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
Ask a Chemist: Reddit's Chemistry Questions Answered
Question and Response #59 Reddit's Chemistry Questions Answered In this episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life,' hosts Melissa and Jam dive into Reddit to answer…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is up with RAW milk?
#193 In this episode of Chemistry for Your Life, hosts Melissa and Jam delve into the chemistry of milk, focusing on the differences between raw and…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What happens to eggs when we cook them? (with Jason Cress)
#071 Rebroadcast It's time to crack into one of life's great mysteries: eggs. So what happens when we cook them?! How do they go from clear goo to white…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: Fun Fact or Fake Factoid?! A Chemistry and Trivia Showdown
In this bonus game edition of 'Chemistry For Your Life', host Melissa, co-host Jam, and guest Claire embark on an entertaining journey of debunking or…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Neuroscientist: Why is Adderall addictive to SOME people and not others? (and other questions)
Question and Response 58 In this bonus episode of Chemistry For Your Life, hosts Melissa and Jam are joined by Claire, an expert in pharmacology and…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do anti-depressants work? (featuring Claire Caballero)
#192 In this episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life,' hosts Melissa and Jam introduce special guest Claire Caballero, a pharmacology and neuroscience PhD student…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Vitamin C: Myths, Facts, and Daily Needs
#191 In this episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life,' hosts Melissa and Jam delve into captivating and practical fun facts about vitamin C. They discuss the…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why do apples turn brown when we cut them?
#035 Rebroadcast Do you like apples? Ever wonder why they turn brown when you cut them? This week, Melissa and Jam explore this very question. What's going on…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Should we take Vitamin C when we're sick?
#190 In this episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life,' hosts Melissa and Jam delve into the role of vitamin C in the immune system and examine whether taking mega…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: Why do chemicals smell "chemically?" (And other questions)
Question and Response 57 In this bonus episode of 'Chemistry For Your Life,' hosts Melissa Collini and Jam Robinson answer listener-submitted questions about…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How does Vitamin C keep our bodies from turning into mush?
#189 In this episode, Melissa and Jam delve into the crucial role of Vitamin C in the body, focusing on its importance for collagen production. They discuss…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Do anti-aging products work?
#099 Rebroadcast In this special re-release episode, Melissa and Jam dive deep into the world of Vitamin A (retinol) and its role in anti-aging skincare. They…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What even ARE vitamins? And do we actually need them?
#188 In this episode, hosts Melissa and Jam dive into the basics of vitamins. They discuss the origins of vitamins, why they are labeled with letters, and the…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: Why do you need yogurt to make yogurt? (And other questions)
Question and Response 56 In this bonus edition of Chemistry for Your Life, hosts Melissa and Jam engage with their listeners by answering a variety of…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why does hair turn grey when we age?
#187 This episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life' delves into the fascinating world of gray hair, exploring its chemistry and biological processes. Hosts Melissa…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why do bad smells smell bad?
#030 Rebroadcast Melissa and Jam continue to sniff out the chemistry of smell, focusing this week on bad smells. Why are we so good at smelling bad smells? Why…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is old people smell? And is the internet wrong about it?
#186 In this episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life' hosts Melissa and Jam explore the common notion that elderly people have a distinct smell. They delve into…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: Reddit Edition!
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 55 In this bonus episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life,' hosts Melissa and Jam deviate from their usual format of answering…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Is compost dirt??
#185 Let's make dirt. Or is it dirt? I don't know, well, can you dig it? We've all heard of compost, maybe you compost, maybe your friend does, maybe they talk…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do sunglasses protect our eyes?
#082 Rebroadcast Wow sunglasses sure are cool. What's the coolest thing about them? Is it how cool they make us look and feel? Or is it the chemistry inside…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What are the Northern Lights?
#184 That's right, the Northern Lights aren't just cool CGI after all. They're real, but what are they? Why do they occur? And how are they chemistry? Let's…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: Can you dissolve a liquid into a solid? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 54 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions about dissolving, purple shampoo…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Did the FDA eliminate Forever Chemicals? (PFAS Part 5!)
#183 We're adding another chapter to the PFAS series! There's new information from the FDA that we've got to talk about,. It's about the PFAS that coat food…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why do things fade in the sun?
#081 Rebroadcast The sun. It's nice, it's warm, it helps things grow, it helps us see, it helps us exist in the first place. But it's also a massive burning…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What's the REAL reason we can't look at a solar eclipse?
#182 There's an eclipse coming to the US in April! Which means we'll all be getting that reminder to NOT LOOK AT THE ECLIPSE WITHOUT PROPER EYE PROTECTION. But…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: How does purple shampoo work, or does it? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 53 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions about purple shampoo, salt on icy…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is Vitamin D? And what does it have to do with the sun?!
#181 Have you heard about Vitamin D? Has someone ever told you that you need it and it's really important? Have you ever wondered why? And have you ever…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why do plants die in freezing weather?
#085 Rebroadcast Well here in Texas, we just suffered through an intense freeze. And many a plant became a casualty of the cold, but why? What's going on at…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What's up with Fahrenheit, Celsius, and... Kelvin?
