Tiny Matters

Multitude

Science shapes every facet of our lives, but so much of its influence is overlooked or buried in the past. Tiny Matters is an award-winning science podcast about the small science of big things. From the microbes behind deadly diseases to the molecules informing our search for extraterrestrial life, hosts and former scientists Sam Jones and Deboki Chakravarti embrace the awe and messiness of science and its significance both today and in the past, asking questions like, "how was IVF invented?," "what do glaciers tell us about Earth’s ancient past?," and "why is smallpox the only human infectious disease we’ve eradicated?"

Tiny Matters is created by the American Chemical Society, a non-profit scientific organization based in Washington, D.C., and is produced by Multitude. New episodes every Wednesday, wherever you listen to podcasts.

Subscribe Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

183 episodes
Updated Wednesday

Episodes183

Newest first

Jan 29, 2025 · 15 min
[BONUS] Four armadillos in a trench coat and does pregnancy boost your sense of smell?: Tiny Show and Tell Us #15
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover a species of armadillo that, as it turns out, is actually four species. Then we discuss what researchers know about if pregnant people have a better sense of smell. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured. A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan 22, 2025 · 26 min
'A cage of ovulating females': The development and testing of the oral birth control pill
The 1940s were a pivotal time for the world. In the United States, as men went to fight in World War II, women became essential additions to the US workforce. And when the war ended, many of those women wanted to continue working. But having more children than they wanted or could care for was a huge barrier to making that a reality. When the oral birth control pill became available in 1960, it was a massive deal because it gave women control over when and if they wanted to have children. Today the pill is widely accepted, comes in a number of formulations, and is considered so safe that now you can buy it over the counter. But setting the groundwork for what we have available today took time, and experimentation. The history of the pill was also shaped by racism in an era where discrimination was not just state-sanctioned, but backed by many scientific institutions. In this episode of Tiny Matters, we cover the science and development of the oral birth control pill and, importantly, the lack of ethics in its testing, particularly in the trials that began in Puerto Rico in 1955. Send us your science facts, news, or other stories for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode. And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter! Links to the Tiny Show and Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan 17, 2025 · 1 min
Submit a Tiny Show and Tell Us — first 40 people get a coffee mug!
We’re always on the lookout for Tiny Show and Tell Us submissions and we thought, why not provide a little incentive? The first 40 listeners within the United States who send us their science facts or some cool news they’ve come across or even a fun science story from their childhood will be sent a Tiny Matters coffee mug with our original logo! You can submit at this link or email tinymatters@acs.org. Ready, set, go! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan 15, 2025 · 12 min
[BONUS] A hedgehog doppelgänger and STEVE lighting up the sky: Tiny Show and Tell Us #14
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover an aurora-like phenomenon — STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) — and how citizen science led to its discovery and unforgettable name. Then we talk about convergent evolution in tenrecs, a fascinating family of animals endemic to Madagascar. Some look identical to hedgehogs, some are similar to opossums, and others look like moles. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured in a future episode and win a Tiny Matters mug! A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan 8, 2025 · 28 min
Nearly 40 years after the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, wildlife is thriving
On April 26, 1986, the Soviet Union’s Chornobyl Power Complex nuclear reactor 4 exploded, releasing a massive amount of highly radioactive material. People living near the power plant were forced to evacuate, and the area was deemed uninhabitable. But today, many animals — some the descendants of pets left behind — have made this region their home. In this episode, we chat with researchers who have spent a lot of time in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone studying the animals that live there, trying to understand how constant low levels of radiation impact their health. What they’re learning could inform plans to repopulate areas that suffered past nuclear disasters, including Fukushima, and help with the development of methods that protect astronauts from radioactivity in space. Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode and to be entered to win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter. Links to the Tiny Show and Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan 1, 2025 · 17 min
Happy New Year! Bring on 2025
Happy 2025! Join us as we reflect back on 2024 and share exciting episode topics and podcast plans for 2025. Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode and to be entered to win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dec 18, 2024 · 16 min
[BONUS] Pollen-food allergy syndrome and stepping on 116 snakes: Tiny Show and Tell Us #13
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover a study where a researcher stepped on 116 snakes over 40,000 times for science (don’t worry, the ‘steps’ were more like touches, no snakes were harmed in the process). Then we get into why a pollen allergy might trigger an allergy to some of your favorite fruits. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured in a future episode and win a Tiny Matters mug! A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dec 11, 2024 · 27 min
