Luigi Garlaschelli (now retired) is a chemist. He graduated at the University of Pavia, spent a few years working at the Politecnico of Milan, in the U.S.A., for the society Montedison, then he became a Researcher in Organic Chemistry for the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Pavia.

Here, as a member of a team, he has been busy for many years with natural organic compounds, particularly with the extraction, purification an synthesis of terpenic compounds extracted from mushrooms (Basidiomycetes).
Since 1992 he has taught a course of Chemistry of Natural Organic Compounds.
His latest interests have been in the synthesis of fullerene derivatives and supramolecular chemistry, and the chemistry of fuel cells.
He authored or co-authored about 50 papers and patents.

 

Here is a list of his chemistry papers published on scientific journals

Besides his official duty, Garlaschelli is since several years interested in paranormal phenomena, scientific anomalies, pseudoscience and  mysteries. Since 1991 he is fellow of CICAP (Comitato Italiano per il Controllo delle Affermazioni delle Pseudoscienze, Italian Committee for the Investigations of the Claims of Pseudoscience), where he is in charge of the experimental works.

The results of some of his investigations were printed on international journals dealing with parapsychology and the paranormal, as well as on chemistry journals.
His reproduction of the "liquefying blood" of St Januarius, and that of the Shroud of Turin made headline news.

 

Here is a list of articles he wrote on these topics (many of them can be downoaded)

 

He is concerned with the popularization of science and of the scientific and rational method.  He appeared countless times in national and foreign TV services, and gives very often lectures on these topics in high schools and Universities.

 

Here is a link to his Youtube page with some of the interviews

 

and here is a list of papers and magazine stories written about him, etc.

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Here is list of the of the lectures that he can give.

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(As an amateur magician he also gives lectures at magic circles on "chemical magic" and "fakirs performances".)

He authored several books

Processo alla Sindone (The Shroud on Trial) 1998
I segreti dei fachiri   (Secrets of the Fakirs), 1999
Investigatori dell'occulto (Investigators of the occult) 2001
Rabdomanzia (Water divining) 2005
In cerca di Miracoli (Looking for a Miracle) 2009
Indagatori del mistero (Sleuthing Mysteries) 2009
Lourdes - i dossier sconosciuti (Lourdes: the unknown files) 2011
Trattato di Magia Chimica (Handbook of Chemical Magic) 2016

Vampiri: i primi documenti. (Vampyres: the first documents), 2017

Scienziati Pazzi (Mad Scientists, with Alessandra Carrer).2017

Piccola Grammatica Gratuita di Esperanto. (Free esperanto grammar), 2018

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He has translated into Italian a number of books by Lawrence Block, an American writer

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This page is a repository of texts that can be downloaded and of other topics:

 

- On his life-size reproduction of the Shroud of Turin

- On the only real Sword in the Stone (in Italy. He has studied it and even pulled it out...!)

- On his quest for the elusive phenomenon of the will-o'-the-wisp

- Things about Esperanto, the planned universal language that he loves.

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