Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchWhy do foods brown when we cook them?
Episode 17
#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 toas…
6 years, 3 months ago
Why do onions make you cry?
Episode 16
#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 …
6 years, 3 months ago
Green fire?!
Episode 15
#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…
6 years, 4 months ago
What makes artificial sweeteners artificial?
Episode 14
This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of artificial/alternative sweeteners. What are artificial sweeteners? How can something be sweet but …
6 years, 4 months ago
What even is sunscreen and how does it screen the sun?
Episode 13
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 skie…
6 years, 4 months ago
How do geckos stick to walls?
Episode 12
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 l…
6 years, 4 months ago
What's the scientific word for sticky?
Episode 11
In this episode, Melissa and Jam explore the complex, but highly familiar and relatable concept of stickiness. It started as a lighthearted question …
6 years, 5 months ago
You got more questions?
Episode 10
Question and Response #02
We've received even more questions! Melissa and Jam take more listener questions regarding topics from across the first 9 e…
6 years, 5 months ago
Baking soda and baking powder: what’s the difference?
Episode 9
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 miniatur…
6 years, 5 months ago
Why didn't Jam's pot of water ever boil?
Episode 8
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…
6 years, 5 months ago