The Legend of the Quest for Gold
The Transmutation of the Elements
Modern Science has, for many decades, ignored the evidence of the transmutation of elements. The probable reason for this is that such an event isn’t easily explained within the confines of their atomic theory, and it is associated with the pursuits of alchemists. Nevertheless, the evidence of such transformations performed in various circumstances keeps popping up every now and then. Here’s a list:
Hens and Calcium. Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin (1767-1829) is said to have shown that chickens, fed only grain, excrete more calcium than there is in the grain they ingest. William Prout (1785 to 1850) is said to have noted that when chicks break out of eggs, they contain four times more lime (calcium oxide) than there was in the egg. Corentin Louis Kervran grew up in Brittany, an area devoid of lime (CaO) or limestone (calcium carbonate). Nevertheless, local hens laid eggs with good shells in spite of the absence of calcium in their diet. Hens were noted to always be pecking at mica (potassium silicate) in the dirt. When the hens were slaughtered, no mica was found in their gizzards. Tests showed that if hens have silicon, they continue with good shells. Without silicon, the shells become soft. (All of this is, of course, disputed.)
Watercress: Dr. Alfred Vogel, who published a book titled The Vegetable Materia Medica, which focuses on the medicinal virtues of plants, noted that germinated seeds of watercress contained more sulfur than present in the seeds themselves.
Plants and Magnesium: Sir John Bennet Lawes and Joseph Henry Gilbert observed that plants could abstract more magnesium from the soil than there was in the soil.
Kelp and Iodine: Professor Maurice Freundler (1870-1935), noted that algae (Kelp) manufacture iodine and do not extract it from the sea. There is not a trace of iodine in the pre-Cambrian rocks of the sea where the algae grow.
Carbon Monoxide: Three welders in Paris were found dead from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. A test was set up where metals were heated to incandescence. No CO was found in the air near the metals or workers” noses, but it was found in the blood of the welders. When the welders wore masks with a hose running from the mask to behind them, no CO was found in their blood. In a similar mysterious event, the Dallas Police Force installed propane-burning engines into squad cars. Drivers of the cars were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning, although tests could not detect CO in the engine compartments of the cars. They abandoned the use of the engines.
Silicon and Calcium: Ehrenfried Pfeiffer noted that grass grows as long as the soil contains calcium. When the calcium is gone, grass stops growing, and daisies begin to grow. Oddly, the daisies contain lots of calcium.
Magnesium in the Soil: Prince, Zimmerman, and Bear found that plants take more magnesium from the soil than it seems to contain. The magnesium in the soil increases every year when growing Alfalfa.
Sodium to Potassium: Reinberg noted that annual plants returned 1,500,000 tons of potassium to the soil when only 750,000 tons were added in fertilizer.
Isotope transformation: Several studies have shown that certain bacteria can induce transmutation of stable isotopes like lead and nickel through metabolic processes. This suggests that biological systems possess the ability to alter the nuclear structure of elements. (Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010, 16(8), p. 723)
Radioactive Decay: Some microbes can alter the radioactive decay rates of certain elements, suggesting a level of control over nuclear processes. (Bioalchemy Blog, June 15, 2023)
Naturally, this proves nothing for sure – but it does point to a possibility.