Myths and Miracles

During the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth abundantly.. . . And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand oj the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured. 

Many thought they knew the meaning of this trickle of ammonia, even during Haber s lifetime. Brot aus LuftHhty exulted. Bread out of air  

The truth, a century later, has turned out to be neither simple nor altogether benign. 

Consider a steak. For the sake of simple calculations, assume it s a very large one, weighing twenty ounces. Most of that weight is water. The substances that many care about most—fat and cholesterol—account for only a small fraction of this slab, less 

If we investigate the origins of those nitrogen atoms, and follow their trail, we approach the significance of Haber s invention. 

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Landis, W.G. 1991. Biomonitoring, myth or miracle In Pesticides in Natural Systems How Can Their Effects Be Monitored Proceedings of the Conference December 11th and 12th, 1990, EPA 910/9-91-011, pp. 17-38. 

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