Chemistry For Your Life
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?
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 15
- Latest publication
- Sep 24, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 6, 2026
Latest episodes
Ask a Chemist: What is "natural gas?" (and other questions) (opens the original)
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What’s actually flowing through the “natural gas” pipes connected to your home—and did we get something wrong in our air-conditioning series? Which careers can an organic chemistry student pursue, how do topical pain-relief gels work, and what could make a successful HIV medication suddenly stop working? Melissa and Jam answer listener questions, revisit past episodes, correct the record, and stumble into a genuinely fascinating pharmaceutical mystery. Plus, could more chemistry history and chem
Is red light therapy real or a scam? (opens the original)
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Can shining a red light on your face really improve acne, wrinkles, inflammation, or wound healing, or is red light therapy just an expensive skincare scam involving a slightly alarming mask? How could ordinary visible light affect cells beneath your skin, and should you trust the products filling your social media feed? Melissa and Jam investigate photobiomodulation, mitochondria, collagen, blue light, FDA clearance, and the research behind this increasingly popular wellness trend. The answer i
What the heck is going on inside microwaves? (opens the original)
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Melissa finally explains to Jam how microwaves work after making him wait for an entire week. What the heck is going on inside microwaves? How does it do it's thing and make our food tasty? Is it magic?
Which chemistry lessons have stuck with us? (Happy Chemiversary!) (opens the original)
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What happens when a chemist and a non-chemist make a podcast together for seven years? Which chemistry lessons stuck, which episode ideas spectacularly refused to cooperate, and does Jam still count as a layperson after all this time? Joined by returning guest Claire, Melissa and Jam celebrate the seventh anniversary of Chemistry For Your Life with listener questions, behind-the-scenes stories, friendship reflections, favorite science facts, and one very large chemistry cookie cake. Come for the
Can water air-condition your house? (opens the original)
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What exactly is a swamp cooler, and why can it beat the heat in Arizona but leave you sweaty and betrayed in Houston? How can an air conditioner run on water, what does humidity have to do with its effectiveness, and could an icy new invention help prevent overloaded power grids? In the final installment of our air-conditioning series, Melissa and Jam explore evaporative cooling, ancient climate-control tricks, and some promising innovations for a hotter world. It turns out “It’s not the heat, i
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