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Chemistry For Your Life

Melissa and Jam, Bleav
  • 4.6 (296)
  • CHEMISTRY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A podcast that helps you understand the fascinating chemistry hidden in your everyday life. Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine, or why do trees change colors in the fall? Melissa is a chemist, and to answer these questions she started a podcast, called Chemistry for your life! In each episode Melissa explains the chemistry behind one of life’s mysteries to Jam, who is definitely not a chemist, but she explains it in a way that is easy to understand, and totally fascinating. If you’re someone who loves learning new things, or who wonders about the way the world works, then give us a listen.

  1. 2D AGO

    How do deodorant and antiperspirant work?

    #042 What's that smell? Is it us? Is it you? We hope it's neither, thanks to deodorants and antiperspirants. This week, Melissa and Jam delve into the chemistry of this everyday important substance. What are the differences between deodorant and antiperspirant? How do they work in the first place? Does one work better? Is one better for us? Be kind to one another, wear deodorant. References from this episode Individual and gender fingerprints in human body odour – Dustin J Penn, Elisabeth Oberzaucher, Karl Grammer, Gottfried Fischer, Helena A Soini, Donald Wiesler, Milos V Novotny, Sarah J Dixon, Yun Xu, and Richard G Brereton What are deodorants and antiperspirants, and how do they fight sweat? - Everts, Chemical and Engineering News Studies of trans 3 methyl 2 hexenoic acid in normal and schizophrenic humans - S. G. Gordon, K. Smith, L. Rabinowitz, P. R. Vagelos, Journal of lipid research Breast Cancer and Deodorants/Antiperspirants: A Systematic Review Aluminium, antiperspirants and breast cancer The mechanism of eccrine sweat pore plugging by aluminium salts using microfluidics combined with small angle X-ray scattering. - Bretagne A, Cotot F, Arnaud-Roux M, Sztucki M, Cabane B, Galey JB.   Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife References from the Episode: Thanks to our monthly supporters Amanda Raymond Emily Morrison Kyle McCray Justine Emily Hardy Ash Vince W Julie S. Heather Ragusa Autoclave Dorien VD Scott Beyer Jessie Reder J0HNTR0Y Jeannette Napoleon Cullyn R Erica Bee Elizabeth P Rachel Reina Letila Katrina Barnum-Huckins Suzanne Phillips Venus Rebholz Jacob Taber Brian Kimball Kristina Gotfredsen Timothy Parker Steven Boyles Chris Skupien Chelsea B Avishai Barnoy Hunter Reardon Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    47 min

  2. MAR 26

    More bird chemistry?!

    Birds… but chemistry. What does compost have to do with eggs? How are birds basically doing chemistry experiments to make their colors? Why would a bird eat dirt… or rub ants all over itself?? This episode is a grab bag of wild, fascinating bird facts that connect back to chemistry you already know. No quiz, just vibes. Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife 00:00 Bird Chemistry Vibes 02:02 Compost Egg Incubators 02:58 Feather Colors Chemistry 06:20 Seeing Ultraviolet Light 08:11 Clay Eating Detox Trick 09:28 Hot Bodies Fast Reactions 14:23 Preening Oil Waterproofing 16:15 Rainy Day Birdwatching 16:44 Anting Bird Hygiene 19:17 Seabird Feather Sunscreen 20:14 More Bird Chemistry Ahead 20:41 Bird Phobia Banter 21:19 Documentary Media Swap 22:22 Mississippi Kite Swoops 28:19 Do Birds Recognize Faces 31:12 Photo IDs and Backyard Hawks 32:34 Chicken Show Family Lore 33:00 Wrap Up and Support Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife References from the Episode: Thanks to our monthly supporters Amanda Raymond Emily Morrison Kyle McCray Justine Emily Hardy Ash Vince W Julie S. Heather Ragusa Autoclave Dorien VD Scott Beyer Jessie Reder J0HNTR0Y Jeannette Napoleon Cullyn R Erica Bee Elizabeth P Rachel Reina Letila Katrina Barnum-Huckins Suzanne Phillips Venus Rebholz Jacob Taber Brian Kimball Kristina Gotfredsen Timothy Parker Steven Boyles Chris Skupien Chelsea B Avishai Barnoy Hunter Reardon Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    36 min

  3. MAR 19

    What even is DEET?

