Foiled! Napoleon's cutlery and the Aluminati

You might associate it with the foil that wraps leftover pizza and the shiny craft beer cans sold in breweries, but aluminum is literally everywhere. Scoop up a handful of soil or gravel anywhere on Earth and you’ll find atoms of bonded aluminum hidden inside. But even before it was used in everything from airplanes to deodorant, the trade of aluminum minerals helped color the world, finance the Vatican, and led to the mass collection of human urine. In this installment of “The Element of Surprise” — a series all about the hidden histories behind the periodic table’s most unassuming atoms, isotopes, and molecules — we’re talking about aluminum. This episode was first published in 2024. Featuring Saleem Ali. Produced by Taylor Quimby. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org  CONNECT WITH US  Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.  To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email [email protected]. We answer questions about nature, climate change, sustainability, humans and evolution, and more. No question is too serious or too silly.  Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices