Chemistry For Your Life

Remember those markers that would *magically* change colors when you marked over them with the right marker? Well while it seems very magical, it's actually chemistry! What a surprise. So how does it work? What's going on at the molecular level? Is it still as cool as it seemed when we were kids? Yes.

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about gunpowder, our wellbeing, food colors, hair colors, merch, and more!

Jams, jellies, preserves, marmalade. So many kinds of fruit spreads, but how are they made? How do they go from fruit to gooey spread? How are they delicious? What the chemistry here, and how has it been going on long before we understood it?

We all know that maple syrup is one of Canada's most popular gifts to the world, but what really is it? Why do maple trees (and other trees) even have sap? And is there any chance that there's cool surprising chemistry things going on in there? Well you'll have to listen to find out.

Well here in Texas, we just suffered through an intense freeze. And many a plant became a casualty of the cold, but why? What's going on at the molecular level that causes freezing temperatures to be bad for many plants? And is talking about this even chemistry? Let's find out.

Wait, muscles are biology right? Well they're also chemistry. And guess what, muscle soreness and cramps are also chemistry. And believe it or not, the mystery of muscle soreness is much bigger than you might expect. Check it out!

In this month's bonus episode, we share a special old Q&R that we've had in our back pocket for almost a year! Enjoy!

This might be one of the best chances to both listen to AND experience chemistry at the same time. Grab a bath bomb, fill up the tub, and let's find out how these friendly bombs work. How do they fizz up? How do they suddenly smell? Where do the colors come from? Can they make bath scientifically better? Let's hop in.

We have a very special guest this month, Stephanie Ryan Ph.D. aka @letslearnaboutscience (on Instagram)! Stephanie leads us through some cool experiments you can do at home using vinegar and baking soda. Be sure to check Stephanie out on Instagram, and look for her book "Let's Learn About Chemistry" wherever you buy your books!

Wow sunglasses sure are cool. What's the coolest thing about them? Is it how cool they make us look and feel? Or is it the chemistry inside them? We'll let you decide, but we think you'll be surprised to find out how significant a role chemistry plays in the making of your shades.

The sun. It's nice, it's warm, it helps things grow, it helps us see, it helps us exist in the first place. But it's also a massive burning molten ball of radiation and ultraviolet rays. So how does our mysterious yellow friend fade the poor items we leave outside? Let's find out. Don't hurt us, yellow friend.

Dryer sheets. They smell good. They make our clothes soft. They get rid of static. But how? How is one little sheet allowed to solve that many problems? What are they made of? Are they bad or good or neither?

Here's another bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, we see what happens when we combine salt, vinegar, and pennies?

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!

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about salt, bread that tastes like bananas, sunscreen on fences, AND improvements to our chemistry analogies!

It's one of life's most head-scratchy questions, and one of the most popular chemistry mysteries for youtubers. So let's get to the bottom of this crazy, shape-shifting substance, and finally find out why cornstarch and water do that thing!

Who's doing what to our salt? What's iodine, do we need it, why, and how do they get it in there? This week Melissa and Jam dive head first into figurative iodized salt dunes. Let's take a closer look at the chemistry of something so everyday, we hardly even think about it.

Happy New Years Eve! Let's all kiss 2020 a speedy (not speedy enough) goodbye and look at some beautiful exploding lights! And why not look at the chemistry in these things as well. How do fireworks work? How do they get up into the air? And most importantly, how do they explode in different colors and patterns? Let's find out! And thanks for being one of the great things about 2020, we love you guys!

Here's another bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, we see what happens when we experiment with diapers, and the mysterious dust within them.

Happy holidays, we hope you have a wonderful season whatever you celebrate! We've got a holiday related episode for you: LEDs. Well I guess we use them all year round, but they get an extra spotlight this time of year. What are they? How do they work? How are they different from other lights? Let's find out!

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about enzymes that eat plastic, super glue on difference surfaces, diaper polymers, bleached celery, holiday movies, and more!

This time of year, it's a common occurrence, something so common that we might not even wonder about it anymore. But really, why do we see our breath in the air when it's cold? We see steam from cooking things and boiling water, but our breath isn't that hot, so why do we see it? What does temperature have to do with it? Let's find out.

Well if you haven't experienced silver tarnish yourself, then you've almost certainly heard people complain about it. Can anything last? These sparkly treasures we collect and cherish, are they but temporary sparkles, doomed to a fate of tarnish? Or is there a way out? Also what is tarnish? Thankfully in this case, these philosophical questions actually have a chemistry explanation. So let's get into it.

