Episode

Chemistry 101

Podcast
Minor Issues
Published
Apr 25, 2026
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://mises.org/podcasts/minor-issues/chemistry-101
Audio
https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/cdn.mises.org/2026-04/174_Minor-Issues_Thornton_20260425.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/minor-issues-6016417/episodes/chemistry-101
Markdown
/podcast/minor-issues-6016417/chemistry-101.md

Actions

  • POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/minor-issues-6016417/episodes/chemistry-101/transcription-requests
    Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
  • GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/minor-issues-6016417/chemistry-101.md
    Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

Summary

On this episode of Minor Issues, Mark Thornton shows what most economic commentary misses: the market’s intricate structure of production. Starting with a single oil-and-gas byproduct—sulfur—Mark traces how it becomes sulfuric acid, a foundational input for fertilizers, batteries, and especially metal mining. The lesson is practical: war and intervention can disrupt these unseen links, shrinking real incomes and quietly raising the cost of everything from food production to data centers, and even your next plumbing bill. In the second part of the episode, Mark features his recent interview on The Julia La Roche Show. 20% off listener offer on the new insulated Minor Issues tumbler and three of Mark's books, signed if ordered by the end of April: https://mises.org/MinorIssuesTumbler . Use coupon code Thornton. Be sure to follow Minor Issues at https://Mises.org/MinorIssues