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
What is rubber?
#164 Something some common and useful in our everyday lives, from gloves to toy balls, what even is rubber? What makes it rubber, and what makes it different…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: 1,000,000 Downloads! - YouTube Live Replay
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 45 This month we have a special bonus episode. To celebrate reaching 1,000,000 downloads, we hung out with a bunch of…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why DO mosquitos bite some people more than others? (new research!)
#163 We've talked about mosquitos many times around here, why they bite us, how they find us, how to prevent them from biting us, etc. One thing that's struck…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Do mosquitos bite some people more than others?
#052 Rebroadcast This week, Melissa and Jam continue the topic of mosquitos (If you missed last week's, listen to it first). It's time to answer the age-old…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: Why is butter yellow? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 44 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about butter, popcorn, vinegar and…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is the greenhouse effect?
#162 Here's another summer topic, if you live in a somewhat warmer climate area, you've undoubtedly notice that cars can get insanely hot during the summer. We…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why does carbonated water have a taste?
#026 Rebroadcast This week, Melissa and Jam discuss part of an often requested topic: carbonation. Does it have a taste? Like why does carbonated water taste…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is popcorn?
#161 Summer's here, blockbusters are coming out, people will be headed to the movies, and nothing goes better with a movie... than popcorn. At least that's how…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: Can coffee get HOTTER in an insulated mug? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 43 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about coffee in thermoses, yeast…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is whipped cream?
#160 Recently we talked about how butter is made from cream, but how is whipped cream made from cream? What is whipping? How does whip cream get foamy and stay…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What are trans fats and are they evil?
#004 Rebroadcast This week Melissa and Jam talk about some of the possible unexpected results of hydrogenation, including trans fats. Thanks to our monthly…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is butter?
#159 Can you spread it? Can you melt it? Can you bake with it? Can you cook things with it? You butter believe it! But what is butter? Or rather, whatter is…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: How does lightning striking sand create glass? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 42 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about freezing point depression…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do gemstones get their color?
#158 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 different…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is silver tarnish?
#073 Rebroadcast Well if you haven't experienced silver tarnish yourself, then you've almost certainly heard people complain about it. Can anything last? These…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do smoke alarms detect smoke? (part 2)
#157 Part Two: When smoke alarms aren't beeping at us to replace their batteries, they are sitting, watching, waiting for the perfect moment, waiting for smoke…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: Why do cucumbers upset people's stomachs? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 41 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about glass cookware, freezing point…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do smoke alarms detect smoke? (part 1)
#156 When smoke alarms aren't beeping at us to replace their batteries, they are sitting, watching, waiting for the perfect moment, waiting for smoke to happen…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Baking soda and baking powder: What's the difference?
#009 Rebroadcast Baking powder? Baking soda? I mean they're both white powders with the word "baking" in it. How different could they be? Well, one can cause…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How does baking soda eliminate odors?
#155 So baking soda, do you bake it? Can you drink it? What's the deal? And specifically for the purposes of this episode, how does it eliminate odors? You may…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: Are candles toxic? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 40 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about smells, candles, vinegar, milk…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Is freezing point *actually* real?
#154 When you're young in science class, you probably learned the phrase "freezing point," but is that even a thing? Is there a specific temperature at which…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do thermoses keep coffee hot?
#033 Rebroadcast That's right, we are sort of talking about coffee this week. Or rather, how to keep it hot. Nowadays we all have some version of a thermos for…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Is "dry cleaning" actually dry?
#153 Whether you're a frequent customer of the dry cleaner or not, you've probably wondered, "why is it called dry cleaning? How could it be dry?" So let's get…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: How do semi-permanent tattoos work?
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 39 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about fero fluids, semi permanent…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What do pine trees and jet fuel have in common?
#152 Well we've just finished that time of the year, the time when some of us bring pine trees into our homes to hang out with us for a few weeks. Sounds fine…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do snowflakes form and look so cool?
#023 Rebroadcast This week, Melissa and Jam explore the wintery chemistry of snowflakes. How do they form? How are they all unique? How do they look so gosh…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What happens to coffee when it cools down?
#151 If you drink coffee, then you know that it starts to taste super different as it goes from hot to cold. Is it just the change in temperature that makes it…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: Why does tupperware stain from pasta? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 38 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about amino acids, chemistry puns…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What do peppermints and cigarettes have in common?
#150 Peppermints. They seem innocent enough right? But if that's the case, then what common thread do they share with cigarettes? Don't worry, it's not an…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why do foods turn brown when we cook them?
#017 Rebroadcast This week Melissa and Jam explore some of the chemistry behind cooking. What happens when you sear a steak? What's going on when you toast…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What is gluten?
