Tiny Matters

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 for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. We continue on our brain-focused episode with the role cerebrospinal fluid plays in cleaning out your brain while you sleep and how its movement is in fact influenced by your brain waves.

We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to [email protected] *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!

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 more months — not with a human heart, but with a heart from a pig. David Bennett was the first case of a pig heart being transplanted into a human, an example of xenotransplantation — when the cells, tissues or organs from one species are transplanted into another. In the United States, over 100,000 kids and adults are currently on the national transplant waiting list, and every day around 17 people on that list die while waiting. 

In today's episode, we cover the science and historical research that made Bennett’s transplant possible, and what doctors learned from him that helped the next heart xenotransplant recipient, Lawrence Faucette, live even longer. We also get into some of the ethics conversations surrounding xenotransplantation work — not just questions about the use of animals like pigs and baboons, but experiments with recently deceased, i.e. brain dead, people.

Check out Jyoti Madhusoodanan's Undark story, "The Allure and Dangers of Experimenting With Brain-Dead Bodies" here. Her JAMA story we mention, also on xenotransplantion, is here.

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. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

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 journey of 1930s chemistry poetry, sometimes written by inebriated chemists, and track down a rare and stunning Chemical Map of North America. Check out the map in this YouTube short and this Instagram post.

We need your stories — they're what make these episodes possible! Write in to [email protected] *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story you found captivating for a chance to be featured in a future episode!

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. But in today’s episode we’ll cover an old technology that’s bringing us some new foods: precision fermentation. With precision fermentation, many everyday products including dairy-free milk, insulin, and the collagen in lotions are now being made by microbes. How did we turn microbes into teeny tiny production factories for so many different products, and where’s the limit when it comes to what we can use them to create?

In this episode we’ll demystify the science behind this technology and its history. We’ll also dive into how public perception influences the success of new food technologies and how framing can change minds and reduce both misinformation and skepticism.

Send us your science stories/factoids/news here 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!

Subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

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 can actually absorb water through their petals (ahem, sepals).

We need your stories — they're what make these episodes possible! Write in to [email protected] *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story you found captivating for a chance to be featured in a future episode!

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. The Seine River is set to host events including the 10 kilometer marathon swim and the triathlon, but as the Games approached, much of the testing showed that the Seine was still teeming with dangerous levels of E. coli and other bacteria. And a lot of people are asking, "why is this river so dirty?" In today’s episode, we’re going to get into the interesting history of how people have dealt with sewage, from Mesopotamia times to today, and how the Seine, as well as a river Sam knows well — the Potomac — are trying to clean up their acts. We'll dive into questions like, 'Will it ever be legal to swim in the Potomac?' 'Did Thomas Crapper actually invent the cra... um, toilet?' 'How do you clean up dilapidated old mines that are poisoning a river?' and more.

Send us your science stories/factoids/news here 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!

Subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

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 soldiers dying (and how the beet sugar industry may have played a gruesome role).

Here's a link to 'Bones of contention: the industrial exploitation of human bones in the modern age' by Bernard Wilkin and Robin Schäfer.

We need your stories — they're what make these episodes possible! Write in to [email protected] *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story you found captivating for a chance to be featured in a future episode and WIN a Tiny Matters coffee mug!

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 how athlete bodies are using and responding to chemistry, biology and physics. That data is helping scientists design new or better tools for athletes.

Today, in honor of this very sporty summer, Sam and Deboki delve into how scientists go about developing the equipment that helps move athletes, and how that equipment is holding importance for the medical field as well, for instance in diagnosing cystic fibrosis in infants. Sam and Deboki will also cover the creative experiments one scientist did to design a better bike saddle for female pro cyclists, who endured decades of intense injuries that ultimately required many to undergo labiaplasties, until American racing cyclist Alison Tetrick came along and said “enough is enough.” Title IX may have revolutionized female sports participation, but until more recently building gender-specific sports equipment from the ground up was unheard of.

Email us your science stories/factoids/news at [email protected] for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us episode!

Subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Curious as to why mosquitoes might be obsessed with you? Check out this video! Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

We have exciting news! This Wednesday, July 10th, Tiny Matters is launching a newsletter! It will come out every 2 weeks, so about twice a month. We will not spam you, promise. You can subscribe at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter.

