Chemistry For Your Life

Melissa and Jam, Bleav

A podcast that helps you understand the fascinating chemistry hidden in your everyday life.

Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine, or why do trees change colors in the fall? Melissa is a chemist, and to answer these questions she started a podcast, called Chemistry for your life!

In each episode Melissa explains the chemistry behind one of life’s mysteries to Jam, who is definitely not a chemist, but she explains it in a way that is easy to understand, and totally fascinating.

If you’re someone who loves learning new things, or who wonders about the way the world works, then give us a listen.

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34 episodes
weekly
Avg 42 min
English

Episodes 34

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#65
Thursday · 33 min
Why do leaves change color in the Fall?
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.
#250
October 29 · 52 min
Why do skunks smell so bad? (and is there anything we can do about it?)
What makes skunk spray smell so astonishingly bad, and why can the odor come roaring back whenever a sprayed dog gets wet? Are humans unusually sensitive to skunk smell? Does tomato juice actually remove it, or have cartoons been lying to us for decades? In this spooky episode, Melissa and Jam investigate skunk spray, sulfur compounds, olfaction, odor removal, and the chemistry behind a smell that simply refuses to die.
October 22 · 44 min
Ask a Chemist: How long do you microwave ice cream? (and other questions)
Why does microwaving ice cream for two five-second bursts feel different from microwaving it once for ten seconds? Can a science podcast make chemistry accessible without accidentally wrapping complicated ideas in answers that feel a little too neat—and what do seeds know about light that we don’t? Melissa and Jam tackle those questions along with protons versus neutrons, refrigerant patents, leaded gasoline, and an important conversation about unexpected ads. It’s a Q&R episode featuring chemis
#249
October 15 · 1 hr 5 min
Is personification helpful or harmful in science?
Do atoms “want” full electron shells, do molecules “prefer” stability, and are electrons really “attacking” each other? Or could it be that while personifying molecules might be quietly teaching us the wrong ideas? Chemistry education researcher Jessie Stenlund joins Melissa and Jam to investigate anthropomorphism, analogies, scientific language, and why a satisfying explanation isn’t necessarily an accurate one. Along the way, Melissa reckons with learning that one of her strongest teaching opi
#68
October 8 · 34 min
Is science always right?
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.
#248
October 1 · 44 min
Can leftovers be healthier than freshly cooked food?
Can cooking pasta, rice, or bread, and then cooling it down, actually make it healthier? Could yesterday’s leftovers affect your blood sugar differently than a freshly cooked meal, or is this just another nutrition “hack” invented by the internet? Melissa and Jam investigate starch, glucose, insulin, digestion, crystallization, and the surprising chemistry that happens while your food sits in the fridge. Plus, the whole thing somehow turns into a Lord of the Rings battle involving glucose, hobbi
September 24 · 25 min
Ask a Chemist: What is "natural gas?" (and other questions)
What’s actually flowing through the “natural gas” pipes connected to your home—and did we get something wrong in our air-conditioning series? Which careers can an organic chemistry student pursue, how do topical pain-relief gels work, and what could make a successful HIV medication suddenly stop working? Melissa and Jam answer listener questions, revisit past episodes, correct the record, and stumble into a genuinely fascinating pharmaceutical mystery. Plus, could more chemistry history and chem
#247
September 17 · 47 min
Is red light therapy real or a scam?
Can shining a red light on your face really improve acne, wrinkles, inflammation, or wound healing, or is red light therapy just an expensive skincare scam involving a slightly alarming mask? How could ordinary visible light affect cells beneath your skin, and should you trust the products filling your social media feed? Melissa and Jam investigate photobiomodulation, mitochondria, collagen, blue light, FDA clearance, and the research behind this increasingly popular wellness trend. The answer i
#7
September 10 · 24 min
What the heck is going on inside microwaves?
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?
#246
September 3 · 1 hr 14 min
Which chemistry lessons will we never forget? (Happy Chemiversary!)
