The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World From Scratch

What sentence holds the most information in the fewest words? “I believe,” said Feynman, “it is the atomic hypothesis . . . that all things are made of atoms—little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another.”

Plant sources include the pithy stems of hemp, jute, and flax (linen); the leaves of

regardless of the nutrient source, alcohol from fermentation can only reach a concentration of around 12 percent before the yeast cells essentially poison themselves with their own ethanol excretion

The yeast required for raising bread, as well as other fermentation bacteria, are naturally present on cereal grain and thus also in milled flour. The trick is to isolate these beneficial bugs among all the others that might do you harm: you need to play primitive microbiologist and create a selection process that favors the desired bugs.

You can jury-rig a small-scale post-apocalyptic smokehouse very easily. Dig a pit for a small fire, with a metal cover, and a shallow trough leading a yard or two to the side, also covered on top with board and then soil, to channel the smoke

The crispy browning on the outside of a grilled steak and the golden crust of a loaf of bread are both due to a particular molecular change known as the Maillard reaction

sprinkling bone meal, which is just boiled and crushed animal skeletons, is another good way of restoring failing land

simple gas storage facility constructed from a concrete-lined pool filled with water with an upturned metal container fitted snugly within it

Reverting to small-scale methods, five acres of land will be enough to support a group of up to ten people: wheat for bread, barley for beer, a diverse range of fruits and veggies, as well as cattle, pigs, sheep, and chickens for meat, milk, eggs, and other products

The key is that while most crops plunder nitrogen from the ground, some plants inject this vital nutrient back into the soil as they grow. This family of astounding plants is the legumes, which includes peas, beans, clover, alfalfa, lentils, soy, and peanuts