Frostbite: From Napoleonic era treatments to the first FDA approved frostbite drug
Dominique Jean Larrey lived quite a life. He was born in 1766, and at the age of 13, had to walk from his home in a French village to study in the city of Toulouse. That journey was 70 miles, and yes, he walked it. That would be important much later in his life, when he found himself walking through the bitter cold in Russia as the Chief Surgeon of Napoleon's army. During that time, Napoleon's troops had to contend with the reality of Russian cold and temperatures that got as low as -37 degrees Celsius, which is about -35 Fahrenheit. Larrey attributed his ability to withstand the cold to his walking. But many of the soldiers around him wound up with frostbite, and to treat them, Larrey suggested slowly rewarming the affected area and rubbing it with snow. Frostbite treatment has been on quite the journey since then, and it was just earlier this year that the FDA approved the first drug to treat frostbite in the US, which is exciting news for the doctors who see cases of frostbite and for patients who are often left with the horrific reality of amputation. Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode and to be entered to win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter. Links to the Tiny Show and Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dec 4, 2024 · 17 min
[BONUS] Xenobots and rethinking 'junk DNA': Tiny Show and Tell Us #12
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover exciting new 'living robots' called xenobots — made from frog cells with the help of a supercomputer — and what they might be used for down the road. Then we challenge how much "junk" really makes up "junk DNA" and discuss the regulatory sequences and other things our DNA codes for that aren't functional proteins. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured in a future episode and win a Tiny Matters mug! A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nov 27, 2024 · 28 min
In defense of plants: Pitfall traps, rancid aromas, and other wild pollination strategies with Matt Candeias
On Tiny Matters we just weren’t giving enough love to plants, but we’re dedicated to fixing that! In this week’s episode, we chat with Matt Candeias, the host of the podcast In Defense of Plants. We tackle a subject that we had definitely oversimplified in our minds: pollination. From stinky corpse flowers to pitfall traps to faux fermentation, the way plants have evolved so many strategies to reproduce is beyond fascinating. We can’t wait to take you all on this pollination ride! Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode and to be entered to win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nov 20, 2024 · 14 min
[BONUS] Why we experience altitude sickness and a chirality mystery: Tiny Show and Tell Us #11
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover why your body feels so ‘off’ at high altitudes and how we’ve evolved not to detect low oxygen levels but high amounts of carbon dioxide. Then we unpack the confusing world of molecule chirality — what it is, why it matters, and how we evolved to only have ‘left-handed’ amino acids but ‘right-handed’ DNA and RNA. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured in a future episode and win a Tiny Matters mug! A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nov 13, 2024 · 32 min
Stories trapped in ancient teeth: Reconstructing megalodon’s diet and retracing the steps of woolly mammoths
How often do you think about your teeth? In this episode of Tiny Matters, we talk about how the atoms trapped within teeth can reveal what an animal ate and where it lived, and how studying teeth has helped ecologists reconstruct prehistoric food webs of megatooth sharks and retrace the steps of woolly mammoths across the Arctic. And hopefully, we’ll give you a few new reasons to appreciate your own pearly whites. Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode and to be entered to win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nov 6, 2024 · 17 min
[BONUS] Mice aging in reverse and using origami to understand how a tiny organism captures prey: Tiny Show and Tell Us #10
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore the science behind a very catchy headline about a drug that makes mice look more youthful and increases their life expectancies. Then we shift gears to talk about a predatory unicellular organism with a swan-like neck that rapidly extends a great distance to capture prey. Researchers used origami to understand the mechanics behind this anatomical feat. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured in a future episode and win a Tiny Matters mug! A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 30, 2024 · 28 min
Ghosts and cyborgs: A specter skeptic and the promise (and perils) of biohybrid robots
Halloween is right around the corner, so what better way to celebrate than a deep dive into the ‘science’ of ghost sightings? We touch on a bit of the psychology behind these experiences and then break down the equipment people use when searching for proof that spirits float among us, and how power lines and rats in walls muddy the specter detection waters. Then we switch to something a little more corporeal, but no less weird: cyborgs. Biohybrid robots hold a lot of potential, but their ethical use, especially when human tissues are involved, need to be carefully considered. Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode and to be entered to win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 23, 2024 · 17 min
[BONUS] Algae in the clouds and colossal galaxy walls: Tiny Show and Tell Us #9
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore the unexpected ways algae (and the things that kill them) influence cloud formation. We also chat about the massive galaxy walls in our universe, including the South Pole Wall and the Sloan Great Wall, both of which are around 1.5 billion light-years long. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured in a future episode and win a Tiny Matters mug! A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 16, 2024 · 32 min
