Displaying episodes 1 - 30 of 289 in total
How to make dirt: Composting Chemistry
#185Let'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 about it...
How do sunglasses protect our eyes?
#082 RebroadcastWow 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 them? We'll...
What are the Northern Lights?
#184That'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 find out!Re...
Ask a Chemist: Can you dissolve a liquid into a solid? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 54In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions about dissolving, purple shampoo, coal ash...
Did the FDA eliminate Forever Chemicals? (PFAS Part 5!)
#183We'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 wrappers. W...
Why do things fade in the sun?
#081 RebroadcastThe 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 molten ball...
What's the REAL reason we can't look at a solar eclipse?
#182There'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 why is t...
Ask a Chemist: How does purple shampoo work, or does it? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 53In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions about purple shampoo, salt on icy roads, m...
What is Vitamin D? And what does it have to do with the sun?!
#181Have 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 wondered what t...
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 the molecu...
What's up with Fahrenheit, Celsius, and... Kelvin?
#180Depending on where you live, you may use Fahrenheit or Celsius to measure temperature, but how did these measurements come about, why are they different, and serio...
Ask a Chemist: Why do metals look metallic? (and other questions!)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 52In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions about metals, kombucha, learning styles, c...
How do infrared thermometers work?
#179Over 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 out, how d...
How do we see our breath in the air?
#074This 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 the air wh...
Thermometers: what is the chemistry behind them?
#178Thermometers tell us what temperature something is. But how do the thermometers know what the temperature is? Who tells the thermometers? Or rather, how do thermom...
Bonus: How do "forever chemicals" sneak into our clothes? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 51In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions about PFAS/forever chemicals, the periodic...
What is yogurt?
#177Yogurt, 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 is sour c...
What is cheese? And what does it have in common with soap?
#104 RebroadcastSeriously 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 we turn ...
What even is cinnamon?
#176We'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, etc. But ...
Bonus: What's the chemistry of kombucha? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 50In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions about mosquitos, kombucha, coated cookware...
What even is MSG? Is it bad for you?
#175MSG! 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 us? If n...
Why do onions make you cry?
#016 RebroadcastThis week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of onion tears, the emotional reaction we all have, against our will, when cutting onions. Grab some ti...
Why does(n't) turkey make you sleepy?
#174For 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 does it?...
Bonus: Acronyms and Mom Memories (chemmunity style)
Bonus Episode: Chemmunity StyleFor this month's bonus episode we don't have questions, so we're recording an episode in the style of our secret supporter-only podcast....
Why do we stir things to dissolve them?
#173What 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? Let's get ...
Why does water form droplets?
#020 RebroadcastThis week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of water and intermolecular forces. Why does it form into droplets? Why can you fill a glass of water j...
What is freeze drying?
#172What 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? Let's get ...
Bonus: Can geckos stick to teflon? (And other questions about PFAS)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 49In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to your comments and questions all about PFAS aka Forever Chemicals!Refer...
Are learning styles real?
#171What 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 if we to...
What is margarine? How is it different from butter?
#003 RebroadcastMelissa 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 a "crock"...
