The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance
(OverDrive Listen)
Published:
Books on Tape 2023
Format:
OverDrive Listen
Edition:
Unabridged
Status:
Checked Out
Description
The New York Times best-selling author on the source of great bounty—and now great peril—all over the world.
Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it’s also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of explanatory science and environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dan Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called “the oil of our time.”
The story of phosphorus spans the globe and vast tracts of human history. First discovered in a seventeenth-century alchemy lab in Hamburg, it soon became a highly sought-after resource. The race to mine phosphorus took people from the battlefields of Waterloo, which were looted for the bones of fallen soldiers, to the fabled guano islands off Peru, the Bone Valley of Florida, and the sand dunes of the Western Sahara. Over the past century, phosphorus has made farming vastly more productive, feeding the enormous increase in the human population. Yet, as Egan harrowingly reports, our overreliance on this vital crop nutrient is today causing toxic algae blooms and “dead zones” in waterways from the coasts of Florida to the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes and beyond. Egan also explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwide—which risks rising conflict and even war.
With The Devil’s Element, Egan has written an essential and eye-opening account that urges us to pay attention to one of the most perilous but little-known environmental issues of our time.
Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it’s also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of explanatory science and environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dan Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called “the oil of our time.”
The story of phosphorus spans the globe and vast tracts of human history. First discovered in a seventeenth-century alchemy lab in Hamburg, it soon became a highly sought-after resource. The race to mine phosphorus took people from the battlefields of Waterloo, which were looted for the bones of fallen soldiers, to the fabled guano islands off Peru, the Bone Valley of Florida, and the sand dunes of the Western Sahara. Over the past century, phosphorus has made farming vastly more productive, feeding the enormous increase in the human population. Yet, as Egan harrowingly reports, our overreliance on this vital crop nutrient is today causing toxic algae blooms and “dead zones” in waterways from the coasts of Florida to the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes and beyond. Egan also explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwide—which risks rising conflict and even war.
With The Devil’s Element, Egan has written an essential and eye-opening account that urges us to pay attention to one of the most perilous but little-known environmental issues of our time.
Formats
OverDrive Listen
Need Help?
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
More Copies In Prospector
Loading Prospector Copies...
More Details
Street Date:
03/07/2023
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780593748183
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)
Dan Egan. (2023). The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance. Unabridged Books on Tape.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Dan Egan. 2023. The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance. Books on Tape.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Dan Egan, The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance. Books on Tape, 2023.
MLA Citation (style guide)Dan Egan. The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance. Unabridged Books on Tape, 2023.
Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Copy Details
| Library | Owned | Available |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Digital Collection | 1 | 0 |
| Boulder Public Library | 0 | 0 |
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
20d96325-2005-3045-84a4-9fa25d1cfdd6
QR Code
API Extraction Dates
Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Mar 04, 2023 22:19:32
Date Updated:
Mar 04, 2023 22:19:32
Last Metadata Check:
Dec 29, 2024 04:48:27
Last Metadata Change:
Nov 24, 2024 04:42:06
Last Availability Check:
Dec 29, 2024 04:48:29
Last Availability Change:
Dec 20, 2024 11:03:59
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Jan 02, 2025 01:38:40
OverDrive Product Record
- images
- cover:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1191-1/{2D95BB85-EAC1-4426-8102-B81FC4EE8A57}IMG100.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- thumbnail:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1191-1/{2D95BB85-EAC1-4426-8102-B81FC4EE8A57}IMG200.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover150Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1191-1/{2D95BB85-EAC1-4426-8102-B81FC4EE8A57}IMG150.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover300Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1191-1/{2D95BB85-EAC1-4426-8102-B81FC4EE8A57}IMG400.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover:
- formats
- identifiers:
- type: ISBN
- value: 9780593748183
- name: OverDrive MP3 Audiobook
- id: audiobook-mp3
- identifiers:
- identifiers:
- type: ISBN
