Ancient explosives and the philosopher's stone: a history of alchemy
2026-10-05 · 36 min · episode 2638 · 7 entities
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Feed category: History
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Feed author/publisher: Immediate
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Feed author/publisher: HistoryExtra
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Ancient explosives and the philosopher's stone: a history of alchemy
Episode description as stored
Think of alchemy, and you likely imagine bubbling vials of strange potions and molten metals. But how close is this popular perception to the truth? That’s the question behind historian and adventurer Kit Chapman’s latest book, The Age of Alchemy, which was recently announced as winner of the 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize.
In this episode, Kit guides Emily Briffett through a remarkable story of discovery that blurred the boundaries between science and mysticism – and explains how alchemists pursued dreams of fortune and immortality that laid the foundations for modern science.
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GO BEYOND THE PODCAST
An unlikely mix of scientist, scholar, engineer and magician, the 'magus' was a figure that sat at the heart of the transformative Renaissance period. Don’t miss this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast charting the careers of these men, seen as genius scholars by some and charlatans by others: https://bit.ly/47A7pyN
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