Jack Lohmann

1 month ago | nautil.us | Kristen French |Jack Lohmann

Author Jack Lohmann started thinking about phosphorus when he learned the story of Nauru, the world’s smallest island nation, which lies between Australia and Hawaii. In 1899, a geologist named Albert Ellis discovered a strange rock propping open a door at a trading and plantation firm there named the Pacific Islands Company and realized it was in fact high-grade phosphate ore, a highly sought after source of fertilizer.