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How do you turn a weird cloudy liquid into something stronger than steel? This week we’re telling the story of Kevlar: the chemistry breakthrough that led to bulletproof vests, firefighter gear, reinforced tires, and so much more. Along the way we talk polymers, hydrogen bonding, accidental discoveries, and the chemist who almost went to medical school instead.
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Timestamps
0:00 – Story time setup: bulletproof gear and the chemistry behind it
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Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
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Thanks to our monthly supporters
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife
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#038 Rebroadcast
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.
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#236
When a retired chemist wrote in… we had to explore to his great questions. How does reverse osmosis actually work? Should you put aluminum foil in your dishwasher? Why do mixed powders mysteriously un-mix themselves? This episode is full of clever questions, surprising chemistry, and very strong contributions from listener Vince!
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
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Timestamps
0:00 – Intro + listener Vince brings the chemistry
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Thanks to our monthly supporters
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
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Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife
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Question and Response #76
You asked… so we answered. What do carbon chains have to do with Greek words? How do MRIs make “3D pixels”? Is that pool smell actually chlorine? And wait… are birds blue, or is that just a trick of the light? This episode is a rapid-fire round of your questions, and the chemistry behind them.
Support this podcast on Patreon
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
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Timestamps
0:00 – Intro + “Ask a Chemist” episode setup
Support this podcast on Patreon
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
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.
#235
You’ve seen it a hundred times… but how does it actually work? Why do diapers change color when they’re wet? What kind of chemistry is happening in there? And how does something as simple as pee trigger such a dramatic color shift? Let’s talk acids, bases, color, and one surprisingly deep piece of everyday science.
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0:00 – Intro + diapers, parenting, and the big question
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Thanks to our monthly supporters
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
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#042 Rebroadcast
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
Support this podcast on Patreon
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
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Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife
References from the Episode:
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
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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.
Birds… but chemistry.
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00:00 Bird Chemistry Vibes
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Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
#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
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
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References from this episode
Thanks to our monthly supporters
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.
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
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife
Timestamps:
Support this podcast on Patreon
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
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.
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
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
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00:00 Rematch Setup
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Thanks to our monthly supporters
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
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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.
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