So what will be in this newsletter you may ask? Well, it will of course alert you to the latest episodes, providing you some additional details here and there. We'll also share fun Tiny Matters video clips, tell you about recent science discoveries we can't stop thinking about, provide future episode teasers, get your input, let you know about any upcoming mug raffles, maybe share a pet photo or two... and really just have fun interacting with this community. We (Sam and Deboki) want to get to know you all better and we want you to get to know us!

Every subscription we get means a lot to us. We spend a lot of time on this podcast and all of the content surrounding it, and knowing that we're reaching our listeners is the best feeling!

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, Sam and Deboki cover the role parrotfish poop may play in your next beach vacation and how the molecule 2,3-BPG helps people adapt to high altitudes and more.

We need your stories — they're what make these episodes possible! Write in to [email protected] *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story you found captivating for a chance to be featured in a future episode and WIN a Tiny Matters coffee mug!

Standard reference materials — or SRMs — at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) serve as standards for many food, beverage, health, industrial and other products. There are over a thousand SRMs including peanut butter, house dust, dry cat food, soy milk, blueberries, stainless steel, fertilizer, and a DNA profiling standard. SRMs help make products safer and ensure that consumers are getting what they think they’re getting. But how do they work exactly?

In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki cover SRMs that are helping us accurately detect toxic substances like lead and pesticides in our house dust, fight seafood fraud, and keep PFAS out of our meat. Sam also travels to the NIST headquarters outside of Washington, DC to get a behind the scenes tour of how SRMs are made. She even gets a chance to snoop around the warehouse where SRMs are stored.

Email us your science stories/factoids/news that you want to share at [email protected] for a chance to be featured on Tiny Show and Tell Us!

Tiny Matters has a YouTube channel! Full-length audio episodes can be found here. And to see video of Sam, Deboki, and episode guests, check out Tiny Matters YouTube shorts here. A video showing 'beef snow' and a bunch of other SRMs is here.

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

At the end of 2016, a pilot reported that a volcano in Alaska called Bogoslof was erupting. Bogoslof had been quiet for 24 years, and there wasn’t any equipment on it that scientists could use to track its eruptions. But over the next 8 months, scientists were able to track at least 70 eruptions from Bogoslof, and they did so using something you might not expect: sound.

In this episode of Tiny Matters, we’ll cover what sound can tell us about events as big as volcanoes and ‘Swiftquakes’ and as small as the insect world, where researchers are using AI to track different insect species, leading to important discoveries that could help not just public health but agriculture and climate policy.

Email us your science stories/factoids/news that you want to share at [email protected] for a chance to be featured on Tiny Show and Tell Us!

Tiny Matters has a YouTube channel! Full-length audio episodes can be found here. And to see video of Sam, Deboki, and episode guests, check out Tiny Matters YouTube shorts here. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

On March 11, 2020, after over 118,000 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in 114 countries, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The term Long COVID began popping up across the globe shortly after. People with Long COVID experience any combination of a huge number of symptoms that range from gastrointestinal issues to brain fog to extreme exhaustion and an inability to do what were once pretty simple tasks like getting dressed, preparing meals, or even getting out of bed.

Although we have a ways to go before we understand a disease as complex as Long COVID, over the last few years scientists have made significant research strides and the millions of people suffering from Long COVID have brought light to health conditions including ME/CFS, that many people didn’t previously realize existed. In this episode, you’ll hear from an ME/CFS researcher, a Long COVID patient about her difficult and winding experience to understand what was happening in her body following a COVID infection, and a journalist and author who recently wrote a book on Long COVID.

Here's a link to Ryan Prior's book, The Long Haul: How Long Covid Survivors Are Revolutionizing Health Care. And here's a list of Long COVID resources:

• https://www.covid.gov/be-informed/longcovid
• https://solvecfs.org/solve-long-covid/long-covid-resources/
• https://www.bu.edu/ceid/training-education/long-covid-resources/
• https://longcovidalliance.org/ 

Tiny Matters has a YouTube channel! Full-length audio episodes can be found here. And to see video of Sam, Deboki, and episode guests, check out Tiny Matters YouTube shorts here!