#149 Gluten. Public enemy number one. If you're gluten intolerant that is. But what is gluten? Why is it in bread? What does it do in bread? Let's find out…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: Is honey mustard a polymer? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 37 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about regulation of scented products…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How can mosquitos smell you? (new research!)
#148 How can mosquitoes sense us? And do they prefer some people over others? This is a question we've pursued across several episodes of the podcast in the…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why do mosquitos bite people?
#051 Rebroadcast This week, Melissa and Jam begin a multi-faceted topic: mosquitos. Now of course mosquitos are insects, so studying them would mostly fall…
- Chemistry For Your Life
How do trick candles reignite?
#147 Maybe you've experienced them yourself, maybe you've just heard of them, but trick candles are real, they are chemistry, they are kinda dangerous, and…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: How did Bella Hadid's spray-on dress work? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 36 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about raw garlic burns, Bella Hadid's…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Do nasal decongestants even work?
#146 When we are sick and super congested, many of us go to the store to pick up a decongestant. But what if some decongestants DON'T EVEN WORK, like at all?…
- Chemistry For Your Life
What even is sunscreen and how does it screen the sun?
#013 Rebroadcast This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of not being burned by the big, ominous, flaming ball of radioactive insanity that lights up…
- Chemistry For Your Life
The most toxic substance to humans? (It’s basically botox)
#145 Today we're talking about the most toxic substance known to humans, and yet it also happens to be a substance that many people willingly inject into their…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Bonus: How is pressure measured? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 35 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about pressure, eicosane, clouds…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhat do catalytic converters do?
#144 Cars are complicated, there's lots of parts that do lots of things most of us will probably never understand it all. Well we can at least tackle one of…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhat's up with alcohol(s)?
#057 Rebroadcast So we all know what we think of when we hear the word "alcohol," but what if that's not really the whole picture? There's actually many kinds…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhat is gasoline?
#143 For many of us, gasoline is just another everyday thing. It's essential, but we don't give it much thought. But how does it work? What is it made up of?…
Chemistry For Your LifeBonus: How does gel nail polish dry under UV light? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 34 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about nail polish, tattoos, viscosity…
Chemistry For Your LifeHow are tattoos removed?
#142 So a couple weeks ago we talked about how tattoos are permanent. But what if you don't want your tattoo to be permanent any more? You won't get any…
Chemistry For Your LifeHow do geckos stick to walls?
#012 Rebroadcast This week Melissa and Jam continue in the category of "sticky" things by exploring how geckos stick to walls. How do they do it? Is it magic?…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhy are tattoos permanent?
#141 Tattoos go back centuries across many cultures, and yet their chemistry is still an absolute mystery to most of us. How do tattoos work? What is the ink…
Chemistry For Your LifeBonus: How much does a polar bear weigh? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 33 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam do something a little different. Because they're needing to record quite…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhy does ice float on water?
#140 Ice is water right? It's just that it's solid. So why does it float in liquid water? And also why does water expand when it freezes, when typically things…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhat is sea level rise? (with Dr. Renee Collini)
#025 Rebroadcast This week, Melissa, Jam, and very special guest Renee Collini (Melissa's sister and climate scientist) delve into the important topic of…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhat is the chemistry of volcanoes?
#139 The crazy, insane, scary, fascinating world of volcanoes is fully of chemistry! What is lava/magma? Why do some volcanoes ooze and others erupt? What…
- Chemistry For Your Life
Why are sand and water different temperatures at the beach?
#002 Many of us have been in a situation where we are near a body of water (lake, ocean, pool etc), and you may have noticed that no matter what the…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhat is wind?
#138 Wind is everywhere, we've all experienced it: soft breezes, strong gusts, cold fronts, warm fronts. But what is wind? What starts it? Where does it come…
Chemistry For Your LifeBonus: Where does sand come from? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 32 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about CO2 and mosquitos, sand, light…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhat is lightning?
#137 Lightning is something we're all used to. It's always just been an odd part of life. But think for a second, what even is it? It's just electricity…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhat do rainbows and mirages have in common?
#024 Rebroadcast This week, Melissa and Jam explore three very different, but related, light phenomena. We'll discuss situations when light can be bent, slowed…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhat are clouds? And why do they look white?
#136 Clouds. So fluffy. So wispy. So mysterious. What are they really? Why do they look white? How do they hold so much water for so long? Why do they float?…
Chemistry For Your LifeBonus: Why is caffeine in shampoo? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 31 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about shampoo, microplastics…
Chemistry For Your LifeWhy do people hate organic chemistry?
#135 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 her PhD…