Tiny Matters
Take a dive into the genes, microbes, molecules and other tiny things that have a big impact on our world with Tiny Matters. Join scientists Sam Jones and Deboki Chakravarti as they take apart complex and contentious topics in science and help rebuild your understanding. From deadly diseases to ancient sewers to forensic toxicology, Sam and Deboki embrace the awe and messiness of science and its place in the past, present, and future. Tiny Matters releases new episodes every Wednesday and is brought to you by the American Chemical Society, a non-profit scientific organization advancing chemistry and connecting the broader scientific community. Tiny Matters is produced by Multitude.
Episodes
97 episodes
[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 po...
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16:20
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 ...
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27:26
[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 ma...
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17:46
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 overs...
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Episode 73
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28:31
[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...
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14:36
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 fo...
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Episode 72
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32:46
[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 orga...
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17:03
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 searchi...
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Episode 71
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28:44
[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 G...
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17:28
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 t...
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Episode 70
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32:02
[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 cyanid...
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15:38
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, ...
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Episode 69
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28:58
[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 makin...
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17:01
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 emerg...
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Episode 68
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30:22
[BONUS] We think your dog loves you and an intriguing molecule hitches a ride on space dust: Tiny Show and Tell Us #6
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover work scientists have done to understand what’s going on in dog brains and how attached to us they really are. We also discuss a polymer called hemoglycin that hitches a ride on literal tons of ...
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16:56
CTE: From ‘punch drunk’ to today, how this devastating disease is finally being taken seriously
*A disclaimer that there will be discussions of self harm in this episode* In 2003, Chris Nowinski found himself in a WWE wrestling ring, concussed and not remembering where he was or how he was supposed to finish the match. This would be a piv...
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Episode 67
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42:02
[BONUS] Cleaning up brain junk while you sleep and new neurons from exercise: Tiny Show and Tell Us #5
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover neurogenesis in adulthood (yes! your brain can make new neurons even as you age), the link between exercise and increased neurogenesis in the hippocampus, and the implications that could have f...
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17:56
Pig hearts in people: Xenotransplantation's long history, current promise, and the ethical use of people who are brain-dead in research
In the early hours of January 7, 2022, David Bennett was out of options. At just 57 years old, he was bedridden, on life support, and in desperate need of a heart transplant for which he was ineligible. Yet Bennett would go on to live for two m...
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Episode 66
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28:17
[BONUS] 1930s (inebriated) chemist poetry and a new organelle: Tiny Show and Tell Us #4
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover the recent discovery of a new (relatively speaking, more like 100 million year old) organelle called a nitroplast that could revolutionize agriculture. Then we embark on a highly entertaining j...
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21:58
Could most of our food, medication, and clothing come from...bacteria?
You might be familiar with plant-based alternatives to animal products — things like the Impossible Burger or Beyond Meat. And maybe you’ve heard of places trying to grow fish or meat cells in a dish to make sushi or steak without a fish or cow...
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Episode 65
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28:06
[BONUS] A dark energy discovery and a thirsty hydrangea mystery: Tiny Show and Tell Us #3
Could dark energy be more dynamic than we thought? In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover a recent dark energy discovery that has us contemplating what the end of the universe might look like, and then we delve into if hydrangeas ca...
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17:30
Sewage and the Seine: From Mesopotamia messes and the 1858 Great Stink to today's flush toilets and fatbergs
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics is two short days away. As over 10,000 athletes gather in Paris, France, anticipation builds. But that anticipation is not just for the next 19 days of fierce competition, it’s also for the Seine...
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Episode 64
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32:26
[BONUS] The disappearance of 10,000 skeletons and get those eyes outside: Tiny Show and Tell Us #2
In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover a recent story about how spending time outdoors can help keep kids from becoming nearsighted and the mysterious absence of skeletons at the site of the Battle of Waterloo despite over 10,000 so...
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22:16
It’s sporty (science) summer: Cutting edge monitoring of sweat, and how decades of labiaplasty inspired a new bike saddle
This summer is a sports fan’s dream! Beyond some major soccer tournaments, Paris 2024 kicks off at the end of July. If you think about it, sports are science in motion, which means that buried in incredible athletic feats is a lot of data about...
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Episode 63
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32:19