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Want to watch Sam talk about the (proposed) connection between lead and the fall of the Roman Empire? Watch that video here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

A week ago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art held its 2024 Met Gala — a yearly event to raise money for the Costume Institute. The gala also marks the opening of the Costume Institute's annual show, which this year is called "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." The idea behind this exhibit is to showcase pieces from the museum's collection that are too delicate to show on mannequins. Instead, the exhibit will feature recreations of the pieces using AI and 3-D techniques, along with sound and smell. But what about textiles that museums choose to display — how is science used to maintain these incredible, often fragile, pieces of the past?

In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki cover the fascinating textile landscape, from  plant-based fibers to the evolution of modern synthetic materials and the investigative approaches used to preserve not just these fabrics but also the stories they tell and the cultural significance they hold.

We have a YouTube channel! Full-length audio episodes can be found here. And to see video of Sam, Deboki, and episode guests, check out Tiny Matters YouTube shorts here!

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

Every year, tuberculosis claims over a million lives despite being curable. Tuberculosis or TB is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. About 5–10% of people infected with TB will eventually get symptoms. In the early stages a TB infection might cause chest pain, a cough, night sweats, and loss of appetite. But eventually it could create holes in the lungs and cause you to cough up blood. And of course, TB can be deadly.

In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki talk with TB researcher Uzma Khan as well as John Green, the author of books including The Anthropocene Reviewed, Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars, and Turtles All the Way Down. John is also the co-creator of Crash Course and one half of the vlogbrothers — the other half being his brother Hank Green, who Deboki and Sam chatted with on the show last year.

Although he's best known as an author and YouTuber, last summer John made headlines for something else: fighting for more equitable access to tuberculosis treatments, particularly bedaquiline, an incredibly effective and essential medicine for patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis.

In this episode, Sam and Deboki cover the science and history of this devastating yet treatable disease, the recent public pressure on companies that is leading to increased treatment and testing access, and clinical trials that make John and Uzma hopeful that one day this humanity-plaguing disease could be gone.

If you’d like to learn more, go to tbfighters.org. You can also subscribe to John’s newsletter: tbfighters.org/newsletter. 

We have a YouTube channel! Full-length audio episodes can be found here. And to see video of Sam, Deboki, and episode guests, check out Tiny Matters YouTube shorts here!

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

Deboki and Sam put out a survey last month asking Tiny Matters listeners for feedback and were overwhelmed by the number of people who asked for more Tiny Matters episodes! At Tiny Matters, we like to give the people what they want, so we're going to begin releasing bonus episodes soon. But to do that, we need your help.

If you're a regular Tiny Matters listener you are well aware of something called the Tiny Show and Tell. At the end of every episode, Deboki and Sam each take a few minutes to share a science discovery or piece of news or maybe a science article they came across and found fascinating. Now they want YOU to share something!

Email [email protected] with some science news you’re itching to share, a cool science factoid you love telling friends about, or maybe even a personal science story.

In these new “Tiny Show & Tell Us” bonus episodes, Deboki and Sam will read your emails out loud and then go a bit deeper into the tiny science of it all. 

At the beginning of the 1900s, New York City was in turmoil. Prohibition loomed, outbreaks of typhoid and an influenza pandemic had people on edge, and the city was steeped in corruption. One of the many consequences of that corruption was a completely inept coroners office.

Instead of having trained medical examiners work out the causes of sudden and suspicious deaths, New York City coroners were politically appointed. And they didn’t have the slightest idea of how to do a thorough autopsy. They were sign painters and milkmen and funeral home operators and people who had done favors for the party. They bungled the cause of death so consistently and so dramatically that the police and the district attorney's office told coroners to stay away from their crime scenes.

This was a horrific situation, unless you were a poisoner. In January, 1915, New York City’s government released a report saying that murderers were easily escaping justice and that “skillful poisoning can be carried on almost with impunity.”

In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki chat with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Deborah Blum, the author of The Poisoner’s Handbook, about the rise of forensic toxicology in the United States. Listeners will be taken on a journey through some of the disturbing poisoning cases of the time that helped lay the groundwork for the field — with a focus on arsenic, radium and cyanide — and the pivot role medical examiner Charles Norris and chemist Alexander Gettler played in restoring public safety and finally stopping poisoners in their tracks.

