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Calcium
In 1808, a young Humphry Davy hooked his new battery to a paste of "lime," boiled off the mercury, and—against all expectations—pulled a silvery metal from...
Magnesium
On a summer day in 1618, a farmer in Epsom, England led his cows to a spring. They refused to drink—too bitter. But when he splashed the water on a rash, it...
Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)
You've heard the story: World War II pilots slathered bilberry jam on toast and, suddenly, could see in the dark. It's a gripping image—sweet fruit as secret...
Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.)
In 1911, a USDA botanist and a cranberry farmer's daughter walked the pine barrens of New Jersey tagging wild bushes by taste, color, and grit. They weren't...
Pomegranate (Punica granatum)
In myth, the pomegranate was both a promise of life and a passport to the underworld. In clinics today, it's turning up in blood-pressure cuffs, dialysis...