You know what they say, everyone's experienced odors, and 99.99% of all odors smell. We have room sprays, candles, air fresheners, etc. But how can we absorb or eliminate bad smells? Can chemistry do it? How? Let's find out!

Here's another bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, we see what happens when we cut up different colors of leaves, put them in alcohol, mash them up, and soak a coffee filter in them.

It's time to crack into one of life's great mysteries: eggs. So what happens when we cook them?! How do they go from clear goo to white jiggle? This is a question we received long ago, and with topics this serious, we don't yoke around. So we waiting until we could bring in an eggsperienced egg chef, Jason Cress, to figure out this topic with us. In Jam's opinion, Jason's insight on the topic of eggs just can't be beat. We know many of you guys may be busy with some (hopefully safe) version of Thanksgiving, but despite the holiday we couldn't pass on the chance to shell out another episode for you guys, especially for our friends around the world, who are just experiencing a regular ol' Thursday today. Well without further ado, let's ap-poach this mystery together.

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about equilibrium, recycling on a large scale, why leaves fall off, sound effects, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Ok parents. It's time to explore the chemistry of something we rely on every hour of every day: diapers. What the heck is going on inside there? How do they absorb SO much? Is it magic? Well, settle in and get ready to soak up some chemistry, let's get to the bottom of this mystery. Let's hope it doesn't get messy.

There's this stuff, you've probably heard of it, that you can put on 10-20 specific places on your body, and it stays there, and it can be different colors. That's right, it's nail polish! What is nail polish? It sticks, but it's obviously not just glue right? It's colorful, but it's clearly not just paint right? What chemistry is going on in nail polish? How is it strong and long lasting? How does it dry so quickly? So many questions, let's get into it! PS. Some of you fellas may be thinking this won't interest you, but we'll bet the chemistry is more interesting than you'd expect!

This week we issue a correction, joining other science publications issuing the same correction. That's kind of an obvious answer to the question of "Is science always right?" So in this episode we explore that question, as well as what happens when science isn't right. And why that's NOT a bad thing.

Guess what time of year it is. It's spooky time! One thing we see a lot of during this time of year, is things that glow. And you better believe that's chemistry. So how do glowsticks glow? How does bending the glowsticks start that process? What's mixing with what, and seriously how the heck does it glow? Let's find out.

Here's another bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, we see what happens when we blend up red cabbage and water, and mix it with six different substances.

This week we take a teeny tiny step into the vast, intimidating sea of essential oils. Not to worry, we're sticking to the chemistry. And we're exploring one of the smelliest, purply-est ones. Firstly, what is lavender oil? And how do we get it out of the lavender plant? And what does it do? And can I put it on my meatball sub?

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about buying renewable items, missed puns, polymers, spilling hot water, superglue, the future of the podcast, and much more!

It's Fall! You know why they call Fall Fall? Well because the leaves fall. But before that, the leaves change color. Why do they do that? How? Is there any sort of function to it? Do the different colors mean anything? Let's dive into this overdue, colorful topic.

Part 3 of 3 on plastic! This week we look to the future. Is there hope to overcome our piles of plastic? What new ways of recycling are coming down the pike? What are those sneaky chemists up to? Can we make better kinds of plastic, or better ways to reuse it? Let's find out. And let's try to stay positive.

This is part 2 of 3 on plastic, so check out last week's episode if you haven't yet! This week, Melissa and Jam dive into one of the weightiest questions of our day. Is plastic even really recyclable? If so, how is it done? Is it really better than just making new plastic? Is it worth all the trouble of rinsing and sorting our recycling? Is recycling effective enough to lead us toward a cleaner future? Let's try our best to find out.

Here's another bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, we see what happens when we combine glue, water, and borax!

Think about it for a second, plastic is everywhere. What plastic things are around you right now? What plastic things do you use everyday? This week, Melissa and Jam dive right into the proverbial (and sort of literal) ball pit. What even is plastic? What is it made of? How is it made? How are there so many different kinds? Let's find out.

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about gasoline, super glue, smells, books, and a continuation of last month's movie discussion!

Be honest. Have you ever glued yourself with super glue? Everyone should accidentally make that mistake at least once, so you can literally feel the impressive stickiness of super glue. Well today, you can learn about the chemistry within super glue, without putting any fingers or other body parts at risk! Let's do this.

Chances are you've heard the word "fluoride" said in reference to your teeth. At the dentists office, on your bottle of mouthwash, maybe you've heard it's in tap water? But what is it, what's so special about it, and how does it help our teeth? Does it make them whiter, stronger, or what? Let's find out.

Ok so, caffeine. Some of us live on the stuff, and others of us want nothing to do with it. There's a lot of things caffeine can do to our bodies, but of course the number one question, is how does it keep the sleepiness away? Let's get into it. And we may find out a few other things caffeine does along the way.

Here's another bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, we see what happens when we combine honey, corn syrup, dish soap, water, oil, and alcohol.

Fruit. You eat it too early? It tastes bland and tart. You eat it too late? And it's rotten. You eat it when it's ripe? It's perfect, sweet, and juicy. What makes fruit ripen? How is it that supermarkets and suppliers can control when fruit ripens, or keep it from ripening too early? What's telling what to ripen when? And how? Let's talk about it.

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about mosquito repellents, mosquitos and blood type, mosquito saliva, organic chemistry, and some of our favorite movies!

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.

Seriously. What is fire? This week Melissa and Jam hop out of the frying pan. What are those warm orange wisps? We all sort of know what fire is but also, do we? It's hot, it can be good, it can be bad. But why does it look like that? And what really IS it? Let's try to find out

Ever notice that honey crystalizes? Isn't that like super weird? Why does it do that? This week, Melissa and Jam risk getting stuck in this question.

This week, Melissa and Jam close out the mosquitos series with part 4 (If you missed the previous three, go check them out). What does the future look like for humans and mosquitos? Can we finally achieve peace? What are scientists working on, ways to make us invisible to mosquitos, or ways to kill them all? Or can things even get better at all? Let's find out. Scientists, we're counting on you, don't let us down.

Our third bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, we see what happens when we combine milk, food coloring, and dish soap. Let's do chemistry together!

This week, Melissa and Jam continue to part 3 on the topic of mosquitos (If you missed the previous two, go check them out). 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.

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about carbonation, color-changing dyes, spiciness, rain, babies, merch, and more!

This week, Melissa and Jam continue the topic of mosquitos (If you missed last week's, listen to it first). It's time to answer the age-old, every-summer question. Why do some people get bitten by mosquitos more than other people? Or maybe, does this really happen in the first place? If so why? What factors do mosquitos look for, compare, and choose by? Let's get to the bottom of this.

This week, Melissa and Jam begin a multi-faceted topic: mosquitos. Now of course mosquitos are insects, so studying them would mostly fall into biology. But there's a lot of chemistry here too. The first question, why do mosquitos bite humans at all? How do they find us, and why do they want to bother us? And perhaps more importantly, how is it related to chemistry? Let's find out.

This week, Melissa and Jam once again look under the armpits of society, this time to explore sweat. Is it cool? Well does it keep us cool? How? At what cost? Is there more to sweat than meets the eye? Can you drink it? Grab your sweat bands and let's hit the track Paulie Bleeker.

Here's another bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, we see what happens when we combine markers, coffee filters, and water. Let's do chemistry!

This week, Melissa and Jam question the whole system of food. Or rather, the way we calculate food: calories. What are they? Where'd the come from? How are they calculated? Is it a good system for measuring food? What does it actually measure? Can we calculate calories in food at home? Let's dig in.

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about cast iron routines, dyes, activating almonds, and inspirations behind their respective interests.

A somewhat natural chemical topic following cast iron: rust. This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of rust. What even is it? Where does it come from? Is it bad? Is it reversible? Let's get into it.

Open full show notes for links to resources.

The continuation of the unexpected cookware chemistry saga: cast iron. This week, Melissa and Jam discuss multiple aspects of cast iron chemistry. What is cast iron? Why do some people love it so much? How does it work? Is it better than other cookware? If you haven't listened to our two teflon "prequel" episodes, click here!

What's this, another bonus episode? It's something new we're test driving! A short little extra bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, the experiment is how to turn some simple household items into a sort of cool, colorful lava lamp! Let us know what you think of this type of episode. Do you like and want more of these? Is there a way we could make them better? Let us know!

You know what we're talking about. That spectacular fizzy geyser. This week, Melissa and Jam explore what makes diet coke and mentos go crazy together. Is it love? Is it hate? Is it chemistry? Why diet coke specifically? Or more importantly, why mentos? Let's get into it.

In his month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about sunlight bleaching, weird feeling soap, sweat and smells, popcorn, and more!

You know how you have that one mug that changes colors when you put hot coffee in it? Let's talk about that. This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of color changing items. Or rather, a specific item, a Mister Rogers mug Jam's wife has. How do items like this change color? How can heat cause changes like that? And how can it happen over and over again? Also why?

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.

