Carol Potenza

New Mexico Mysteries

Titanium, Skittles, and the Periodic Table of Death

Let’s start with titanium (Ti). This periodic table element was discovered in the late 1700s and its name is derived from Titans, pretty much because it’s as strong as steel (not an element, BTW, but an alloy of iron & carbon) but less dense (1). Ti is shiny and silvery and hard and is the ninth most abundant element on earth. It’s used to make metal alloys that are stronger and lighter for aircraft, spacecraft, and the expensive golf club your significant other is hiding from you in the trunk of their car. The global production of Ti is huge …

Read moreTitanium, Skittles, and the Periodic Table of Death

I Love Graveyards…and Genealogy

Labor Day Saturday, we drove up to my mother-in-law’s hometown in northeastern New Mexico because she wanted to lay flowers on her mother’s and her husband’s mother’s graves. Since it meant visiting graveyards, I was in, because I absolutely love to visit graveyards, even if I don’t know anyone present. Ask my kids and husband. And wait for their eye rolls. This is my husband’s side of the family, who have been in New Mexico since the Spanish first arrived and before from their Indigenous genetics. I’ve actually been able to follow their lineage back to the late 1700s. Any …

Read moreI Love Graveyards…and Genealogy

Iridium and the Periodic Table of Death

An asteroid as large as 50 miles across hits what we now call the Yucatan, vaporizes in the 20,000-degree heat caused by the energy of the collision, catches pretty much everything on fire for 100s of miles, creates tsunamis as tall as the Eiffel tower, pitches the world into darkness for a year because of debris and dust thrown into the sky, and completely wipes out the dinosaurs.

Read moreIridium and the Periodic Table of Death

Mount Vesuvius, Fluorine, and the Periodic Table of Death

In 79 A.D., a catastrophic volcanic eruption rained ash, rocks, and death down on Roman cities in southern Italy. Pyroclastic flows, superheated gaseous clouds measuring 700°C (1300°F) swept down the sides of Mt. Vesuvius (1), vaporized everything in their paths, including the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and every living creature inhabiting them and the surrounding countryside. This area of Italy is where my people are from. In fact, right next to the region of Campania, where Mt. Vesuvius rests, is Basilicata and its capitol city, Potenza. One day, I think I’ll go there and become their queen. Paesano! This …

Read moreMount Vesuvius, Fluorine, and the Periodic Table of Death

Carbon and the Periodic Table of DEATH

Memento Mori. Remember you must die. Memento Mori is a reminder for the living that life is fleeting. It morphed into the practice of remembering the dead using architecture, paintings, photography, even jewelry featuring symbols of death, or locks of hair elaborately woven into brooches, bracelets, and rings—mourning art (1).  The Victorians probably did it best, photographing their dead loved ones in artificial poses, standing up, playing with their favorite toys, or together with their live brothers and sisters—quite creepy (2). The symbolism and art of memento mori are still around, for example, in the Día de los Muertos—Day of …

Read moreCarbon and the Periodic Table of DEATH