We have a YouTube channel! Full-length audio episodes can be found here. And to see video of Sam, Deboki, and episode guests, check out Tiny Matters YouTube shorts here!

We love our listeners and we want to bring you more of what you like! Head to bit.ly/tinypodsurvey to give us feedback and help us make Tiny Matters even better. The survey should take no more than 5-10 minutes to fill out. Your motivation? Filling out the survey will enter you into a Tiny Matters mug raffle!

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

On July 25th, 1978, in the northwest of England, a baby was born. On its surface, that’s not a big statement — babies are born every single day. But this birth attracted media attention from around the world. The baby’s name was Louise Brown, and she was the first baby born from in vitro fertilization, or IVF.

In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki answer a question that came from a listener who asked, “How on earth did they come up with IVF?” They cover the science behind IVF, the research and people — both scientists and patients — that made it possible, how it has improved over the years, and both the historical and current challenges it faces.
 
We have a YouTube channel! Full-length audio episodes can be found here. And to see video of Sam, Deboki, and episode guests, check out Tiny Matters YouTube shorts here!

We love our listeners and we want to bring you more of what you like! Head to bit.ly/tinypodsurvey to give us feedback and help us make Tiny Matters even better. The survey should take no more than 5-10 minutes to fill out. Your motivation? Filling out the survey will enter you into a Tiny Matters mug raffle!

Check out Strange By Nature here.

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

Tiny Matters listeners are THE BEST and we want to bring you more of what you like! Head to bit.ly/tinypodsurvey to give us feedback and help us make Tiny Matters even better. 

The survey should take no more than 5-10 minutes to fill out. Your motivation? Filling out the survey will enter you into a Tiny Matters mug raffle! 

Thank you in advance <air hug>

This week, Sam and Deboki are joined by Trace Dominguez and Julian Huguet, the hosts of That’s Absurd Please Elaborate, a podcast where they do serious research to answer silly questions like, "What if the world had more sheep than people?" and "What would happen if you filled a volcano with concrete?"

In this episode of Tiny Matters, Trace and Julian answer the question, "Who invented the lawn?" It may sound like a question with a simple answer, but that is not the case! (Not even close). Their story begins in the Cretaceous period and ends with the lawns we know — and waste a whole lot of water on — today. This episode brings the perfect Tiny Matters mix of interesting science, fascinating history, important societal context and a sprinkle of goofiness.

Learn more about That's Absurd Please Elaborate here. Support the show by picking up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

Although we look very different from many of the other creatures on this planet, we’re more connected than you might think. Our evolutionary history means we share many of the same genes and physiology, and that’s not just cool to think about — it’s useful. Because it means that, to learn about the things we lack or wish we could do better, we can study the exceptional abilities of other animals.

In today's episode, Sam and Deboki cover two species with extreme lifestyles— brown bears and Mexican cave fish — and what they are teaching us about avoiding blood clots and fatty liver disease, and how that could unlock the potential for new treatments. In this week’s Tiny Show and Tell, Sam asks "What is a species?" and Deboki ponders how a mushroom could grow out of a living frog.

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Support the show by picking up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

It's happening again! A Tiny Matters Q&A and mug giveaway! Sam and Deboki answer listener questions about science, like, ‘Is it true that when we think of a memory we are actually remembering the last time we thought of the memory?,’ ‘Why do differently colored cats have such differing personalities,’ and ‘What is quantum entanglement?,’ plus questions about methanol poisoning, sea foam, science podcasting, and what Sam and Deboki would ask Bill Nye if given the chance. They wrap up the episode with a drawing where five lucky listeners win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! 

To support Tiny Matters, pick up a mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

Love is everywhere: In friendships, in romance, in the songs we listen to, books we read, and movies we see. So whether you love love, hate love, or are somewhere in between, you’re still hearing about it all the time. And that means you’ve probably learned about a molecule called oxytocin, aka the ‘love hormone’ or ‘love drug.’

Oxytocin was at first considered a hormone strictly for childbirth and nursing. But, starting around 50 years ago, research began to shed light on the vastness of its importance, in part with the help of cute little animals called prairie voles, one of very few species in the animal kingdom who form monogamous bonds.

In this episode, Sam and Deboki unpack what we've learned oxytocin can and can't do, why you can't reduce love down to a single molecule, what happens when we not only fall in love but stay in love, and how our brains adapt to the loss of a loved one.

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

In the winter of 1829, Dutch-Belgian anthropologist Philippe-Charles Schmerling discovered a fossil in a cave in Engis, Belgium — what looked like the partial skull of a small child. Schmerling is often called the father of paleontology, but even he had no idea what he had stumbled upon. Decades later, as other similar fossils came to light, the significance of Schmerling’s finding became clear: it was the skull of a child Neanderthal. It was not only the first Neanderthal fossil ever uncovered — it was the first fossil to be recognized as early human.

Although Neanderthals died out around 40,000 years ago, advances in genetic sequencing have revealed that their DNA lives on in all of us today — in our immune systems, vulnerability to certain diseases and, as more recent work has found, the likelihood of being an early riser or "morning person."

In this episode, Sam and Deboki unpack the ancient human journey and the complicated web of relationships between ancient human species. Although Homo Sapiens are the only surviving humans today, for hundreds of thousands of years we were not alone.

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

Last fall Sam and Deboki did a Q&A/mug giveaway episode and it was a hit. Round 2 it is! Anyone living within the U.S. is eligible.

Entering the raffle is easy. Just send your question(s) to [email protected].

Questions can be about a previous episode, some science thing you're dying to know the answer to, a question about podcasting, a question about science communication (scicomm) more broadly ... the sky’s the limit!

Just sending in a question enters you into a raffle to win a Tiny Matters mug, and if Sam and Deboki answer your question during the Q&A episode your name will be entered into the raffle twice. At the end of the episode, Sam and Deboki will draw 5 names out of a hat and send each of those people their very own snazzy Tiny Matters mug. 

Submit questions to [email protected] through the end of the day on Friday, January 19th, 2024. 

Today, Sam and Deboki are taking a look back at a handful of their favorite episode moments from the second year of Tiny Matters. And it just so happens to also be episode 50! Asteroid updates, atom-sized transistors, a world without photosynthesis, and more!

Have suggestions for topics for 2024? Email us! [email protected]. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

A warning to listeners — this episode contains sensitive material surrounding homicide and assault.

On November 29th, 2012, a group of men broke into the Silicon Valley mansion of 66 year old investor Raveesh Kumra. The men attacked and tied up both Raveesh and his ex-wife who was living there, and then ransacked the home for cash and jewelry. By the time the paramedics arrived, Raveesh — who had also been gagged with tape — had died of suffocation.

A few weeks later, the police arrested 26 year old Lukis Anderson. Anderson, whose DNA had been found on Raveesh's fingernails, was charged with murder. But the night of the homicide, Anderson had actually been at a hospital many miles away, being carefully monitored. So how did his DNA get on Raveesh’s fingernails?

In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki unpack the history and evolution of DNA profiling and how new, more sensitive, technologies can be both incredible tools for picking up trace amounts of DNA to home in on suspects and a huge liability that can lead to wrong convictions.

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

The FDA drug approval process is known to be a lengthy and rigorous one. But the FDA-approved ingredient phenylephrine — found in common cold medicines like Sudafed, Mucinex, and NyQuil — was recently found to be no better than a placebo. Phenylephrine has been on store shelves for nearly 90 years. How could that happen?

In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki are joined by none other than Deboki's dad, Deb Chakravarti. Deb is a professor with years of industry experience and the current director of the York College FDA Partnership. He helps dissect the FDA's recent findings and how its history and ever-evolving role in the pharmaceutical industry contributed to phenylephrine being used in oral cold medicines for so long.

Deb, Deboki and Sam also unpack pharmaceutical ethics cases, like thalidomide in the 1950s and 60s, and the case of Vioxx in the early 2000s, which led to tens of thousands of deaths.

