Under a Metal Sky: A Journey Through Minerals, Greed, and Wonder

Discover the wonders and perils of the earth’s precious metals—what they have offered us as humans, and how they’ve forever changed our relationship with the world around us

The ground beneath our feet is full of riches: the ocher that allowed prehistoric humans to paint on cave walls; the tin that drove the early Industrial Revolution; radium, the source of Marie Curie’s wonder; and lithium, the essential mineral of modern life found in our mobile phones and laptops. Each of these minerals ...