Pesticides across history and learning from millions of years of plant-insect warfare
On January 27, 1958, newspaper editor Olga Huckins sat down to write an angry letter to a friend. Olga and her husband owned a private two-acre bird sanctuary, and the previous summer the government had sprayed the pesticide DDT all over that two acres to control the mosquitos. She saw wildlife, particularly birds, getting sick and dying. The friend Olga sent the letter to was none other than Rachel Carson, who would go on to write the book Silent Spring, exposing the dangers of synthetic pesticides, including DDT, and helping push forward the modern environmental movement and the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Today on the show we’re going to talk about the history of pesticides and their deployment, and how researchers are working to develop more effective, safer pesticides. We will also take a fascinating dive into the coevolution of plants and pests, specifically insects, and what we’re learning about the effectiveness of pesticides based on hundreds of millions of years of plant and insect evolution. Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us episode and to be entered to win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter. Link to the Tiny Show & Tell story is here. You can find BirdCast here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 9, 2024 · 15 min
[BONUS] A shark’s ‘jelly-filled canals’ and deadly cyanide in clovers: Tiny Show and Tell Us #8
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about the ampullae of Lorenzini that allow sharks to detect the electrochemical signals coming from prey. We also cover the fascinating science behind cyanide-filled clovers. Did you know cyanide is actually a very popular poison in the plant kingdom? We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured in a future episode and win a Tiny Matters mug! A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 2, 2024 · 28 min
Vaping vs. smoking: What does decades of research tell us?
E-cigarettes, commonly referred to as “vapes,” were invented in the early 2000s with the explicit goal of helping people quit smoking by transitioning them to something safer. But there are many people, particularly in the United States, who start vaping without ever having smoked a cigarette, leading to fears that vaping will be an on-ramp to smoking — a “gateway drug.” In fact, in the U.S. alone, nearly half a million middle school students vape. And in 2019, the CDC started receiving reports of severe and acute lung injury in people who vaped. By February of 2020, almost 3,000 people had been hospitalized and 68 people had died. We know that smoking is deadly (in fact, it’s estimated to take about 10 years off your life), but of course vaping isn’t risk free. In this episode of Tiny Matters, we’ll dive into the science behind both to answer, “What’s more dangerous, smoking or vaping?” “And does vaping actually help people quit smoking cigarettes?” We’ll also get to the bottom of why so many people got sick or died from vaping back in 2019 and 2020, yet we haven’t seen injuries like that since. Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us episode and to be entered to win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter. Link to the Tiny Show & Tell story is here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sep 25, 2024 · 17 min
[BONUS] How the moon causes tides and ancient viruses lurking in your DNA: Tiny Show and Tell Us #7
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we break down the complicated science of tides and why some places have massive tidal swings while others do not. We also cover the role of ancient viral DNA in our genomes, and how it seems to be making us less responsive to cancer treatments like chemotherapy. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured in a future episode and win a Tiny Matters mug! Here's the tides video George mentioned. The rest of the references and transcript for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sep 18, 2024 · 30 min
Extinction: Rethinking the dodo's demise, and could a supervolcano threaten humanity's future?
Around 8 million years ago, an underwater volcano just to the east of Madagascar formed the island of Mauritius. Pigeons on nearby islands set flight and settled on that island. There they continued to evolve, and the dodo bird eventually emerged as its own species: Raphus cucullatus. And tiny Mauritius, with an area of just 720 square miles, was the only place in the entire world where the dodo lived. And it lived a good life, among bats and tortoises and other birds, safe from the predators its ancestors left back on land millions of years before. But in 1598, when sailors from the Netherlands arrived, the dodo’s luck ran out. On today's Tiny Matters we dive into the history of the bird that everyone loves to make fun of: the dodo. And we’re going to explore some of the work investigating why this bird went extinct and what it was like when it was alive. Then we’ll shift gears and talk about what some people worry will cause a massive extinction in the future — one that might include us: supervolcanoes. These are volcanoes capable of eruptions thousands of times larger than the volcanic eruptions we are most familiar with today. The recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland or the deadly Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980 pale in comparison. These are volcanoes bigger than anything we've experienced as human beings in our recorded history. So are we ready if one comes our way? Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us episode and to be entered to win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Check out the Headline Science video series here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.