Reactions

The cold weather of winter can also mean dry, cracked skin. Many reach for the moisturizer to keep their skin soft, but how do these products actually work? Before you head to the beauty aisle, Reactions has the answers in this week’s episode.

With temperatures falling along with snow, we’re smack in the middle of winter. While you wait out the winter months, we’ve got advice on keeping your windshield fog-free, getting unstuck from the snow and even how to make your own hand warmer. It’s all in the latest installment of our Chemistry Life Hacks series.

Since ancient times, scientists have tried to peak inside the living body. Chemist George de Hevesy’s work in this area transformed medicine. His discovery of radioactive tracers earned him a Nobel Prize. He also foiled the Nazis along the way.

Winter weather can mean treacherous driving across much of the country. Road crews spread rock salt all over the highways and byways, but why? This week, Reactions breaks down the chemistry that keeps the roads safe when bad weather hits.

More bottles of Champagne are popped during the holiday season than at any other time of the year. This week we take a look at what chemically separates a Champagne from just another white wine.

You heard it from your mom over and over again. "Eat your carrots, they'll help you see better!" So is it true? We teamed up with chemist Chad Jones, host of the Collapsed Wavefunction podcast, to crack the carrot case wide open. Check out Chad's podcast and blog here: http://www.thecollapsedwavefunction.com/.

There’s probably a box of it in your fridge or cupboard, and it has a million uses: baking soda. Reactions is back with volume four of its popular Chemistry Life Hacks series, with tips on how to de-skunk your dog, clean your kitchen and supercharge your washing machine. Check out the latest in the series that’s one-part MacGyver, one-part Mendeleev.

You may have heard of deadly poisons like arsenic, cyanide and even the devilishly hard to detect polonium 210. But did you know even drinking water could kill you? We had Deborah Blum, Ph.D., author of the totally awesome book “The Poisoners Handbook,” explain how H2O can be deadly in the right dose. Deb's book is definitely worth a read. Pick it up here: http://bit.ly/ACSPoisons The book was also made into a great series on PBS: http://bit.ly/PoisonTV.

The season of giving is often also the season of over-indulging at the dinner table. As Thanksgiving approaches, Reactions takes a look down at our stomachs to find out what happens when you overeat. Put on your “eating pants” enjoy the video and don't forget to subscribe!

They are seemingly the most popular thing on the Internet, the subject of millions of videos and hundreds of memes: cats. Now we've got answers to some of the biggest kitty questions out there: Why does catnip make most cats go crazy? How does kitty litter clump? And what does it mean when your cat rubs against your leg? It all comes down to some key "meow-lecules".