Ok! So now that you know how teflon works (see last week's episode if you missed it), now it's time to discuss the equally important question: is it safe to use?? Are there any potential side-effects to using it? Can scratching teflon cause it to have an affect on our food, or even worse, on us? If there are potential dangers to teflon, is there any way to avoid them? Help! This week, Melissa and Jam delve into this topic, and tiptoe through the allegations to give you some things to consider when choosing you next pots and pans.

In his month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about carrots, pigments, quinones, thermoses, and unscientific theories about why the sky is blue.

Who you calling sticky? This week, Melissa and Jam open up another two-part series about nonstick pans, aka teflon. What keeps food from sticking to them? How did scientists figure out how to create it? How can something that doesn't stick to anything be coated on the bottom of a pan? Are there any potential downsides to teflon? Let's get nonsticky.

Part two on the chemistry of helium! Now to the question you've all been wondering, how does helium change your voice? This week, Melissa and Jam explore this mystery, which begs a lot of other questions. What even is the human voice? What's it made up of? And how does just introducing a gas like helium affect it at all? Let's find out together!

Don't worry, you didn't click on the wrong podcast. This week Melissa was a guest on another "for your life" podcast: Podcast For Your Life, Jam's original podcast with his friend Jason Cress. So we thought we'd share this crossover as a bonus for this week! Listen to hear Jason, Jam, and Melissa attempt to get to the bottom of what is and is not a book. Read more about Podcast For Your Life below.

Helium is all fun and games right? High voice, super funny, no worries right? Or is there a serious shortage of helium? This week, Melissa and Jam answer this question. But we can't stop there. This is part one of two episodes about helium.

It's the lesson we've all had to learn the hard way. The pain our mouths feel when we take a treacherous swig of the post-brush poison. This week, Melissa and Jam delve into all of our childhoods to figure out the chemistry of this infamous mixture. Why does it taste so bad? Who's fault is it, the toothpaste or the orange juice? Also while we're at it, why is it called toothpaste? Nevermind, I'm not sure we'll be able to get to the bottom of that part.

Ok so we've known for awhile how soap works in a general use sense, like how it cleans dishes (see episode 1). But these weird times call for a deeper look at soap. How can it kill a virus? Or more importantly, how can it kill a little, wretched, mischievous virus like COVID-19? Like really, how? How is it that we can use soap to both get spaghetti sauce off a plate, and kill a dangerous virus? We're always told to wash our hands well, and that it's important, but if you think about it for a second, it's crazy that we put something on our hands, and rub them together under water, and then we're good to go. Right? Let's get into it.

Do you like apples? Ever wonder why they turn brown when you cut them? This week, Melissa and Jam explore this very question. What's going on in these apples? Where does the brown come from? Is it a good or bad thing? Does it taste different? Is the brown actually apple tears from the pain of being cut?

In his month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about methane, bad smells, bleach, computers seeing colors, crystal formation, and more!.

This week, Melissa and Jam explore the oldest question in the book. But we're not going to answer it. Just kidding. Why the HECK is the sky blue? And also why are there times that it isn't? Sunrise? Sunset? Nightime? Sky, what are your mysteries? Tell us your secrets. Hide not your face from me.

That's right, we are sort of talking about coffee this week. Or rather, how to keep it hot. Nowadays we all have some version of a thermos for our coffee, tea, water, or what-have-you. Today Melissa and Jam try to get to the bottom of how those work. How do they keep things hot and cold? What's between the two layers (or whatever) and how is it so good at insulating? Is it a vacuum? Can someone please tell me what the heck is going on?

This week, Melissa and Jam investigate reusable hand warmers. How do they get hot? Where does the heat even come from? How do reusable ones even work? Is it real? How can heat just come out of nowhere like that?

How does bleach bleach stuff? Oh and also, what even is color? This week Melissa and Jam investigate these questions. What's the molecular makeup of color and then how does bleach alter that? How does bleach have enough power to ruin that hoodie you just bought? How could you have been foolish enough to handle bleach while wearing your new hoodie?

In his month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about cold/cool, water temperature's effect on boats, vapor pressure, smells, hair, and how this podcast even got started.

Melissa and Jam continue to sniff out the chemistry of smell, focusing this week on bad smells. Why are we so good at smelling bad smells? Why do they haunt us at night? Why are some bad smells so strong and long lasting, while many great smells are subtle and temporary. What’s in a smell? "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." I think that quote applies here right?

What's that smell? This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of smell. Now a lot of smell science has to do with our physiology and neurology. We'll talk some about that, but the chemistry has to do with the actual smells in the air. What are they? How do they get into the air? How can we detect them with our noses and brains? Why does rain have a smell, and why does it smell good? Let's find out.

This week, Melissa and Jam travel even further down the rabbit hole of hair chemistry. How does our hair get damaged? How do we curl, straighten, and perm our hair? What's going on there at the molecular level? Let's find out!

This week, Melissa and Jam dive into the chemistry of something that may not seem like chemistry at first: hair. Curly hair to be specific. What makes hair curl? Also what is hair in the first place? Why can hair be so radically different? Alright curly girls, curly guys, and curly folks, let's find out.

In his month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about how to grow crystals, details about snowflake formation, a little tiny bit of discussion about blackholes, and more!

This week, Melissa and Jam discuss part of an often requested topic: carbonation. Does it have a taste? Like why does carbonated water taste different than flat water? And what is carbonation in the first place? Does it give you unusually long life? How is it so refreshing? We answer some of those questions.

This week, Melissa, Jam, and very special guest Renee Collini (Melissa's sister) 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 we can do as regular people?

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.

This week, Melissa and Jam explore the wintry chemistry of snowflakes. How do they form? How are they all unique? How do they look so gosh darn cool? Why don’t we see them here in Texas very much?

This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of antioxidants. What are they? Is it just magical stuff they put in sport drinks and workout supplements? Can you find it in snake oil?

Welcome to the new home for our Question and Response episodes! This week we respond to comments and questions about solar energy, artificial sweeteners, growing crystals, and more!

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?

This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of water and intermolecular forces. Why does it form into droplets? Why can you fill a glass of water just above the rim and it not spill over? How are some things water proof or water resistant?

This week Melissa and Jam do the last Question and Response episode. We'll continue to do Questions and Responses every month, but after asking listeners for their preference, Q&Rs will now air as bonuses, rather than in place of a standard episode. Tune in this week as we tackle some fun questions about water in space, boiling water in a microwave, sugar on freezing roads (instead of salt), and using stainless steel to curb the smell of garlic.

This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of aluminum foil. Why doesn’t it feel hot when we take it out of the oven? How does it cool down so quickly? We harken back to a previous episode about specific heat a few times in this episode, listen to that one by clicking a link in our full show notes.

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 toast? Why do so many foods turn golden-brown when cooking? Let's dig in.

This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of onion tears, the emotional reaction we all have, against our will, when cutting onions. Grab some tissues, this one's gonna burn.

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 exactly! Can you change the color of fire using only chemistry, safety, personal protection equipment, and no magic? Listen to find out. And check us out on any of our social media accounts to see the experiment take place!

This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of artificial/alternative sweeteners. What are artificial sweeteners? How can something be sweet but not packed with calories? Are we cheating? Did we hack nature when we made them? Is nature going to get back at us some day? Are we doomed?

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.

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?

In this episode, Melissa and Jam explore the complex, but highly familiar and relatable concept of stickiness. It started as a lighthearted question from the end of "Why didn't Jam's pot ever boil?" and turned into its own episode.

Question and Response #02 We've received even more questions! Melissa and Jam take more listener questions regarding topics from across the first 9 episodes, attempting to clarify some things and dive a little bit deeper. We talk about "magic shell," moving bonds, high altitudes, "types" of waves, the potential effect of microwaves on nutrition, and we even have a slight correction this time!

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 miniature kitchen volcanos and the other does what? Listen this week as Melissa and Jam talk about acids, bases, baking soda, baking powder, and how they can make all the difference in your busy life as a single parent of three.

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? And he (quite ironically) took a lot of heat for it? Well on this episode Melissa sets out to solve this mystery and hopefully redeem Jam's tarnished reputation with his family and the American people.

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?

Melissa and Jam discuss the curious habit of putting a lid on a pot in order to boil water. Does it help? Does it speed things up? If so, why?

Question and Response #01 Melissa and Jam take listener questions regarding the topics from episodes 1 and 2, Soap and Specific Heat, attempting to clarify some things and dive a little bit deeper. They also answer some general questions about how the podcast is made and why Jam goes by Jam.

Continuing the conversation from last week's margarine episode, Melissa and Jam talk about some of the possible unexpected results of hydrogenation, including trans fats. We also announce the winners of our t-shirt giveaway!

Melissa and Jam discuss margarine and what the heck it is, and how it's different from butter, and if it is actually made in the "country" in a "crock" or not.

Melissa and Jam discuss the difference of temperatures, aka specific heat.

Today Melissa and Jam talk about the chemistry of soap, and how it does its magical work.

A new podcast is coming your way. On chemistry for your life, we seek to help you understand the chemistry of everyday life.