- value: 9780593748183
- name: OverDrive Listen
- id: audiobook-overdrive
- identifiers:
- mediaType
- Audiobook
- primaryCreator
- role: Author
- name: Dan Egan
- isOwnedByCollections
- True
- title
- The Devil's Element
- dateAdded
- 2023-03-05T02:40:00Z
- contentDetails
- href: https://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=114&titleID=9406213
- type: text/html
- account:
- name: Front Range Downloadable Library (CO)
- id: 1100
- sortTitle
- Devils Element Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance
- crossRefId
- 9406213
- subtitle
- Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance
- id
- 2D95BB85-EAC1-4426-8102-B81FC4EE8A57
- starRating
- 0
OverDrive MetaData
- isPublicDomain
- False
- images
- cover:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1191-1/{2D95BB85-EAC1-4426-8102-B81FC4EE8A57}IMG100.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- thumbnail:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1191-1/{2D95BB85-EAC1-4426-8102-B81FC4EE8A57}IMG200.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover150Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1191-1/{2D95BB85-EAC1-4426-8102-B81FC4EE8A57}IMG150.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover300Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1191-1/{2D95BB85-EAC1-4426-8102-B81FC4EE8A57}IMG400.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover:
- isPublicPerformanceAllowed
- False
- formats
- duration: 06:50:17
- fileName: TheDevilsElement_9780593748183_9406213
- partCount: 0
- fileSize: 196939647
- identifiers:
- type: ISBN
- value: 9780593748183
- name: OverDrive Listen
- isReadAlong: False
- id: audiobook-overdrive
- onSaleDate: 3/7/2023
- samples:
- source: From the book
- formatType: audiobook-overdrive
- url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=2d95bb85-eac1-4426-8102-b81fc4ee8a57&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
- languages
- code: en
- name: English
- creators
- role: Author
- fileAs: Egan, Dan
- name: Dan Egan
- role: Narrator
- fileAs: Culp, Jason
- name: Jason Culp
- subjects
- value: History
- value: Science
- value: Chemistry
- value: Nonfiction
- publishDate
- 2023-03-07T00:00:00Z
- edition
- Unabridged
- publishDateText
- 03/07/2023
- mediaType
- Audiobook
- shortDescription
- The New York Times best-selling author on the source of great bounty—and now great peril—all over the world.
Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it’s also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of explanatory science and environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dan Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called “the oil of our time.”
The story of phosphorus spans the globe and vast tracts of human history. First discovered in a seventeenth-century alchemy lab in Hamburg, it soon became a highly sought-after resource. The race to mine phosphorus took people from the battlefields of Waterloo, which were looted for the bones of fallen soldiers, to the fabled guano islands off Peru, the Bone Valley of Florida, and the sand... - isOwnedByCollections
- True
- title
- The Devil's Element
- fullDescription
- The New York Times best-selling author on the source of great bounty—and now great peril—all over the world.
Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it’s also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of explanatory science and environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dan Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called “the oil of our time.”
The story of phosphorus spans the globe and vast tracts of human history. First discovered in a seventeenth-century alchemy lab in Hamburg, it soon became a highly sought-after resource. The race to mine phosphorus took people from the battlefields of Waterloo, which were looted for the bones of fallen soldiers, to the fabled guano islands off Peru, the Bone Valley of Florida, and the sand dunes of the Western Sahara. Over the past century, phosphorus has made farming vastly more productive, feeding the enormous increase in the human population. Yet, as Egan harrowingly reports, our overreliance on this vital crop nutrient is today causing toxic algae blooms and “dead zones” in waterways from the coasts of Florida to the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes and beyond. Egan also explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwide—which risks rising conflict and even war.
With The Devil’s Element, Egan has written an essential and eye-opening account that urges us to pay attention to one of the most perilous but little-known environmental issues of our time. - sortTitle
- Devils Element Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance
- crossRefId
- 9406213
- subtitle
- Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance
- popularity
- 1015
- publisher
- Books on Tape
- links
- self:
- href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BvwAAAA25/products/2d95bb85-eac1-4426-8102-b81fc4ee8a57/metadata
- type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json
- shareInLibby:
- href: https://link.overdrive.com/share?q=BYePAEqDkIE
- type: text/HTML
- self:
- id
- 2d95bb85-eac1-4426-8102-b81fc4ee8a57
- starRating
- 3.5
- bisacCodes
- code: NAT010000
- description: Nature / Ecology
- code: SCI013080
- description: Science / Chemistry / Environmental
- code: SCI034000
- description: Science / History