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Currently Playing: "A Grim Enemy For Reasons We Do Not Yet Comprehend"

*This episode contains descriptions of warfare and use of chemical weapons* How do you feed a world that’s running out of food? In this episode of The Rest Is Science, Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens uncover one of the strangest and most unsettling stories in modern science: the tale of the man who learned how to pull fertiliser out of thin air. This discovery transformed agriculture. It made modern civilisation possible. But it also powered explosives, prolonged the First World War, and helped to birth some of the most deadly chemical weapons in history. From battles for bird poop to the ethics of scientific progress, this is the story of the molecule that changed humanity forever. ------------------ For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit ⁠⁠https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience⁠⁠ Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Video Editor: Oli Oakley Animator: Sam Benson Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Assistant Producer: Lucy Lipscombe Producer: Simona Rata Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Head Of Digital: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn ------------------- 00:00 Intro 00:08 Cancer Research UK 01:22 Who is the biggest villain in history? 04:35 Who was Fritz Haber 07:11 The Principle of Population 08:00 Poop was like liquid gold 08:37 Japanese landlords and tenants’ ‘waste’ 11:00 The battles over bird poo 14:05 How Haber broke open the Nitrogen production process 20:20 Adapting the environment instead of adapting to our environment 24:45 Breaking the nitrogen bond to make explosives 27:25 The father of chemical warfare 31:30 The tragedy of Haber’s wife 35:00 If Haber didn’t do it, would someone else have? 36:48 What happened to Haber? 38:55 Is scientific progress inevitable? 40:05 Outro