Shows / Chemistry For Your Life
Chemistry For Your Life
A podcast that helps you understand the fascinating chemistry hidden in your everyday life. Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine, or why do trees change colors in the fall? Melissa is a chemist, and to answer these questions she started a podcast, called Chemistry for your life! In each episode Melissa explains the chemistry behind one of life’s mysteries to Jam, who is definitely not a chemist, but she explains it in a way…
Episodes
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why do skunks smell so bad? (and is there anything we can do about it?)
What makes skunk spray smell so astonishingly bad, and why can the odor come roaring back whenever a sprayed dog gets wet? Are humans unusually sensitive to…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: How long do you microwave ice cream? (and other questions)
Why does microwaving ice cream for two five-second bursts feel different from microwaving it once for ten seconds? Can a science podcast make chemistry…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Is personification helpful or harmful in science?
Do atoms “want” full electron shells, do molecules “prefer” stability, and are electrons really “attacking” each other? Or could it be that while personifying…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Is science always right?
Rebroadcast #068 This week we issue a correction, joining other science publications issuing the same correction. That's kind of an obvious answer to the…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Can leftovers be healthier than freshly cooked food?
Can cooking pasta, rice, or bread, and then cooling it down, actually make it healthier? Could yesterday’s leftovers affect your blood sugar differently than a…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: What is "natural gas?" (and other questions)
What’s actually flowing through the “natural gas” pipes connected to your home—and did we get something wrong in our air-conditioning series? Which careers can…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Is red light therapy real or a scam?
Can shining a red light on your face really improve acne, wrinkles, inflammation, or wound healing, or is red light therapy just an expensive skincare scam…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What the heck is going on inside microwaves?
#007 Rebroadcast Melissa finally explains to Jam how microwaves work after making him wait for an entire week. What the heck is going on inside microwaves? How…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Which chemistry lessons will we never forget? (Happy Chemiversary!)
What happens when a chemist and a non-chemist make a podcast together for seven years? Which chemistry lessons stuck, which episode ideas spectacularly refused…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Can water air-condition your house?
What exactly is a swamp cooler, and why can it beat the heat in Arizona but leave you sweaty and betrayed in Houston? How can an air conditioner run on water…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What’s the dark side of air conditioning?
Could a cheaper, more environmentally friendly refrigerant already exist, and could corporate lobbying be helping keep it out of American air conditioners? Why…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Reddit Chemistry: Why do metals make different-colored flames? (and other questions)
What happens when a chemist ventures onto Reddit to answer the internet’s most pressing science questions? Why does carbon get its own entire branch of…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How does your AC actually make cold air?
Is your air conditioner secretly doing chemistry while you’re inside pretending summer doesn’t exist? How does it turn hot air into cool air, and why does part…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why do diet coke and mentos do that thing?
#044 Rebroadcast You know what we're talking about. That spectacular fizzy geyser. This week, Melissa and Jam explore what makes diet coke and mentos go crazy…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why do people hate organic chemistry?
#135 Rebroadcast Well guess what, Melissa is a PhD Doctor now! And you know what that means? She gets to tell us more details about the research she did to get…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What if the system needs fixing instead of the students? (BCCE 2026)
What if the biggest challenge in chemistry education isn’t helping students survive—but helping them thrive? In this final bonus episode of our BCCE Community…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What’s really happening when our hair gets damaged?
#028 This week, Melissa and Jam travel even further down the rabbit hole of hair chemistry. How does our hair get damaged? How do we curl, straighten, and perm…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What does neurodiversity mean for chemistry education? (BCCE 2026)
How do we build chemistry classrooms where more students can thrive? In this bonus BCCE Community Conversation preview, Melissa talks with Matt Mio about…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What’s the chemistry behind hairspray?
Hairspray seems simple… until you actually stop and think about it. How does it come out as a fine mist? Why doesn’t it dry up inside the can? How can it hold…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How can chemistry teachers learn from each other? (BCCE 2026)
Great teaching doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens in community. In this bonus BCCE Community Conversation preview, Melissa talks with chemistry educator…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: Is Silicone actually safe? (and other questions)
What happens when some listeners challenge one of our past episodes? This week we’re revisiting our silicone episodes after several listeners pointed us toward…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How can we apply chemistry to real-world problems in the classroom? (BCCE 2026)
What if chemistry classes were organized around real-world problems instead of chapters in a textbook?In this bonus BCCE Community Conversation preview…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do forensic scientists find fingerprints? (with Nicki Stewart)
There are a lot more ways to reveal a fingerprint than the black powder you see on TV.In this second part of our forensic chemistry series with Nicki Stewart…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Are there new, improved ways to teach chemistry? (BCCE 2026)
What does it mean to teach chemistry like a scientist? In this BCCE Community Conversation preview, Melissa talks with chemistry education researcher Ellen…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How does super glue glue things?
#061 Be honest. Have you ever glued yourself with super glue? Everyone should accidentally make that mistake at least once, so you can literally feel the…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How could technology and A.I. change chemistry education? (BCCE 2026)
AI is everywhere in education right now, but is that the only technology chemistry educators should be thinking about? In this bonus BCCE preview episode…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How realistic are crime shows about forensics? (with Nicki Stewart)
CSI makes forensic science look fast, easy, and almost magical. But how much of that is actually true?This week we’re joined by forensic chemist and graduate…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is BCCE and why are people so excited about it? (BCCE 2026)
What happens when the world’s largest gathering of chemistry educators decides to try something new? This summer we’re partnering with the Biennial Conference…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How does a pencil eraser remove graphite?
How can the same element make both pencil lead and diamonds? This week we wrap up our pencil chemistry mini-series by answering a surprisingly tricky question…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do gemstones get their color?
