Tiny Matters

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we welcome our first‑ever guest, podcast producer and dinosaur enthusiast Steven Ray Morris. Together, we dive into three wildly different stories. First, we explore a major advancement in HIV prevention: a newly approved twice‑yearly injectable drug called Lenacapavir. We chat about how it works, why it’s a huge shift from daily pills or monthly shots, an...

In this episode, we dive into the murky, high‑stakes world of deep-sea mining — the practice of extracting valuable metals from the ocean floor. Deep-sea mining has been “just around the corner” for decades. So what’s the holdup? With the help of deep-sea ecologist Andrew Thaler and oceanography researcher Michael Dowd, we discuss what makes the deep ocean such a challenging place to operate, and...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we trace the history of Turner Syndrome — from early clinical observations to the discovery of its chromosomal cause — highlighting how scientists began connecting symptoms to genetics long before DNA was fully understood. Then we follow up on a listener note about lab safety by explaining, at a molecular level, why dimethylmercury and prions are so danger...

In the heart of The Hague, Netherlands, the museum Mauritshuis displays some of the world’s most iconic art in its Royal Cabinet of Paintings, including ones from Rembrandt and Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. But there’s another oil painting by Vermeer that is also quite famous, called View of Delft — it's of his hometown, created around 1660. The painting is a cityscape — the only one Vermee...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore the strange world of camelid antibodies—tiny, heavy-chain-only immune molecules that turned out to be incredibly useful for research and medicine. Then we chat about archaeochemistry and how pristine white Greco-Roman statues were once "garishly" painted. Using modern chemical techniques, scientists are revealing traces of vivid pigments like Eg...

Fertilizer… boring? Not on our watch! In this episode of Tiny Matters, we trace the history of fertilizer from the ‘Guano Wars’ to the invention of the Haber-Bosch process, one of the most impactful chemical breakthroughs in human history. Today, scientists and communities are rethinking how we handle nutrients, and asking: could our own urine help close the nutrient loop? We chat with chemist Lei...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore a listener's experience with peanut allergy immunotherapy — what it is, how the therapy works, and the odd and fascinating history of allergy treatments, including a 19th‑century scientist who shoved grass pollen up his own nose. Then we chat about “reef balls” made of oyster shells and concrete. These mini artificial reefs are being used to res...

In this special crossover episode, Tiny Matters welcomes Alexis Pedrick, host of Distillations from the Science History Institute. You’ll hear the Distillations episode “The Mothers of Gynecology” — a powerful investigation into the racist origins of gynecology and the ongoing maternal health care crisis that disproportionately affects Black mothers. Through interviews with historians, clinicians,...

Chain Reaction is a new podcast from the American Chemical Society that links chemistry’s past to its future, revealing how this ever‑evolving science shapes the world around us, from the materials we use every day to the environment that we depend on. Each episode brings fresh perspectives and personal stories from chemists, engineers, and other scientists, as well as historians who guide us thro...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we go from nerdy house-party physics to the brutal realities of morning sickness (can you say range!). First, we unpack what 5D data storage is and debate what we’d personally toss into the “Memory of Mankind” salt mine in Austria. Then we tackle a listener’s question about whether science has any updates on what causes severe morning sickness.  We ne...

In 2019, Nathan Hudson-Peacock was serving as an expedition doctor to a group hiking in the Indian Himalayas. At around 17,000 feet, a climber suddenly went from having a mild headache to a life‑threatening cerebral edema. On top of that, a storm was closing in. So, what did he do? How do expedition doctors keep people alive in the harshest places on Earth? Tune in to this week’s episode to find o...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about the crafty corvids that steal anti‑bird spikes to build chaotic, spiky nests and “Mitochondrial Eve” — the most recent common maternal ancestor of modern humans. Get ready for stories of sandwich‑stealing gulls, Deboki being held hostage by a peacock, and the Mitochondrial Eve/Y Chromosomal Adam romcom no one asked for. We need your stories —...

