Displaying episodes 31 - 60 of 285 in total

The history of “forever chemicals,” how did we get here? (PFAS part 2)

#168Continuing 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 any sign...

Bonus: Why does coffee spoil faster than tea? (and other questions)

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 47In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about silicone, coffee, pizza stones, hotdogs, ...

What are "forever" chemicals? (aka PFAs) And are they bad? (PFAS part 1)

#167Have 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 cookware, or a...

Is it safe to use teflon pans?

#041Ok! 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 to use?? ...

What is silicone?

#166At 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 different. Bu...

Bonus: Are my shoes chemistry? (and other questions)

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 46In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about rubber, cold brew coffee, crystals, green...

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? Why do so...

What is jam? (and jelly and preserves etc.)

#087 RebroadcastJams, 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 they del...

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 and uniqu...

Bonus: 1,000,000 Downloads! - YouTube Live Replay

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 45This month we have a special bonus episode. To celebrate reaching 1,000,000 downloads, we hung out with a bunch of podcast liste...

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 us is th...

Do mosquitos bite some people more than others?

#052 RebroadcastThis 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, every-summ...

Bonus: Why is butter yellow? (and other questions)

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 44In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about butter, popcorn, vinegar and baking soda,...

What is the greenhouse effect?

#162Here'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 live in ...

Why does carbonated water have a taste?

#026 RebroadcastThis week, Melissa and Jam discuss part of an often requested topic: carbonation. Does it have a taste? Like why does carbonated water taste different ...

What is popcorn?

#161Summer'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 we feel ...

Bonus: Can coffee get HOTTER in an insulated mug? (and other questions)

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 43In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about coffee in thermoses, yeast, intermolecula...

What is whipped cream?

#160Recently 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 foamy? W...

What are trans fats and are they evil?

#004 RebroadcastThis week Melissa and Jam talk about some of the possible unexpected results of hydrogenation, including trans fats.Check out our website at chemforyou...

What is butter?

#159Can 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 butter? How...

Bonus: How does lightning striking sand create glass? (and other questions)

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 42In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about freezing point depression, super-heated w...

How do gemstones get their color?

#158Gemstones 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 colors happen ...

What is silver tarnish?

#073 RebroadcastWell if you haven't experienced silver tarnish yourself, then you've almost certainly heard people complain about it. Can anything last? These sparkly ...

How do smoke alarms detect smoke? (part 2)

#157Part 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 to happe...

Bonus: Why do cucumbers upset people's stomachs? (and other questions)

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 41In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about glass cookware, freezing point depression...

How do smoke alarms detect smoke? (part 1)

#156When 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 so they ...

Baking soda and baking powder: What's the difference?

#009 RebroadcastBaking 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 miniature ...

How does baking soda eliminate odors?

#155So 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 have hea...

Bonus: Are candles toxic? (and other questions)

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 40In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about smells, candles, vinegar, milk, macromole...

Is freezing point *actually* real?

#154When 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 things go ...

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