The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World From Scratch (36 page)

diarrhea,
148

dibber,
60
,
61

Diderot, Denis,
8
,
19
,
253

diesel,
41
,
173
,
188
–89,
191
,
202

biodiesel,
119
,
191

Diesel, Rudolf,
189

diesel engines,
188
,
190

differential,
205

digitalin,
155
,
156

Dillo Dirt,
75

diode,
229

diseases,
146
–47

hand washing and,
112
,
148

infectious,
112
,
147
–48

distillation,
91
,
94
,
118
,
119
–20,
121
,
159
,
189

drugs,
see
medicines

dynamite,
238

see also
explosives

earphones,
225
–26,
227

Ecclesiastes,
253

ecosystems,
56
–57,
59

Edison, Thomas,
291

Egyptians,
261

Einstein, Albert,
94

electricity,
12
,
44
,
104
,
105
,
165
,
174
–78,
183
–85,
206
,
207
,
232
,
286
,
287

alternating current,
183
,
184
–85,
222

communications and,
220
–30,
232

current in,
183
,
184

direct current,
183
,
184
,
222

off-grid,
45
,
46
–49

resistance and,
183
,
286

transformer and,
183
–84

voltage in,
183
,
184

electricity generators,
5
,
41
,
45
,
46
–47,
131
,
178
–79,
183

hydropower,
48
–49,
48

see also
energy and power

electric light,
177
–78

electric vehicles,
206
–8

electrochemical cell,
175

electrolysis,
212
,
232
–33,
234
,
249

electrolyte,
174

electromagnetism,
174
,
176
–77,
184
,
220
–25

electrons,
152
–53,
174
,
175
,
183

elements,
233
–34

periodic table of,
234
–35,
242

Eliot, T. S., vii,
10
,
275

Encyclopédie
(Diderot),
8
,
19

energy and power,
15
,
165
–85

batteries for,
see
batteries

consumption per person,
166

from fossil fuels,
31
,
57
–58,
105
,
165
,
166
,
190

generation and distribution of,
178
–85

mechanical,
166
–74

solar,
13
,
47

steam engine for,
170
n,
172
–73,
182
,
197
,
201
,
277
,
290
–91

steam turbine for,
182
–83,
185
,
206
–7

thermal,
104
–9,
166
,
172
,
182

water turbine for,
180
–82,
181

waterwheel for,
166
–68,
167
,
170
,
171
–72,
178
–79,
180
,
203
,
213
,
276

windmill for,
46
,
169
,
170
,
171
–72,
178
–80,
179
,
213

see also
electricity generators

Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI),
106
n

engines:

diesel,
188
,
190

gasoline,
187
,
188

internal combustion,
201
–6,
204
,
208

steam,
170
n,
172
–73,
182
,
197
,
201

Enlightenment,
276

enzymes,
81
–82

equinoxes,
259
,
261
,
265

ethanol,
43
,
89
,
91
,
120
,
158
,
159
,
189
–90,
202
,
206
,
241

ether,
159
,
163
,
241

evolution,
279

explosives,
104
,
110
,
116
,
118
,
122
,
235
–38,
242
,
247

fabrics,
see
textiles

fats and oils,
112
,
188

animal,
191

linseed,
219

saponification of,
84
,
112
–13,
114
–15,
211
–12

vegetable,
108
–9,
188
,
190

feather pen,
214

fermentation,
80
,
84
,
88
,
90
–91

ferrous sulfate,
241

fertilizers,
57
,
58
,
69
,
70
,
72
,
73
,
76
,
77
n,
110
,
121
,
237
,
238
,
247
–48,
250
,
278
–79

manure,
61
,
69
,
70
,
73
–76,
237
,
243
,
247
,
250

Feynman, Richard,
9
–10

fire:

starting,
34
–35

using,
104
–5,
123
–24

fires, destructive,
28

firewood,
106
,
165
,
176

fishing,
198

flash paper,
238

flax,
96
,
108
,
211

Fleming, Alexander,
12
,
162
,
164

Florey, Howard,
163

flour,
39
,
86
,
87

flying shuttle,
101

food,
33
,
38
–41

canned,
40
,
92
,
291

cereal preparation,
86
–91

cooking,
79
–81,
124

growing,
see
agriculture

poisoning from,
79
–81,
84

pottery vessels for,
80
–81,
95
,
124
–26

spoilage of,
80
,
161
,
163

food preservation,
80
,
81
–85,
91
–95,
161

by canning,
92
,
291

by drying,
82
,
91
–92

by fermenting,
80
,
84

by pickling,
84
,
89
,
91
–92,
118

by refrigeration,
93
–95

by salting,
82
–83,
91
–92

by smoking,
83
,
91
–92

fool’s gold,
222

forceps,
149
–50,
150

fore-and-aft rigging,
198
–99

forests,
27
,
30
,
106

fossil fuels,
31
,
57
–58,
105
,
165
,
166
,
190

Foucault’s pendulum,
256
n

Four Quartets
(Eliot),
275

foxglove,
155

Frank, Pat,
165

fuels,
41
–42,
119
,
124

biofuels,
74
–75,
119
,
191
,
206
–7,
208

gasification and,
191
–93,
192
,
194

kerosene,
108
–9

fungicide,
118

Gaia hypothesis,
7

Galápagos Islands,
272
n

galena,
222
,
227

Galileo,
172

gallium,
234
–35

galls,
214

iron gall ink,
213
–14,
218
–19

gangs,
21

gas,
165

biogas,
74
–75

natural,
44
,
173
,
185
,
191

gasification,
191
–93,
192
,
194

gasoline,
41
,
120
,
173
,
188
–189,
191
,
202
,
206

alcohol in,
189
–90

gasoline engine,
187
,
188

gelatin,
116
,
161
,
241
–42

generators,
see
electricity generators

germ theory,
160
,
161
n

glass,
49
,
110
,
124
,
138
–44,
235
n,
243
,
249

lenses,
142
–43,
161

mirrors,
240
n

production of,
138
–40

recycling of,
140

windows,
140
,
141

glassblowing,
140
–41

global warming,
31
–32,
45
,
294

glue,
116

glycerol,
115
–16,
190
,
238

Golding, William,
35
n

golf courses,
47

Goražde,
48
–49,
48

GPS navigation devices,
42

grains,
39

Gregorian calendar,
262

guano,
238
,
248
,
250

guayule,
194
–95

guncotton,
238
,
241

gunpowder,
112
,
236
–37,
276

Gutenberg, Johannes,
215
,
217
,
218
,
219

Haber-Bosch process,
57
,
232
,
248
–51

hand washing,
112
,
148

harness,
196

Harrison, John,
272
,
273

harrow,
62
,
63
,
195

health care,
see
medicine

heart rate,
155
,
156

heat,
105

in canning,
92

herbicides and pesticides,
57
,
77
n,
279

Hippocrates,
155

hoe,
60
,
61

Homo sapiens,
293

horses,
195
–98,
197

hourglass,
254
–55

houses,
29

Hurricane Katrina,
20
–21

hydrocarbons,
104
,
108
,
188
,
249

hydrochloric acid,
121

hydrogen,
193
,
232
,
233

chloride,
121
,
244
n

in Haber-Bosch process,
57
,
232
,
248
–51

hydrolysis,
211
–12

hypothesis,
288

I Am Legend
(Matheson),
24

“I Am Legend” scenario,
24

incubators,
150

indigo,
115

inductor,
224
–25

industrial chemistry,
242
–51,
253
,
278
–79

Industrial Revolution,
15
,
70
,
96
,
105
,
171
,
242
–43,
276
–78,
290

infectious diseases,
112
,
147
–48

influenzas,
147

ink,
213
,
216
,
218
–20

India,
219

iron gall,
213
–14,
218
–19

insects,
29

internal combustion engine,
201
–6,
204
,
208

International Space Station,
30
–31

Internet,
50

inverter,
48

iodine,
114
,
158
,
241

“I, Pencil” (Read),
4

iron,
130
,
135
–38,
241
,
249
,
277