Chemistry For Your Life

Why do onions make you cry?

Listen Later

#016 Rebroadcast

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.

References from this episode

  1. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf60174a009
  2. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acschembio.7b00336
  3. https://www.nature.com/articles/419685a
  4. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/science/onions-crying-chemicals.html
  5. http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/pso/psov.htm
  6. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170620122950.htm
  7. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/ignobels-2013-the-tearless-onion/
    8. Thanks to our monthly supporters
    • Ciara Linville
    • J0HNTR0Y
    • Jeannette Napoleon
    • Cullyn R
    • Erica Bee
    • Elizabeth P
    • Sarah Moar
    • Rachel Reina
    • Letila
    • Katrina Barnum-Huckins
    • Suzanne Phillips
    • Nelly Silva
    • Venus Rebholz
    • Lyn Stubblefield
    • Jacob Taber
    • Brian Kimball
    • Emerson Woodhall
    • Kristina Gotfredsen
    • Timothy Parker
    • Steven Boyles
    • Chris Skupien
    • Chelsea B
    • Bri McAllister
    • Avishai Barnoy
    • Hunter Reardon
      • ★ 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.

      Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      Chemistry For Your LifeBy Melissa and Jam, Bleav
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7

      4.7

      283 ratings

      More shows like Chemistry For Your Life

      View all
      Big Picture Science by Big Picture Science

      Big Picture Science

      934 Listeners

      The Science of Everything Podcast by James Fodor

      The Science of Everything Podcast

      619 Listeners

      Universe Today Podcast by Fraser Cain

      Universe Today Podcast

      534 Listeners

      Ask a Spaceman! by Paul M. Sutter

      Ask a Spaceman!

      802 Listeners

      Quanta Science Podcast by Quanta Magazine

      Quanta Science Podcast

      450 Listeners

      Science Vs by Spotify Studios

      Science Vs

      11,903 Listeners

      SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy by Stuart Gary

      SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy

      313 Listeners

      Ologies with Alie Ward by Alie Ward

      Ologies with Alie Ward

      23,413 Listeners

      The Episodic Table of Elements by T. R. Appleton

      The Episodic Table of Elements

      292 Listeners

      Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe by iHeartPodcasts

      Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe

      2,279 Listeners

      SciShow Tangents by Complexly

      SciShow Tangents

      1,504 Listeners

      The Supermassive Podcast by The Royal Astronomical Society

      The Supermassive Podcast

      284 Listeners

      Unexplainable by Vox

      Unexplainable

      2,146 Listeners

      The Joy of Why by Steven Strogatz, Janna Levin and Quanta Magazine

      The Joy of Why

      455 Listeners

      Crash Course Pods: The Universe by Crash Course Pods, Complexly

      Crash Course Pods: The Universe

      293 Listeners