy01Dy87|Dy87Al11Dy01Dy33Dy01Dy01Dy33Al21|Dy32Dy55Al01Al43|Dy21Al99Dy11Dy21Dy65Dy55Al77Dy43|Dy21Dy87Al21Dy33Dy01/
Our Sea by duncmacphun
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The arms race began in Mesopotamia with the invention of composite bows, light chariots and crossbows. The Persian (Iranian) emperor tried to conquer Athens in 480 BCE but was delayed by the Spartans at Thermopylae while Greek warships destroyed the Persian fleet. The Macedonian ruler, Alexander the Great, completely destroyed the Persian armies by 326 BCE and established the Greek empire. Then, between 600 and 200 BCE, a few hundred Greeks revolutionized science, mathematics, medicine, engineering, history, law and philosophy. Meanwhile, Greeks settlers in Sicily were in conflict with Rome and, by first century BCE, Romans had conquered Greece, Egypt, Carthage and the old Persian empire. Roman traders made large profits using the Silk Road between Rome, China and India and which created higher incomes though out the Roman empire. Roman engineers built more than 80,000 km of roads throughout the empire and 800 km of aqueducts in Rome delivered a million cubic metres of water each day. WHO THE HELL ARE WE? is a series of short books and videos describing the evolution of civilization. Almost everyone on the planet is five times wealthier than their ancestors only 50 years ago. This astonishing phenomenon has also improved health, education, and longevity. The cause; an explosive growth in ideas and productivity. It began when we learned to control fire, evolved articulate speech and stumbled onto the way to create infinite wealth; free trade. The discovery of agriculture made us richer but we also learned how to destroy wealth. Great civilization grew up but then disappeared leaving only incredible ruins and ideas. Later books detail some of the ideas and developments that increased the average life span from about 40 years to more than 80 and the average world income from less than $3 to more than $33 per person per day (and to $140 per day in some countries).
Nuclear by duncmacphun
23 parts Complete
H.Becquerel found uranium emitted radiation and, in1898, M.Curie extracted minute traces of radium from ore. J.Maxwell predicted electro-magnetic radiation in 1855 and Einstein formulated special relativity; mass could be converted into energy. In 1905, E.Rutherford found radon gas emitted helium nuclei. In 1919, F.Aston identified 212 naturally occurring isotopes. But why was the atomic weight of helium exactly 4.000 and not 4.032? In 1925, Rutherford transmuted nitrogen into an isotope of oxygen. By 1934, J.Chadwick had found neutrons emitted by polonium and E.Fermi had transmuted uranium into plutonium. Fermi's research reactor went critical in 1942. The 235-uranium was extracted at Oak Ridge, while plutonium was produced in Washington state and the first atom bomb exploded in New Mexico in 1945. Two more atom bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending the war with Japan. The first practical nuclear power plant was developed for submarines and, by 2021, 442 fission reactors supplied about 10% of the world's electricity. WHO THE HELL ARE WE? is a series of short books and videos describing the evolution of civilization. Almost everyone on the planet is five times wealthier than their ancestors only 50 years ago. This astonishing phenomenon has also improved health, education, and longevity. The cause; an explosive growth in ideas and productivity. It began when we learned to control fire, evolved articulate speech and stumbled onto the way to create infinite wealth; free trade. The discovery of agriculture made us richer but we also learned how to destroy wealth. Great civilization grew up but then disappeared leaving only incredible ruins and ideas. Later books detail some of the ideas and developments that increased the average life span from about 40 years to more than 80 and the average world income from less than $3 to more than $33 per person per day (and to $140 per day in some countries).
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Slide 1 of 10
Flight cover
We Eukaryotes cover
Health cover
Neolithic cover
Slamming Locker Doors (emo quartet high school Au) cover
Engineering cover
Everyones Obsessed* cover
Our Sea cover
The 100 sacrifices| ~Bellamy Blake cover
Nuclear cover

Flight

19 parts Complete

The Orville and Wilbur Wright flew under power in 1903. The first flight travelled only 120 feet but Wilbur flew 24.5 miles in 38 minutes in August 1904. More powerful aircraft engines were developed during WW-1 but airframes were too fragile for aerial fighting. H.Focke's transverse twin-rotor helicopter, broke all helicopter world records in 1937. After WW-1, designers used duralumin airframes and smaller, monoplane wings for fighter aircraft like the Supermarine Spitfire. At Midway, in 1942, American dive-bombers sank three of the four Japanese aircraft carriers. I.Sikorsky developed the first practical single rotor helicopter with a single tail boom rotor and produced over 400 helicopters in WW-2. The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the first jet fighter in action in 1944. For maximum efficiency most jet aircraft need to cruise at about Mach 0.8 (610 mph) and at altitudes above 30,000 ft. In 2021, with battery powered, contra-rotating propellers spinning at 2500 rpm, NASA's Dragonfly helicopter lifted off from the surface of Mars. It weighed only 2 pound. WHO THE HELL ARE WE? is a series of short books and videos describing the evolution of civilization. Almost everyone on the planet is five times wealthier than their ancestors only 50 years ago. This astonishing phenomenon has also improved health, education, and longevity. The cause; an explosive growth in ideas and productivity. It began when we learned to control fire, evolved articulate speech and stumbled onto the way to create infinite wealth; free trade. The discovery of agriculture made us richer but we also learned how to destroy wealth. Great civilization grew up but then disappeared leaving only incredible ruins and ideas. Later books detail some of the ideas and developments that increased the average life span from about 40 years to more than 80 and the average world income from less than $3 to more than $33 per person per day (and to $140 per day in some countries).