The elements we live by : how iron helps us breathe, potassium lets us see, and other surprising superpowers of the periodic table
Røyne, Anja2020
Book
We all know that we depend on elements for survival - from oxygen in the air we breathe to carbon in the molecular structures of all living things. But we seldom appreciate how, say, phosphorus holds our DNA together or how potassium powers our optic nerves enabling us to see. Physicist and award-winning author Anja Røyne takes us on an astonishing journey through chemistry and physics, introducing the building blocks from which we humans - and everything else in the world - are made. Not only does Røyne explain why our bodies need iron, phosphorus, silicon, potassium and many more elements in just the right amounts in order to function, she also shows us where in the world these precious elements are found (some of them in limited and quickly depleting quantities).
Main title:
The elements we live by : how iron helps us breathe, potassium lets us see, and other surprising superpowers of the periodic table / Anja Røyne ; translated by Olivia Lasky.
Author:
Røyne, Anja, authorLasky, Olivia, translator
Imprint:
London : Robinson, 2020.
Collation:
212 pages ; 24 cm
Notes:
Translated from the Norwegian.This translation originally published: U.S.: The Experiment, LLC.Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:
9781472144669 (pbk)
Dewey class:
546
Language:
EnglishNorwegian
Added title:
Subject:
BRN:
2943348