For over a thousand years, humans have been harnessing wind energy. It may have begun with small, grain‑grinding windmills in ancient Persia, but today you might spot Hoover‑Dam‑sized offshore turbines as you drive along the east coast. How did we get here? In this episode of Tiny Matters, we explore the first electric wind turbines built in the late 1800s, how government policies in the 1970s and...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore a listener’s tip about a new source of tire rubber — the Russian dandelion — and the science behind what makes it such an incredible and sustainable source of natural latex rubber. Then we answer a listener’s question about a vaccine for fentanyl that will stop the drug from reaching the brain, preventing overdose. We need your stories — they're...

In 1599, a family in a small French town claimed that their daughter was possessed by a demon called Beelzebub and, despite daily exorcisms, the demon possessing this woman was staying put. So France’s Henri IV set up a royal commission that would try something a little different. The woman would still receive exorcisms, complete with the normal exorcism accoutrements, but with a catch. The priest...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we learn that humans aren’t the only mammals who menstruate. We explore the fulvous fruit bat’s 33‑day cycle, how reproductive biology differs across species, and why scientists still don’t fully understand why menstruation evolved in the first place. Then we take a deep dive into the world of mycotoxins: dangerous compounds produced by fungi. We cover how...

It’s no exaggeration to say that polio shaped modern medicine. Before a vaccine was available, polio outbreaks left thousands of people paralyzed, with some unable to breathe. But, in 1928, the development of the iron lung meant that, for the first time, humans could rely on a machine to stay alive. In this episode, we trace the rise of polio in the early 20th century, the science behind the virus...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we kick things off with a quick shout-out to a listener who started flossing thanks to a previous episode. Then we dive into the hidden history of the women “computers” at Harvard Observatory, including Henrietta Leavitt, who laid the foundation for modern astronomy with her groundbreaking discoveries including calculating the size of the Milky Way. Then w...

In this milestone 100th episode of Tiny Matters we take you on a personal journey into what first inspired our passion for science. Sam shares the story of her childhood struggle with germophobia and the brain-altering bacteria that kicked it off, likely causing a condition called PANDAS: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. PANDAS may have led...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we read an email from “baby sis” aka Binky aka Sam’s younger sister Caroline who writes in about an alarming pregnancy test that predates today’s at-home tests. Then we talk about a fascinating study that found a dead salmon showed brain activity in an MRI machine. Spoiler: It wasn’t actually alive, scientists just really needed to rethink MRI analysis.&nb...

Not a fan of daylight saving? Beyond the depressingly early sunsets, that may be because it’s messing with your circadian clock. In this episode of Tiny Matters, we ask, “How do organisms — from bacteria to sea anemones to humans — keep track of time?” We talk about circadian clocks and how both internal molecular changes and environmental cues called “zeitgebers,” which include things like light...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we read an email from a listener who, as a kid, shared a fun fact with her classroom: polar bears have black skin. Her teacher not only told her she was wrong but embarrassed her in front of the other students. Well, it’s time to set the record straight. Polar bears do, in fact, have black skin and we do, in fact, love a grudge and are so glad to provide v...

In today’s episode, we chat with author Sam Kean about his new book Dinner with King Tut and learn how researchers and citizen scientists are recreating ancient recipes, tools, and technologies — from wound remedies with pennies to inventive pottery glazed in blood — and how experimental archaeology is changing our understanding of the past.  Send us your science facts, news, or other stories...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about different ways of turning pennies all of the colors of the rainbow. Then we discuss an ongoing NASA mission to touch the sun. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org * or fill out this form * with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured. A tra...

Most of us know the story of the Titanic. In 1912, the massive — supposedly indestructible — steamship sank after hitting an iceberg on its first and only journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Titanic remained undiscovered on the seafloor, somewhere in the North Atlantic Ocean, for 73 years, until it was found nearly two miles beneath the surface. But now the ship might be disappearing again, this ti...