Chemistry For Your Life Podcast By Melissa and Jam Bleav cover art

Chemistry For Your Life

Chemistry For Your Life

By: Melissa and Jam Bleav
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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.© For Your Life 2023, All rights reserved. Chemistry Science
Episodes
  • What even is DEET?

    What even is DEET?
    Mar 19 2026

    #053 Rebroadcast

    This week, Melissa and Jam revisit one of their fav episodes on the topic of mosquitos. What is DEET? What part does it play in repelling mosquitos? How do repellants repel mosquitos in the first place? Is it just straight witchcraft? Let's do it.

    Support this podcast on Patreon
    Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

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    References from this episode

    1. Staph Retreat - Radiolab - WYNC
    2. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/rachel-carson-silent-spring.html
    3. https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/reregistration/fs_PC-080301_1-Apr-98.pdf
    4. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-it-true-that-the-deet/
    5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24892824/
    6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11693870/
    7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26827259/
    8. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(19)31167-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982219311674%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
    9. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(19)31167-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982219311674%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
    10. https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/biochemistry/does-DEET-fend-off-malaria/97/web/2019/10

    Thanks to our monthly supporters

    • Amanda Raymond
    • Emily Morrison
    • Kyle McCray
    • Justine
    • Emily Hardy
    • Ash
    • Vince W
    • Julie S.
    • Heather Ragusa
    • Autoclave
    • Dorien VD
    • Scott Beyer
    • Jessie Reder
    • J0HNTR0Y
    • Jeannette Napoleon
    • Cullyn R
    • Erica Bee
    • Elizabeth P
    • Rachel Reina
    • Letila
    • Katrina Barnum-Huckins
    • Suzanne Phillips
    • Venus Rebholz
    • Jacob Taber
    • Brian Kimball
    • Kristina Gotfredsen
    • Timothy Parker
    • Steven Boyles
    • Chris Skupien
    • Chelsea B
    • Avishai Barnoy
    • Hunter Reardon
    Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

    Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

    Watch our episodes on YouTube

    Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    37 mins
  • How do birds fly? And how is chemistry involved?!

    How do birds fly? And how is chemistry involved?!
    Mar 12 2026
    Birds fly all the time. We see it constantly. But how does it actually work? Is it just "Bernoulli’s" principle? Is the air pushing up? Are the wings pushing down? And what’s happening at the molecular level when a bird takes off? Let’s talk about feathers, airflow, collisions between air molecules, and why the way flight is usually explained might not actually be the whole story. Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife Timestamps: 00:00 — The Question Have you ever actually wondered how birds fly? A kid’s question sparks the episode.01:00 — “Isn’t this physics?” Why a chemistry podcast is talking about aerodynamics.02:00 — A disclaimer about flight explanations Melissa explains why common explanations of bird flight can be misleading.04:00 — The weird analogy that starts it all What does oobleck (cornstarch and water) have to do with bird wings?06:00 — Air isn’t nothing Thinking about air as billions of tiny molecules interacting with wings.09:00 — The classic explanation of lift Bernoulli’s principle and why it’s often used to explain flight.13:00 — Why that explanation isn’t the whole story What’s missing from the “air moves faster over the top” idea.18:00 — Collisions at the molecular level What air molecules are actually doing when a wing moves through them.22:00 — Pushing air downward Why deflecting air matters for creating lift.26:00 — Wing shape and angle How airfoil shape and angle of attack change the behavior of airflow.30:00 — Flapping vs gliding Why bird flight isn’t the same as airplane flight.34:00 — Turbulence and airflow patterns What’s happening behind the wing as the bird moves through the air.37:00 — Bringing chemistry into the picture How thinking about molecular motion helps make sense of the physics.39:00 — Final recap So… what actually keeps birds in the air? Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife References from the Episode: Thanks to our monthly supporters Amanda RaymondEmily MorrisonKyle McCrayJustineEmily HardyAshVince WJulie S.Heather RagusaAutoclaveDorien VDScott BeyerJessie RederJ0HNTR0YJeannette NapoleonCullyn RErica BeeElizabeth PRachel ReinaLetilaKatrina Barnum-HuckinsSuzanne PhillipsVenus RebholzJacob TaberBrian KimballKristina GotfredsenTimothy ParkerSteven BoylesChris SkupienChelsea BAvishai BarnoyHunter Reardon Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    40 mins
  • Fun Fact or Fake Factoid?! Game Rematch (with Claire Caballero)

    Fun Fact or Fake Factoid?! Game Rematch (with Claire Caballero)
    Mar 5 2026

    In this bonus episode, we host a rematch of our game “Fun Fact or Fake Factoid” with Claire and Jam, using stricter rules: each claim must be entirely true or false as worded, and the winner earns a treat. We test statements about pregnancy-related brain changes, koala fingerprints, bird body temperature, whether every fig contains a dead wasp, how egg markings form, woodpecker tongues wrapping around their skulls, unique parrot pigments, bald eagles’ ability to take off from the ground, black bear maternal instinct, and whether red bird color is structural rather than pigment-based.

    Support this podcast on Patreon
    Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

    Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

    Watch our episodes on YouTube

    Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

    00:00 Rematch Setup
    00:42 Rules and Stakes
    02:46 Pregnancy Brain Changes
    05:55 Koala Fingerprints
    07:48 Bird Body Temperature Myth
    11:26 Fig Wasp Debate
    15:33 Egg Markings Explained
    16:53 Egg Pigment Mystery
    17:57 Woodpecker Tongue Wrap
    19:13 Tie Breaker Rules
    20:26 Parrot Pigment Class
    21:18 Eagle Takeoff Myth
    24:27 Bear Instinct Debate
    25:19 Bird Color Science
    29:54 Rematch And Submissions
    31:21 Support And Credits

    References from the Episode:

    Thanks to our monthly supporters

    • Amanda Raymond
    • Emily Morrison
    • Kyle McCray
    • Justine
    • Emily Hardy
    • Ash
    • Vince W
    • Julie S.
    • Heather Ragusa
    • Autoclave
    • Dorien VD
    • Scott Beyer
    • Jessie Reder
    • J0HNTR0Y
    • Jeannette Napoleon
    • Cullyn R
    • Erica Bee
    • Elizabeth P
    • Rachel Reina
    • Letila
    • Katrina Barnum-Huckins
    • Suzanne Phillips
    • Venus Rebholz
    • Jacob Taber
    • Brian Kimball
    • Kristina Gotfredsen
    • Timothy Parker
    • Steven Boyles
    • Chris Skupien
    • Chelsea B
    • Avishai Barnoy
    • Hunter Reardon
    Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

    Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

    Watch our episodes on YouTube

    Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show more Show less
    34 mins
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