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In a large part thanks to this guy, who invented a process for extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere - an invention that now feeds half the Earth's human popu
by dharma1 10y ago
In a large part thanks to this guy, who invented a process for extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere - an invention that now feeds half the Earth's human population.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Haber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Haber
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process
Cheers, Fritz
- pmoriarty 10y agoRadiolab had a great episode on Haber: http://www.radiolab.org/story/180132-how-do-you-solve-problem-fritz-haber/ http://www.radiolab.org/story/180132-how-do-you-solve-proble...
- dharma1 10y agothat was a great listen, thanks
- falsestprophet 10y agoIn a large part thanks to this guy You mean due to the process discovered by Fritz Haber. It isn't the case that if he hadn't discovered the process in 1909 that in 2016 the human species would still be without it.
- dharma1 10y agoSure, just like if Einstein hadn't discovered relativity someone else possibly/probably would have. And maybe in another part of the multiverse someone else did. It's still interesting to trace back the chain of events that lead us to where we are today, and examine the agents of some of the most impactful events, however incidental they may be
- hx87 10y agoDon't forget Carl Bosch! Everyone forgets Bosch for some reason. You can't just have chemist discover a process, you need a chemical engineer to make it work on an industrial scale.