Elemental Serendipity

I have been reading the book The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean which is a really excellent book not just because it explains the history and meaning of the Periodic Table, because it does so in a very engaging way.  The histories of discoveries and how the element was used make them all seem more real and tangible.  It is also amazing to me that all of what we can see, all of what we are, can be boiled down to so many piles of each of those elements.
As anyone knows, as soon as you take an interest in something, suddenly you see it all over.  Last night while channel surfing, my wife happened upon NOVA’s episode “Hunting the Elements”.  Another fascinating look at the elements how, what and why of the periodic table.  Finally, I hop in my car to head to work and turn on the Radiolab podcast “Yellow Fluff and Other Curious Encounters” which starts with a story about…yep, the Periodic Table and its origin in the work of Dmitri Mendeleev
 
So I am geeking out on the science of elements right now and completely filling my head with stuff my girls will just adore.