Testing of ancient sediment from two lakes in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula has revealed “crazy” high concentrations of mercury, as one researcher puts it, confirming findings from other regions of the Mesoamerican civilization
Testing of ancient sediment from two lakes in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula has revealed “crazy” high concentrations of mercury, as one researcher puts it, confirming findings from other regions of the Mesoamerican civilization
i consider chemistry one of the great filters for civilization.
similar thing happened to Romans, and almost Victorians.
discovering new chemicals which are useful, but not figuring out they are poisonous. We did the same thing with asbestos, and leaded fuel and might have done it with micro plastics.
and PFAS
We still do it even when we know it’s poisonous and is killing us. Fossil fuels and coal for instance.
yep. we’re too good at killing ourselves