What happens when a chemist and a non-chemist make a podcast together for seven years? Which chemistry lessons stuck, which episode ideas spectacularly refused to cooperate, and does Jam still count as a layperson after all this time? Joined by returning guest Claire, Melissa and Jam celebrate the seventh anniversary of Chemistry For Your Life with listener questions, behind-the-scenes stories, friendship reflections, favorite science facts, and one very large chemistry cookie cake. Come for the
#245
August 27 · 31 min
Can water air-condition your house?
What exactly is a swamp cooler, and why can it beat the heat in Arizona but leave you sweaty and betrayed in Houston? How can an air conditioner run on water, what does humidity have to do with its effectiveness, and could an icy new invention help prevent overloaded power grids? In the final installment of our air-conditioning series, Melissa and Jam explore evaporative cooling, ancient climate-control tricks, and some promising innovations for a hotter world. It turns out “It’s not the heat, i
#244
August 20 · 53 min
What’s the dark side of air conditioning?
Could a cheaper, more environmentally friendly refrigerant already exist, and could corporate lobbying be helping keep it out of American air conditioners? Why did the chemicals once hailed as safe alternatives become environmental villains, and are their replacements actually much better? Melissa and Jam follow the twisty history of Freon, ozone depletion, greenhouse gases, propane, and air-conditioning regulations to find out why choosing a refrigerant is never as simple as “this one works.” G
August 13 · 46 min
Reddit Chemistry: Why do metals make different-colored flames? (and other questions)
What happens when a chemist ventures onto Reddit to answer the internet’s most pressing science questions? Why does carbon get its own entire branch of chemistry, what makes fireworks burn different colors, and can an invention work even when its inventor has no idea why? Melissa and Jam tackle those mysteries, plus laboratory disasters, stress recovery, wireless charging, and one surprisingly complicated “Am I the Jerk?” dilemma. It’s chemistry support for the internet, because Reddit clearly h
#243
August 6 · 38 min
How does your AC actually make cold air?
Is your air conditioner secretly doing chemistry while you’re inside pretending summer doesn’t exist? How does it turn hot air into cool air, and why does part of the AC blow out even more heat? In this episode, Melissa and Jam crack open the mysterious black box of air conditioning to explore refrigerants, phase changes, energy transfer, and the surprisingly clever science keeping your house livable. Plus: frozen AC coils, summer survival drinks, and the beginning of Hibiscus Girl Summer.
#44
July 30 · 31 min
Why do diet coke and mentos do that thing?
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.
#135
July 23 · 53 min
Why do people hate organic chemistry?
Well guess what, Melissa is a PhD Doctor now! And you know what that means? She gets to tell us more details about the research she did to get her PhD. Listen to hear what Melissa found as she dove deep into the question "Why do people hate organic chemistry?" for the past few years.
July 20 · 28 min
What if the system needs fixing instead of the students? (BCCE 2026)
What if the biggest challenge in chemistry education isn’t helping students survive—but helping them thrive? In this final bonus episode of our BCCE Community Conversation series, Melissa talks with Leyte Winfield about creating learning environments where students feel like they belong. They discuss moving beyond “weed-out” culture, designing courses that maintain high standards while expanding opportunity, and why the future of chemistry depends on empowering talented students rather than simp
July 16 · 34 min
What’s really happening when our hair gets damaged?
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!
July 13 · 30 min
What does neurodiversity mean for chemistry education? (BCCE 2026)
How do we build chemistry classrooms where more students can thrive? In this bonus BCCE Community Conversation preview, Melissa talks with Matt Mio about neurodiversity in chemistry education. They discuss why every student experiences learning differently, how understanding those differences can make us better teachers and colleagues, and why creating more accessible learning environments benefits far more people than we might expect. It’s a thoughtful conversation about curiosity, empathy, and
#242
July 9 · 1 hr 1 min
What’s the chemistry behind hairspray?
Hairspray seems simple… until you actually stop and think about it. How does it come out as a fine mist? Why doesn’t it dry up inside the can? How can it hold your hair in place without acting like glue? This week we’re unpacking the surprisingly clever chemistry behind one of the most common products in our homes—and discovering it’s far more complicated than either of us expected.

Showing 1–20 of 34 episodes