The Newer Alchemy at via Panisperna: An Early Account of Nuclear Physics by Ginestra Amaldi and Laura Fermi

Abstract This paper reconstructs the history of Alchimia del tempo nostro , a popular science book written by the then-debutant authors Ginestra Amaldi and Laura Fermi, and published in its first edition in 1936. Alchimia was the first Italian work to introduce the emerging field of nuclear physics to a general readership. Expanded by Ginestra and republished in 1943, the second edition of the book reflects both the rapid transformation of nuclear physics and the dramatic disruption caused by the Second World War, which separated the two authors: Ginestra remained in wartime Rome with her family, while Laura, already in the United States, was on the verge of moving to Los Alamos. By drawing on previously unexplored archival sources and shedding light on the story of Alchimia , this study brings into focus the early profiles of two women of remarkable intellectual stature who have so far received limited historiographical attention. By doing so, the paper also offers a fresh perspective on the via Panisperna group.