#180 Depending on where you live, you may use Fahrenheit or Celsius to measure temperature, but how did these measurements come about, why are they different…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Ask a Chemist: Why do metals look metallic? (and other questions!)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 52 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions about metals, kombucha, learning…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do infrared thermometers work?
#179 Over the past few years infrared thermometers have started being EVERYWHERE. So as we've cracked open the conversation on thermometers we've got to find…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do we see our breath in the air?
#074 This time of year, it's a common occurrence, something so common that we might not even wonder about it anymore. But really, why do we see our breath in…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Thermometers: what is the chemistry behind them?
#178 Thermometers tell us what temperature something is. But how do the thermometers know what the temperature is? Who tells the thermometers? Or rather, how…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: How do "forever chemicals" sneak into our clothes? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 51 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions about PFAS/forever chemicals, the…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is yogurt?
#177 Yogurt, sometimes known as thick milk. But what is it really? What happens at the molecular level, how does it become yogurt? And while we're at it, what…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is cheese? And what does it have in common with soap?
#104 Rebroadcast Seriously what the heck is cheese? It's a question we've all wondered, but most of us only ever know that it's from milk—but what else? How do…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What even is cinnamon?
#176 We're in the portion of the year where cinnamon finds its way into many things we eat and drink: our pies, our tea, our coffee, our wassail, our candles…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: What's the chemistry of kombucha? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 50 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions about mosquitos, kombucha, coated…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What even is MSG? Is it bad for you?
#175 MSG! The ingredient many of us reference but few of us know anything about. What is it? Why does it make things taste so good? What's in it? Is it bad for…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why do onions make you cry?
#016 Rebroadcast This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of onion tears, the emotional reaction we all have, against our will, when cutting onions…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why does(n't) turkey make you sleepy?
#174 For many folks in the US, today is a day where we eat Turkey! And many times the factoid/rumor makes the rounds that eating turkey makes you sleepy... but…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: Acronyms and Mom Memories (chemmunity style)
Bonus Episode: Chemmunity Style For this month's bonus episode we don't have questions, so we're recording an episode in the style of our secret supporter-only…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why do we stir things to dissolve them?
#173 What is freeze-drying? How can something be both frozen and dried? How does it differ from just freezing, or just drying? And is it just for astronauts?…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why does water form droplets?
#020 Rebroadcast This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of water and intermolecular forces. Why does it form into droplets? Why can you fill a glass…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is freeze drying?
#172 What is freeze-drying? How can something be both frozen and dried? How does it differ from just freezing, or just drying? And is it just for astronauts?…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: Can geckos stick to teflon? (And other questions about PFAS)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 49 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions all about PFAS aka Forever…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Are learning styles real?
#171 What ways do you like to learn? Have you ever thought that you're more of a visual learner? Or what about an auditory learner? Why do you think that? What…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is margarine? How is it different from butter?
#003 Rebroadcast Melissa and Jam discuss margarine and what the heck it is, and how it's different from butter, and if it is actually made in the "country" in…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Can forever chemicals be destroyed? (PFAS part 4)
#170 So is there any hope of destroying forever chemicals? Once we've made these super resilient molecules, can we finally figure out how to unmake them? And…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: How does numbing cream work? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 48 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about shoes, freeze-drying, water…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What can we do now about "forever chemicals?" (PFAS part 3)
#169 Time for some action. This week on our "forever chemicals" aka PFAS series, get ready to talk about what we can do about PFAS. Can we get rid of them? Can…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Are cast iron pans as cool as people say?
#045 Rebroadcast The continuation of the unexpected cookware chemistry saga: cast iron. This week, Melissa and Jam discuss multiple aspects of cast iron…
- Chemistry For Your Life
The history of “forever chemicals,” how did we get here? (PFAS part 2)
#168 Continuing our series on "forever chemicals" aka PFAS, we explore how we got into this situation. Where did PFAS come from? Why were they made? Were there…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: Why does coffee spoil faster than tea? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 47 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about silicone, coffee, pizza stones…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What are "forever" chemicals? (aka PFAs) And are they bad? (PFAS part 1)
#167 Have you heard of "forever" chemicals? Or PFAS, or PFOAS, or Teflon, or a bunch of other associated names and labels? Or have you ever used nonstick…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Is it safe to use teflon pans?
#041 Ok! So now that you know how teflon works (see last week's episode if you missed it), now it's time to discuss the equally important question: is it safe…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is silicone?
#166 At some point, silicone snuck onto the scene and found its way into many of our kitchens. It seems kinda like rubber, kinda like plastic, but somehow…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: Are my shoes chemistry? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 46 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about rubber, cold brew coffee…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is dietary fiber?
#165 Fiber. Dietary Fiber. Fiber optic internet. We all probably know that fiber is good for you, good for digestion etc. But why? Also what is fiber really?…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is jam? (and jelly and preserves etc.)
#087 Rebroadcast Jams, jellies, preserves, marmalade. So many kinds of fruit spreads, but how are they made? How do they go from fruit to gooey spread? How are…