Sam and Deboki cap off the episode with tiny show and tells about how the nose is really 2 noses (!) and the story of a new, ingestible, vitamin-sized capsule that could protect people from dying of an opioid overdose, sleep apnea, or other conditions that depress breathing.

Check out PNAS Science Sessions here and wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

In 2021, 80,411 people in the United States died of an overdose involving opioids, making up 75% of all drug overdose deaths that year. That’s also 10 times as many opioid overdose deaths as in 1999. How did we get here?

In this episode, Sam and Deboki trace the origins of opioids, from opium and morphine to fentanyl, and scrutinize the significant role pharmaceutical companies played in kick starting the opioid crisis in the 1990s. Today, the highly potent opioid fentanyl has become the street supply of opioids, which has led to a steep incline in overdose deaths. On top of that, it can be adulterated with dangerous substances like xylazine or "tranq." Now more than ever, facilities focused on harm reduction are crucial. These facilities allow for safe needle exchange, which reduces the risk of transmitting diseases like HIV and hepatitis C, and also provide opioid users with treatment and access to other healthcare testing.

Although the opioid crisis is a tragic reality in this country, harm reduction, increased opioid research funding, and hefty pharmaceutical company payouts are providing glimmers of hope.

In the US, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has a National Helpline for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. It can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357). It is confidential, free, in both English and Spanish, and open 24/7, 365 days a year. The helpline provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

We often hear that dogs help lower our blood pressure, decrease our allergy risk, and even alert us to disease. But is there science behind those claims? In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki unpack some dog domestication history and fascinating research with Jen Golbeck and Stacey Colino, authors of the new book, The Purest Bond: Understanding the Human-Canine Connection. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

Happy spooky season, Tiny Matters listeners! In today’s episode, Sam and Deboki tackle two Halloween themed topics: The Salem witch trials and mummies. 

In 1692 and 1693 a series of hearings and trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts, leading to 19 people being executed, marking the last executions for witchcraft in the United States. Sam and Deboki speak with a researcher who has spent over a decade piecing together what did and probably did not happen during this time, helping unpack a popular (and highly flawed) theory that LSD from a fungus caused the Salem witch trials. She also offers up the more likely forces behind the hysteria. 

Sam and Deboki then travel back thousands of years to ancient Egypt and delve into the science behind mummification — from the 'grand experimentation' of the Old Kingdom mummies to the 'ideal' mummies of the 18th and 21st dynasties that look like they could wake up at any moment. Mummies were an integral part of the ancient Egyptian belief in divine transformation after death, but today there’s contention surrounding how they should be treated and if they should even be displayed for viewing. 

Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

A couple weeks ago, NASA did something they’d never done before: they collected material from an asteroid and brought it back to Earth. These samples — harvested as part of the OSIRIS-REx mission — could tell us more about our planet's beginnings and even reveal information about the origins of life.

But collecting samples from space doesn't come without risk. In this episode, we delve into the heated debates among geologists and biologists during the construction of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) in the 1960s, in preparation for the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 — the first to put a human on the moon. We didn't bring back anything harmful, which is fortunate because flaws in protocols and the LRL design would not have prevented a moon microbial crisis here on Earth. But we can learn from those mistakes and apply what we now know to other fields such as artificial intelligence and climate change. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

Why do we need an influenza vaccine every year when there are many vaccines we only need to get once every few decades? In this episode, Deboki and Sam kick things off by covering the different strains of influenza that are most likely to cause, or already caused, pandemics. They also chat with experts about the new, more deadly strain of avian influenza — H5N1 — that has been making its rounds in the United States since January 2022, leading to the deaths of over 58 million birds, not just impacting farms and egg prices but wild bird populations.

Sam and Deboki also delve into flu strain predictions each year — which dictate what’s in the vaccine, and aren’t always accurate — and the promise of a universal vaccine for not just flu but all pathogens, which could be crucial for saving lives early in a future pandemic. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

This episode is outside the Tiny Matters norm — it’s a Q&A and mug giveaway! Sam and Deboki answer listener questions about science, like, ‘Can parasitic hookworms cure allergies?,’ ‘How do you measure the end of the universe?,’ ‘What’s the science behind why we can’t stand nails on a chalkboard,’ plus questions about making the leap into science communication, including podcasting. They wrap up the episode with a drawing where five lucky listeners win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! 

