Chemistry For Your Life

#030 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 do they haunt us at night? Why are some bad smells so strong and long lasting, while many great smells are subtle and temporary. What’s in a smell? "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." I think that quote applies...

#029 What's that smell? This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of smell. Now a lot of smell science has to do with our physiology and neurology. We'll talk some about that, but the chemistry has to do with the actual smells in the air. What are they? How do they get into the air? How can we detect them with our noses and brains? Why does rain have a smell, and why does it smell good? Let...

#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 our hair? What's going on there at the molecular level? Let's find out! References from this episode Biochemistry, Edition 4 - Garret and Grisham Making waves: The chemistry of hair perms - Christine Herman, Chemistry & Engineering News How...

#027 This week, Melissa and Jam dive into the chemistry of something that may not seem like chemistry at first: hair. Curly hair to be specific. What makes hair curl? Also what is hair in the first place? Why can hair be so radically different? Alright curly girls, curly guys, and curly folks, let's find out. References from this episode Biochemistry, Edition 4 - Garret and Grisham The Chemistry o...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 5 In his month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about how to grow crystals, details about snowflake formation, a little tiny bit of discussion about blackholes, and more! Find us on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook @ChemForYourLife. Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com And check out our chill, simple little website at https:...

#026 This week, Melissa and Jam discuss part of an often requested topic: carbonation. Does it have a taste? Like why does carbonated water taste different than flat water? And what is carbonation in the first place? Does it give you unusually long life? How is it so refreshing? We answer some of those questions. This episode is sponsored by Thimble & Brush Co. References from this episode The...

#025 This week, Melissa, Jam, and very special guest Renee Collini (Melissa's sister and climate scientist) delve into the important topic of sea-level rise. What causes it to rise? What affect will it have on the world? How should we feel about it? Is there anything us regular folk can do? This episode is sponsored by Thimble & Brush Co. References from this episode Thermal Expansion Model -...

#024 This week, Melissa and Jam explore three very different, but related, light phenomena. We'll discuss situations when light can be bent, slowed down, and even broken. It's gonna be lit. References from this episode Why do rainbows form instead of just straight bands of colors? And why do they appear to touch the ground? - Scientific American What causes a mirage? - Scientific American Chemistr...

#023 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 darn cool? Why don’t we see them here in Texas very much? References from this episode The Chemistry of Snowflakes, Explained - Charlotte Hsu How Do Snowflakes Form? Crystal Growing Competition Find us on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook @ChemForYourLif...

#022 This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of antioxidants. What are they? Is it just magical stuff they put in sport drinks and workout supplements? Can you find it in snake oil? References from this episode Stacy Lowery Bretz, PhD Organic Chemistry Textbook, Edition 11 - T.W. Graham Solomons Find us on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook @ChemForYourLife. Email us at chemforyourlife@gm...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 4 Welcome to the new home for our Question and Response episodes! This week we respond to comments and questions about solar energy, artificial sweeteners, growing crystals, and more! References Why Solar Power Is Good For Birds  - Audubon  Find us on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook @ChemForYourLife. Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com And check out our ch...

#021 This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of solar energy. How do we capture energy from the sun and turn it into electricity? Is it as super insanely cool as it seems? Are we living in the future already? References from this episode Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming - Paul Hawken Melissa's Prior Knowledge and Thesis Beyond the Messy Truth-...

#020 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 of water just above the rim and it not spill over? How are some things water proof or water resistant? References from this episode General Chemistry: Principles, Patterns, and Applications - Saylor foundation Chemistry, Edition 2 - Flowers, Theopold, La...

Question and Response #03 This week Melissa and Jam do the last Question and Response episode. We'll continue to do Questions and Responses every month, but after asking listeners for their preference, Q&Rs will now air as bonuses, rather than in place of a standard episode. Tune in this week as we tackle some fun questions about water in space, boiling water in a microwave, sugar on freezing...

#018 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 down so quickly? We harken back to a previous episode about specific heat a few times in this episode, listen to that one by clicking here . References from this episode http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=703 Dr. Weber PhD in Physical Chemistry, U...

#017 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 toast? Why do so many foods turn golden-brown when cooking? Let's dig in. References from this episode Control of Maillard Reactions in Foods: Strategies and Chemical Mechanisms - Marianne N. Lund, and Colin A. Ray https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012...

#016 This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of onion tears, the emotional reaction we all have, against our will, when cutting onions. Grab some tissues, this one's gonna burn. References from this episode https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf60174a009 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acschembio.7b00336 https://www.nature.com/articles/419685a https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/scien...

#015 This week Melissa and Jam explore a Halloween-themed topic, perfectly-timed for the fact that our episode air date happened to land on Halloween exactly! Can you change the color of fire using only chemistry, safety, personal protection equipment, and no magic? Listen to find out. And check us out on any of our social media accounts to see the experiment take place! References from this episo...

This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of artificial/alternative sweeteners. What are artificial sweeteners? How can something be sweet but not packed with calories? Are we cheating? Did we hack nature when we made them? Is nature going to get back at us some day? Are we doomed? References from this episode Organic Chemistry Textbook, Edition 11 - T.W. Graham Solomons Melissa's prior know...

This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of not being burned by the big, ominous, flaming ball of radioactive insanity that lights up our skies each day. Did you know that to some people, radiation burns are no big deal? ¯_(ツ)_/¯ It's actually a very big deal and the sun is constantly trying to kill us all. Save yourselves. References from this episode Organic Chemistry Textbook, Edition 1...

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? Is it like spider-man? Is it intermolecular forces? References from this episode Organic Chemistry Textbook, Edition 11 - T.W. Graham Solomons Chemistry, Edition 2 - Paul Flowers, Clause Theopold, Richard Langley, and William R. Robinson Ologies Po...

In this episode, Melissa and Jam explore the complex, but highly familiar and relatable concept of stickiness. It started as a lighthearted question from the end of "Why didn't Jam's pot ever boil?" and turned into its own episode. How do some things stick together so well? Why do only some substances have that sticky feeling we all know and love? Grab some clorox wipes and jump into thi...

Question and Response #02 We've received even more questions! Melissa and Jam take more listener questions regarding topics from across the first 9 episodes, attempting to clarify some things and dive a little bit deeper. We talk about "magic shell," moving bonds, high altitudes, "types" of waves, the potential effect of microwaves on nutrition, and we even have a slight correc...

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 miniature kitchen volcanos and the other does what? Listen this week as Melissa and Jam talk about acids, bases, baking soda, baking powder, and how they can make all the difference in your busy life as a single parent of three. Find us on Instagram...

Remember that one time (in episode 6 "Why do we put lids on pots to boil water") when Jam had a situation where his big pot of water would never boil? And he (quite ironically) took a lot of heat for it? Well on this episode Melissa sets out to solve this mystery and hopefully redeem Jam's tarnished reputation with his family and the American people. Find us on Instagram , Twitter , and...