{"product_id":"9781836430872-white-light","title":"White Light","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Essential Element that Changed the World\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA unique biography of a vital element in our bodies, our food and the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eWhite Light\u003c\/em\u003e is a conscience-driven tour de force.' Pico Iyer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe most important element you never think about – uncover the secret life of phosphorus\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhosphorus is the keystone of life. Without it, cells cannot divide and plants cannot photosynthesise. Highly reactive, it is seldom found in its elemental form – but, when pure white phosphorus is exposed to air, it emits a ghostly white light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1842, Darwin’s beloved botany professor, Reverend John Stevens Henslow, discovered the miraculous potential of phosphorus as a fertilizer. He hardly imagined that his countrymen would soon be grinding the bones of dead soldiers and mummified Egyptian cats to fertilise farms. Nor that his discovery would spawn a global mining industry, changing diets, lifestyle and the face of the planet forever.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJourneying across the flat expanses of Henslow’s Suffolk to far-flung Nauru, an island stripped of its life force by this ravenous young industry, Lohmann sifts through the Earth’s geological layers and eras, exploring our strained relationship with a life-giving element. Bold, lyrical, genre-defying, \u003cem\u003eWhite Light\u003c\/em\u003e invites us to renew our broken relationship not just with the earth but with our own death – and the life it brings after us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e***\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'An effervescent – or I should say phosphorescent – debut from a talented young science writer.'\u003cstrong\u003e Steve Brusatte, bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eThe Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'An eerie exploration of a strange and surprising element, and a plangent warning of a looming environmental crisis that needs our attention. Science writing of the highest order.' \u003cstrong\u003eCal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'In this deft and radiant book, Jack Lohmann has achieved something quite rare: a work that is scientifically precise yet ethically expansive.' \u003cstrong\u003eRob Nixon, author of\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eSlow Violence\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53578615062902,"sku":"9781836430872","price":15.6,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_33614164_0d302e50-f39f-4fef-81d3-69e7628fa067.jpg?v=1744274536","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781836430872-white-light","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}