    #053 Rebroadcast This week, Melissa and Jam revisit one of their fav episodes on the topic of mosquitos. What is DEET? What part does it play in repelling mosquitos? How do repellants repel mosquitos in the first place? Is it just straight witchcraft? Let's do it. Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife References from this episode Staph Retreat - Radiolab - WYNC https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/rachel-carson-silent-spring.html https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/reregistration/fs_PC-080301_1-Apr-98.pdf https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-it-true-that-the-deet/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24892824/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11693870/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26827259/ https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(19)31167-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982219311674%3Fshowall%3Dtrue https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(19)31167-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982219311674%3Fshowall%3Dtrue https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/biochemistry/does-DEET-fend-off-malaria/97/web/2019/10     Thanks to our monthly supporters Amanda Raymond Emily Morrison Kyle McCray Justine Emily Hardy Ash Vince W Julie S. Heather Ragusa Autoclave Dorien VD Scott Beyer Jessie Reder J0HNTR0Y Jeannette Napoleon Cullyn R Erica Bee Elizabeth P Rachel Reina Letila Katrina Barnum-Huckins Suzanne Phillips Venus Rebholz Jacob Taber Brian Kimball Kristina Gotfredsen Timothy Parker Steven Boyles Chris Skupien Chelsea B Avishai Barnoy Hunter Reardon Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    37 min

  4. MAR 12

    How do birds fly? And how is chemistry involved?!

    Birds fly all the time. We see it constantly. But how does it actually work? Is it just "Bernoulli’s" principle? Is the air pushing up? Are the wings pushing down? And what’s happening at the molecular level when a bird takes off? Let’s talk about feathers, airflow, collisions between air molecules, and why the way flight is usually explained might not actually be the whole story. Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife Timestamps: 00:00 — The Question Have you ever actually wondered how birds fly? A kid’s question sparks the episode. 01:00 — “Isn’t this physics?” Why a chemistry podcast is talking about aerodynamics. 02:00 — A disclaimer about flight explanations Melissa explains why common explanations of bird flight can be misleading. 04:00 — The weird analogy that starts it all What does oobleck (cornstarch and water) have to do with bird wings? 06:00 — Air isn’t nothing Thinking about air as billions of tiny molecules interacting with wings. 09:00 — The classic explanation of lift Bernoulli’s principle and why it’s often used to explain flight. 13:00 — Why that explanation isn’t the whole story What’s missing from the “air moves faster over the top” idea. 18:00 — Collisions at the molecular level What air molecules are actually doing when a wing moves through them. 22:00 — Pushing air downward Why deflecting air matters for creating lift. 26:00 — Wing shape and angle How airfoil shape and angle of attack change the behavior of airflow. 30:00 — Flapping vs gliding Why bird flight isn’t the same as airplane flight. 34:00 — Turbulence and airflow patterns What’s happening behind the wing as the bird moves through the air. 37:00 — Bringing chemistry into the picture How thinking about molecular motion helps make sense of the physics. 39:00 — Final recap So… what actually keeps birds in the air?   Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife References from the Episode: Thanks to our monthly supporters Amanda Raymond Emily Morrison Kyle McCray Justine Emily Hardy Ash Vince W Julie S. Heather Ragusa Autoclave Dorien VD Scott Beyer Jessie Reder J0HNTR0Y Jeannette Napoleon Cullyn R Erica Bee Elizabeth P Rachel Reina Letila Katrina Barnum-Huckins Suzanne Phillips Venus Rebholz Jacob Taber Brian Kimball Kristina Gotfredsen Timothy Parker Steven Boyles Chris Skupien Chelsea B Avishai Barnoy Hunter Reardon Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    40 min

  5. MAR 5 ·  BONUS

    Fun Fact or Fake Factoid?! Game Rematch (with Claire Caballero)

    In this bonus episode, we host a rematch of our game “Fun Fact or Fake Factoid” with Claire and Jam, using stricter rules: each claim must be entirely true or false as worded, and the winner earns a treat. We test statements about pregnancy-related brain changes, koala fingerprints, bird body temperature, whether every fig contains a dead wasp, how egg markings form, woodpecker tongues wrapping around their skulls, unique parrot pigments, bald eagles’ ability to take off from the ground, black bear maternal instinct, and whether red bird color is structural rather than pigment-based. Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife 00:00 Rematch Setup 00:42 Rules and Stakes 02:46 Pregnancy Brain Changes 05:55 Koala Fingerprints 07:48 Bird Body Temperature Myth 11:26 Fig Wasp Debate 15:33 Egg Markings Explained 16:53 Egg Pigment Mystery 17:57 Woodpecker Tongue Wrap 19:13 Tie Breaker Rules 20:26 Parrot Pigment Class 21:18 Eagle Takeoff Myth 24:27 Bear Instinct Debate 25:19 Bird Color Science 29:54 Rematch And Submissions 31:21 Support And Credits References from the Episode: Thanks to our monthly supporters Amanda Raymond Emily Morrison Kyle McCray Justine Emily Hardy Ash Vince W Julie S. Heather Ragusa Autoclave Dorien VD Scott Beyer Jessie Reder J0HNTR0Y Jeannette Napoleon Cullyn R Erica Bee Elizabeth P Rachel Reina Letila Katrina Barnum-Huckins Suzanne Phillips Venus Rebholz Jacob Taber Brian Kimball Kristina Gotfredsen Timothy Parker Steven Boyles Chris Skupien Chelsea B Avishai Barnoy Hunter Reardon Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    34 min

