The Conversation: Deciphering the Philosophers’ Stone
Institute fellows Megan Piorko and Sarah Lang help crack a 400-year-old alchemical cipher.
The work of Science History Institute fellows Megan Piorko and Sarah Lang is featured in an article in The Conversation, a nonprofit news network that publishes stories written by academic experts and researchers. The article talks about how Piorko (a second-year Allington Postdoctoral Fellow) and Lang (a short-term Herdegen Fellow) contributed to the decryption of a 400-year-old cipher written by alchemists John Dee and his son, Arthur Dee. As suspected, the ciphertext contained an alchemical recipe for the fabled philosophers’ stone, an elixir that is supposed to prolong the owner’s life and grant the ability to produce gold from base metals.
Read more on theconversation.com >>
Alchemical emblem in Sloane MS 1876 f1v. © British Library Board, Author provided (no reuse).
More News
‘Distillations’ Article on Arsenic Featured on Top 40 Favorite History Writing List
Bunk, the University of Richmond’s online history project, names Jayson Porter’s recent piece a best-of 2024.
Celanese Corporation’s Lori Ryerkerk Named 2025 Petrochemical Heritage Award Honoree
The prestigious award will be presented by the Institute and the Founders Club on March 24, 2025, during AFPM’s International Petrochemical Conference in San Antonio.
Vote for the Science History Institute Museum in the 2025 Philly Favorites Competition
Help us win by voting once a day now through January 19.