#158 Rebroadcast Gemstones come in all sorts of colors, but how do they get them? Are different stones super different at the molecular level? How do these…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do pencils write on paper?
Why does a pencil work so perfectly? Why does graphite leave marks on paper instead of just crumbling apart? And what do pancakes, honeycombs, geckos, and…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: What things should you never mix? (and other questions)
What happens when you mix bleach and ammonia? Why does perfume smell amazing on one person and weird on another? And why is getting a job so hard right now?…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How was kevlar accidentally invented?
How do you turn a weird cloudy liquid into something stronger than steel? This week we’re telling the story of Kevlar: the chemistry breakthrough that led to…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Is there a helium shortage?
#038 Rebroadcast Helium is all fun and games right? High voice, super funny, no worries right? Or is there a serious shortage of helium? This week, Melissa and…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How does reverse osmosis actually work?
#236 When a retired chemist wrote in… we had to explore to his great questions. How does reverse osmosis actually work? Should you put aluminum foil in your…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: Is That Pool Smell Actually Chlorine? (and other questions)
Question and Response #76 You asked… so we answered. What do carbon chains have to do with Greek words? How do MRIs make “3D pixels”? Is that pool smell…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do diapers change color when wet?
#235 You’ve seen it a hundred times… but how does it actually work? Why do diapers change color when they’re wet? What kind of chemistry is happening in there?…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do deodorant and antiperspirant work?
#042 Rebroadcast What's that smell? Is it us? Is it you? We hope it's neither, thanks to deodorants and antiperspirants. This week, Melissa and Jam delve into…
- Chemistry For Your Life
More bird chemistry?!
Birds… but chemistry. What does compost have to do with eggs? How are birds basically doing chemistry experiments to make their colors? Why would a bird eat…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What even is DEET?
#053 Rebroadcast This week, Melissa and Jam revisit one of their fav episodes on the topic of mosquitos. What is DEET? What part does it play in repelling…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do birds fly? And how is chemistry involved?!
Birds fly all the time. We see it constantly. But how does it actually work? Is it just "Bernoulli’s" principle? Is the air pushing up? Are the wings pushing…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Fun Fact or Fake Factoid?! Game Rematch (with Claire Caballero)
In this bonus episode, we host a rematch of our game “Fun Fact or Fake Factoid” with Claire and Jam, using stricter rules: each claim must be entirely true or…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do MRIs see inside our bodies, in 3D? (with Claire Caballero)
MRIs are loud. They’re huge. They’re magnetic. But what are they actually doing? This week, we bring Claire back to help us connect the dots between NMR (yes…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Is glass actually a liquid?
#079 Rebroadcast Glass. The more you look at it, the more clear it becomes that it holds some serious mysteries. So what really is glass? Is it a liquid? How…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What makes ice slippery? (A surprising science mystery)
#231 Why is ice so slippery? Is it because of a layer of water on top, or is it something more complex? Join us as we dive into the chemistry behind icy…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Reddit Chemistry: Why don't birds get shocked on power lines? (and other questions)
Why can birds sit on electrical wires without getting shocked? What's the chemistry behind cake mix versus baking from scratch? Why do some materials create…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do fans cool us off?
#230 Winter has us longing for warmer weather. BUT when it's a hot day how do fans keep us cool? Do fans actually lower the air temperature? What role does…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why does orange juice taste bad after you brush your teeth?
#037 Rebroadcast It's the lesson we've all had to learn the hard way. The pain our mouths feel when we take a treacherous swig of the post-brush poison. This…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Does wool actually resist odor and bacteria?
#229 What makes wool an essential fabric for many people? Is lanolin truly antimicrobial, or is wool itself responsible for its famed properties? Join us as we…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: Are X-rays really bad for you? (and other questions)
Question and Response #74 Melissa and Jam dive into a series of fascinating chemistry questions submitted by listeners. They explore how food affects the…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is iodized salt? And why?
#077 Who's doing what to our salt? What's iodine, do we need it, why, and how do they get it in there? This week Melissa and Jam dive head first into…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do scissors curl ribbon?
#228 In this festive episode, Melissa and Jam delve into the fascinating science behind why ribbons curl when pressed against a blade. The discussion covers…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What makes firecrackers go pop?
#227 Melissa and Jam delve into the chemistry behind firecrackers and Christmas crackers. They discuss the key component, silver fulminate, explaining its…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: Should I be worried about Cast Iron? (and other questions)
Ask a Chemist #73 Melissa and Jam tackle a range of listener questions covering a wide array of chemistry-related topics. They discuss the properties of…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do X-Rays reveal what's hidden inside us?
#226 Melissa and Jam delve into the intriguing world of X-rays. They start with relatable stories from the dentist's office and transition into a deep dive…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What's up with aluminum foil?
#018 Rebroadcast This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of aluminum foil. Why doesn’t it feel hot when we take it out of the oven? How does it cool…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Reddit Chemistry: Mishaps, Mentorship, and More
#225 Melissa and Jam take a break from traditional chemistry topics to delve into chemistry-related stories from Reddit. They discuss a funny sunscreen mishap…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: Why are skunks so potent? (and other questions)
Question and Response 72 Melissa and Jam tackle a variety of listener questions about chemistry-related topics. They discuss the differences between…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do pimple patches save our faces?
Melissa and Jam delve into the chemistry behind popular hydrocolloid bandages and pimple patches. They discuss the composition and functionality of these…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How does Benzoyl Peroxide fight acne?
#127 Rebroadcast If you've ever had acne, you've probably tried some creams or washes with "benzoyl peroxide" somewhere on the label. How is it that this…