Phosphorus: What Makes It So Vital – Yet So Deadly? An Author Explains
Finding Genius Podcast
Richard Jacobs
4.4 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 2 January 2025
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What role does phosphorus play in the world? From some of the most lethal substances to the most vital, phosphorus is a complex element that is often overlooked.
So, what makes phosphorus so special? Dan Egan, the author of The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance, sits down to explain.
Released in March of 2023, Dan's latest book outlines the past, present, and future of what has been called "the oil of our time." As Dan dives into the intricacies of phosphorus, he reveals the complex nature of this element by using a combination of explanatory science and environmental journalism…
In this episode, we discuss:
- How phosphorus affects food production.
- The interconnectedness of phosphorus and toxic algae.
- The most important ways that people interact with phosphorus.
- Why phosphorus is considered such a prized material.
To purchase Dan's book, The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance, click here now!
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Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9C
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Forget frequently asked questions. |
| 0:02.3 | Common sense. |
| 0:03.2 | Common knowledge. |
| 0:04.1 | Or Google. |
| 0:04.8 | How about advice from a real genius? |
| 0:06.9 | 95% of people in any profession are good enough to be qualified in license. |
| 0:11.3 | 5% go above and beyond. |
| 0:13.1 | They become very good at what they do, but only 0.1%. |
| 0:16.6 | A real genius. |
| 0:18.2 | Richard Jacobs has made it his life's mission to find them for you. |
| 0:22.2 | He hunts down and interviews geniuses in every field. |
| 0:25.1 | Sleep science, cancer, stem cells, ketogenic diets, and more. |
| 0:28.7 | Here come the geniuses. |
| 0:30.3 | This is the Finding Genius Podcast. |
| 0:33.0 | But Richard Jacobs. |
| 0:37.4 | Hello, this is Richard Jacobs. |
| 0:41.8 | Hello, this is Richard Jacobs with the Finding a Genius podcast, now part of the Finding a Genius Foundation. |
| 0:43.3 | My guest today is Dan Egan. |
| 0:44.9 | He's the author of a book I'm looking at the devil's element, phosphorus in a world out |
| 0:49.9 | of balance. |
| 0:50.8 | He's also a bestselling author of the life and Death of the Great Lakes. So we're going to |
| 0:55.0 | talk about his new book and the role of phosphorus in the world and how it creates toxic algae |
... |
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