The Elements We Live By

How Iron Helps Us Breathe, Potassium Lets Us See, and Other Surprising Superpowers of the Periodic Table

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Pub Date 09 Jun 2020 | Archive Date 23 Jun 2020

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Description

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An around-the-world journey to discover where in the wild we can find the elements of life and the surprising ways they’re essential to our survival

We all know that we depend on elements for survival—from the oxygen in the air we breathe to the carbon in the molecular structures of all living things. But we don’t often stop to appreciate how, say, phosphorous holds our DNA together or how potassium powers our optic nerves so that we can see.

In The Elements We Live By, physicist and award-winning author Anja Røyne takes us on an astonishing journey through chemistry and physics, introducing the building blocks from which we humans—and the world—are made. Not only does Røyne explain why our bodies need iron, phosphorus, silicon, potassium, and many more elements in just the right amounts in order to function, she also leads us around the world to where these precious elements are found (some of them in ever-shrinking quantities).

You’ll understand how precariously balanced our lives—and ways of life—really are, and you’ll see these unsung heroes of the periodic table in an entirely new light.

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Advance Praise

“Physicist Røyne explains the role played by different elements within the human body, and visits various sites around the world where these elements can be found.”—Publishers Weekly

Praise from Norway

“What makes this book the perfect popular science title is the way Røyne places new knowledge in a greater context and in ongoing debates on society and our common future. It is not just a well-written story about the elements, but a book about being a human being in the world of today.”—Åsmund H. Eikenes, Ph.D., author, lecturer, and member of the Brage Prize jury

“An excellent book about the elements . . . Physicist Anja Røyne has achieved the feat of producing a popular science heavyweight that wears its knowledge lightly.”—Mari Grydeland, Aftenposten

“Popular science par excellence . . . An extremely good book that deals with the big social challenges by starting out with the small . . . Many fields of study probably offer a more promising starting point than the building blocks that form all matter, but Røyne brings gold, copper, calcium, and carbon alive in a way that makes her book exciting, entertaining, and—not least—enlightening.”—Kjetil Vikene, Forskerforum

“Physicist Røyne explains the role played by different elements within the human body, and visits various sites around the world where these elements can be found.”—Publishers Weekly

Praise from...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781615196456
PRICE $18.95 (USD)
PAGES 224

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Featured Reviews

Fascinating but nothing new just different views and observations about how the elements are all around us. There was a different book I read last year I found more appealing called the Illustrated guide to the elements. I respect the knowledge and education of what this author is trying to portray to other readers but didn’t get me.

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This is a fascinating look at how elements have shaped our world, physically and historically, and how they will continue to. While it's written for adults, I plan to use it as a science read-aloud with my kids for homeschool next year. I know my 13 y/o in particular will really enjoy it.

I read a digital ARC of this book via Net Galley.

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Before anything else, I would like to say that the cover of this book is absolutely stunning besides being very appropriate for the content of the book. I especially liked that the book does not read like an encyclopedia entry for every element, but as a natural history of the element in our world with the author's personal experienced interspersed. This book works well for readers like me, who are interested in learning more about the topic; i also think it can work really well as recommended reading in high school.
I have read other books bout chemical elements before, but what sets this book apart is the fact that the author included information that made me pause and reflect about our environment and practices several times. This book is thought-provoking and informative, without being alarming. The author signal what needs to be addressed if we want sustainability but does so with insights of hope and validation from a researcher perspective.

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