Othering Newton’s Alchemy — why we do it and what it says about science today

Isaac Newton is one of those historical figures we revere as “a father of modern science”. He nerded out on puzzles; like the way light separates into colours through prisms and how objects are pulled towards the earth. As young nerd, I stanned the guy. I was surprised to learn that he worked harder on alchemy than on prisms or planets. Alchemy! Far from having an austere fixation on the scientific stuff, this guy wanted more than anything to be Rumpelstiltskin. How curious.