Chemistry For Your Life

#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 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 Te...

#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 bodies. It's Botox! Why is it so toxic to humans, and how did we come to the decision to inject it into out bodies, and why doesn't it hurt us? How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happe...

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 analogies, coffee, and baking. Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it. Find us on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook @ChemForYour...

#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 those mysteries today. You've probably heard of something called a catalytic converter, right? And you've probably heard that it's important. Well that's true! But why? What does it do, why is it essential, and how does it do it? It's actually...

#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 of alcohol, most of which we cannot drink. So what's up with all those alcohols? What makes them different? What makes them similar enough to all be called alcohol? Let's find out. Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and...

#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? Why are there different "grades" or "types" of gasoline? Let's start it up. goode.coffee How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References from this episode https...

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, humidity, life updates, and more! Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it. Find us on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook @ChemForYourLi...

#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 judgement from us. So how can tattoo removal work, when tattoos are designed specifically to stay in our skin indefinitely? Let's find out. How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! Referenc...

#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? Is it like spider-man? Is it intermolecular forces? How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References from this episode Organic Chemistry Textbook, Edition 11 - T.W. Graha...

#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 made of? How does the ink stay in our skin indefinitely? Why don't our bodies get rid of it? Let's do this. How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References from this episode https:...

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 a bit ahead of time, this Q&R couldn't be about episodes that haven't come out yet, so they recorded a long-awaited sequel to their ice-breaker questions episode from last year. Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll...

#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 contract when they freeze? These are things we are used to observing daily, but they actually are a little strange, and we bet the answer will surprise you. How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want...

#025 Rebroadcast 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? References from this episode Thermal Expansion Model - Jet Propulsion Lab - California Institute...

#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 causes the magma to start rising to the surface? Let's get into this hot topic? How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References from this episode http://www2.tulane.edu/~sanelson/Natu...

#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 temperature is outside, the water and the land can feel like super different temperatures, like the sand being hot and the ocean being cold. Why is that? Well it's because of something called specific heat, and we're going to talk about it right now....

#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 from, and where does it go? And who am I to blow against the wind? How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References from this episode Natural Disasters - Patrick L. Abbott https://w...

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 scattering, cooking eggs, and more! Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it. Find us on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook @ChemForYourLi...

#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, hanging out in the sky?? Why? What causes it? What makes it move from cloud to cloud? Or from cloud to earth? Let's get into this asap. How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References...

#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 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 Ameri...

#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? How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References from this episode https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-clouds-turn-gray-b https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wh...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 31 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about shampoo, microplastics, misunderstood chemicals, sports teams, ADHD medications, and more! Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it. Find us on Instagram , Twitter , and...

#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. Listen to hear what Melissa found as she dove deep into the question "Why do people hate organic chemistry?" for the past few years. How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! R...

#021 Rebroadcast 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? How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References from this episode Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever...

#134 Well newsflash, the brain is complicated. And a surprising amount of what's going on in our brains is chemistry. But what about ADHD? What's happening in the chemistry of someone's brain who has ADHD, and then what happens when ADHD medication is introduced? Let's find the heck out! How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References f...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 30 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about lobsters, crying, lightning, colored fire, and more! Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it. Find us on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook @ChemForYourLife. Email us a...