Total synthesis by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
TODO why can't we produce organic compounds more cheaply by total synthesis than biosynthesis?
Radium by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
Discovered by Marie Curie when she noticed that there was some yet unknown more radioactive element in their raw samples, after uranium and polonium, which she published 6 months prior, had already been separated. Published on December 1989 as: Section "Sur une nouvelle substance fortement radio-active, contenue dans la pechblende".
The uranium 238 decay chain is the main source of naturally occurring radium.
Video 1.
The epic story of radium by Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (2013)
Source.
Mind uploading by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
Wikipedia defines Mind uploading as a synonym for whole brain emulation. This sounds really weird, as "mind uploading" suggests much more simply brain dumping, or perhaps reuploading a brain dump to a brain.
Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom (2014) section "Whole brain emulation" provides a reasonable setup: post mortem, take a brain, freeze it, then cut it into fine slices with a Microtome, and then inspect slices with an electron microscope after some kind of staining to determine all the synapses.
Likely implies AGI.
Craig Venter by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
One of the biotechnology superstars of the 2000's/2010's.
Gas chromatography by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
This technique is crazy! It allows to both:
  • separate gaseous mixtures
  • identify gaseous compounds
You actually see discrete peaks at different minute counts on the other end.
It is based on how much the gas interacts with the column.
Detection is usually done burning the sample to ionize it when it comes out, and then you measure the current produced.
The procedure remind you a bit of gel electrophoresis, except that it is in gaseous phase.
Video 1.
Gas chromatography by Quick Biochemistry Basics (2019)
Source.
Video 2.
How I invented the electron capture detector interview with James Lovelock by Web of Stories (2001)
Source. He mentions how scientists had to make their own tools during the 40s/60s. Then how gas chromatography was invented at the National Institute for Medical Research and gained a Nobel Prize. Lovelock came in improving the detection part of things.
Looking at most astronomical object through a telescope is boring because you only see a white ball or point every time. Such targets would likely only be interesting with spectroscopy analysis.
There are however some objects that you can see the structure of even with an amateur telescope, and that makes them very exciting.
Some good ones:

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