Our Jargonium editors, Karoliina Pulkkinen and Vanessa Seifert, each review Philip Ball's book The Elements: a Visual History of their Disco

Can false theories successfully predict previously unknown phenomena? This post discusses one such example: the discovery of boron.

How are simple substances identified when it is difficult to tell whether a substance has been decomposed or not?

Starting from the history of aluminium, this piece reflects on the nature of scientific discovery.

How come an element was forgotten for 30 years? This article tells the exciting story of the discovery, loss and rediscovery of vanadium.