  6. FEB 27

    How do MRIs see inside our bodies, in 3D? (with Claire Caballero)

    MRIs are loud. They’re huge. They’re magnetic. But what are they actually doing? This week, we bring Claire back to help us connect the dots between NMR (yes, organic chem flashbacks) and MRI. How does a technique built on tiny hydrogen protons turn into a 3D image of your brain? How can it tell the difference between tissue and fluid? Why can’t you bring metal anywhere near the machine? We ask: • What are your protons doing inside an MRI? • How does “magnetic resonance” become an image? • Why does oxygenated blood matter? • And how did anyone figure this out in the first place? If you’ve ever had an MRI, or just wondered how we can see inside the body without radiation or surgery, this episode pulls back the curtain. Listen in and rethink what’s happening inside that giant magnet. 00:00 MRI Episode Kickoff 01:11 Meet Claire Again 02:27 PhD Candidate Explained 03:44 NMR Basics Begin 04:33 Protons And Magnets 06:46 RF Pulse And Signal 11:16 Hydrogen Everywhere 13:35 Reading NMR Peaks 16:02 Matrix And Practice 18:31 Jam Summarizes NMR 20:44 Why MRI Not NMR 22:45 Spin And Isotopes 29:02 MRI Uses Body Water 30:37 Tissue Contrast And T1 33:38 Resolution Limits 34:25 MRI Resolution Limits 35:34 From NMR to Images 36:50 K Space and Gradients 41:30 Voxels and 3D Views 44:05 Contrast and Clinical Uses 49:47 Research Possibilities 51:11 Functional MRI Explained 56:14 MRI Safety and Magnet Strength 58:00 Helium and Heavy Machines 01:02:43 Science Boundaries and Wrap Up   Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife References from the Episode: Thanks to our monthly supporters Amanda Raymond Emily Morrison Kyle McCray Justine Emily Hardy Ash Vince W Julie S. Heather Ragusa Autoclave Dorien VD Scott Beyer Jessie Reder J0HNTR0Y Jeannette Napoleon Cullyn R Erica Bee Elizabeth P Rachel Reina Letila Katrina Barnum-Huckins Suzanne Phillips Venus Rebholz Jacob Taber Brian Kimball Kristina Gotfredsen Timothy Parker Steven Boyles Chris Skupien Chelsea B Avishai Barnoy Hunter Reardon Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    1h 9m

  7. FEB 19

    Is glass actually a liquid?

    #079 Rebroadcast Glass. The more you look at it, the more clear it becomes that it holds some serious mysteries. So what really is glass? Is it a liquid? How is it different from typical solids? Does it flow and ooze over time? Is that why old windows are thicker at the bottom? Let's find out! Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife References from this episode https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i47/s-glass-modern-day-researchers.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245478/ https://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/Glass/glass.html https://phys.org/news/2016-03-scientists-temperature-glass-liquid.html https://ceramics.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jace.15092 https://cen.acs.org/articles/93/i20/Pyrex-100.html Chemistry by Julia Burdge   Thanks to our monthly supporters Amanda Raymond Emily Morrison Kyle McCray Justine Emily Hardy Ash Vince W Julie S. Heather Ragusa Autoclave Dorien VD Scott Beyer Jessie Reder J0HNTR0Y Jeannette Napoleon Cullyn R Erica Bee Elizabeth P Rachel Reina Letila Katrina Barnum-Huckins Suzanne Phillips Venus Rebholz Jacob Taber Brian Kimball Kristina Gotfredsen Timothy Parker Steven Boyles Chris Skupien Chelsea B Avishai Barnoy Hunter Reardon Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    33 min

  8. FEB 19 ·  BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Chemmunity: Video Game Saga, Audio Equipment, and The Pricemaster

    Welcome back to an exclusive bonus episode ONLY for members of the Chemmunity. This time we're talking about Melissa getting sucked into a video game and how she climbed out, Jam talks about the Denton Pricemaster and new audio equipment for the podcast! Chemmunity is the secret podcast for Chemistry For Your Life Patrons, Supporters, and Subscribers. Members of the Chemmunity get ad-free versions of the podcast PLUS monthly exclusive bonus episodes where Melissa and Jam talk about whatever they want... EXCEPT chemistry. For the most part. Welcome to the Chemmunity!

    54 min
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4.6
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296 Ratings

About

A podcast that helps you understand the fascinating chemistry hidden in your everyday life. Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine, or why do trees change colors in the fall? Melissa is a chemist, and to answer these questions she started a podcast, called Chemistry for your life! In each episode Melissa explains the chemistry behind one of life’s mysteries to Jam, who is definitely not a chemist, but she explains it in a way that is easy to understand, and totally fascinating. If you’re someone who loves learning new things, or who wonders about the way the world works, then give us a listen.

Information

  • Creator
    Melissa and Jam, Bleav
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    420
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © For Your Life 2023, All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Chemistry For Your Life
  • Provider
    Jam Robinson

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