Stop and Smell the Guano: How Fertilizers Saved the World...

What this episode covers

November 08, 2017 - A little more than a hundred years ago, the world's fast-growing population was outstripping humanity's ability to feed itself. Mass starvation was only averted when a pair of brilliant German scientists developed a new chemical process to snatch nitrogen gas from the air and use it to make modern fertilizers. As science writer Thomas Hager explains in this episode of Science Elements, it's a story of wars, greed, bird droppings and a discovery that continues to dramatically shape our lives today. Music: "Wash Out" by Broke for Free, licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY 3.0.

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This episode was published on November 8, 2017.

What is this episode about?

November 08, 2017 - A little more than a hundred years ago, the world's fast-growing population was outstripping humanity's ability to feed itself. Mass starvation was only averted when a pair of brilliant German scientists developed a new chemical...

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