To support Tiny Matters, pick up a mug here! And check out The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week here. All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

Flavor and taste are not the same thing. In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki explain why, and unpack the important role flavor plays in health. They also chat with experts about ways of making the foods you don’t like more appealing. The Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. And to support Tiny Matters, pick up a mug here! Check out The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week here. All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

Maybe MOST importantly, here’s that chocolate zucchini cake recipe:

• ¼ c. butter
• ¼ c. cocoa powder
• ½ c. vegetable oil
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1¾ c. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ tsp. cloves
• ½ cup buttermilk or sour milk
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 2½ c. flour
• ½ c. chocolate chips

Directions: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Cream together the butter and sugar. Then beat in the oil, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Sift dry ingredients together and mix into wet ingredients. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Bake in a greased and floured bundt pan or a 9x13 pan for 45 minutes.

Colonialist practices, past and present, combined with climate change are having catastrophic effects on poorer countries in the global south. In this episode, Sam and Deboki talk with experts about how and why that’s the case and unpack two major examples of this impact: the 2022 Pakistan floods and the global factory, particularly the garment industry. Laurie Parson's book is here. The organizations he suggests at the end of the episode are Fashion Revolution, Clean Clothes Campaign, and Transform Trade.

Sam's Tiny Show & Tell story is here.

Deboki's book suggestions: Consumed: The Need for Collective Change, Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism and Worn: A People's History of Clothing.

Check out The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week here. All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

Mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was first discovered in cattle in the UK in 1986. In 1996, BSE made its way into humans for the first time, setting off panic and fascination with the fatal disease that causes rapid onset dementia. In this episode, Sam and Deboki cover the cause, spread and concern surrounding mad cow and other prion diseases. The Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

On April 20, 2010, a drilling rig called Deepwater Horizon exploded, capsizing 36 hours later. Eleven workers were killed and, over the next 87 days, more than 100 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico in what the EPA has called the largest marine oil spill in history. With public distrust of the companies responsible mounting, scientists had to find a way to study the spill and communicate what they found. So when faced with a crisis of this magnitude, when the stakes are so high, how do you dispel misinformation and effectively communicate what you know? Find links to buy Chris Reddy's book Science Communication in a Crisis: An Insider's Guide here. The Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

Sam and Deboki will be raffling off Tiny Matters coffee mugs in an upcoming Q&A episode. Entering the raffle is easy! Just send your question(s) to [email protected].

Questions can be about pretty much anything — a previous episode, some science thing you're dying to know the answer to, a question about podcasting, or about Deboki's and Sam's past lives as researchers or what helped them get into science communication as a career... the sky’s the limit! 

Just sending in a question enters you into the raffle, and if Sam and Deboki answer your question during the Q&A episode your name will be entered into the raffle twice. At the end of the episode, Sam and Deboki will draw 5 names out of a hat and send each of those people their very own snazzy Tiny Matters mug.

Submit questions to [email protected] through the end of the day on Friday, August 11th, 2023.

In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki unravel two very different environmental disasters: Hurricane Katrina and this year’s Ohio train derailment. They’ll cover the science underlying those events, the confusion and misinformation that followed them, and how human influence infiltrates all of these disasters, even ones deemed “natural." The Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. And to support Tiny Matters, pick up a mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

A few months ago, we did a bonus Q&A about the HBO series The Last of Us, a show about a pandemic caused by a fungus that turned people into terrifying zombies. After that bonus episode aired, we received emails from people who wanted to learn more about fungi and the fungal infections on the rise, like white nose syndrome in bats and Candida auris in humans. This episode is all about fungal pandemics in a huge range of organisms — how they take hold and the fight to stop them. You can find Emily Monosson's book Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

In the mid-20th century, psychedelic research to treat conditions like depression began to take off, yet by 1970 almost all of that work came to a screeching halt. But guess what? It’s back, and access to guided therapy to treat various mental health conditions is becoming a reality. The link to The New York Times article about Roland Griffiths is here. The Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

There's a whole lot of information (and misinformation) out there about depression, as well as debate surrounding how it's treated. In this episode, Sam and Deboki unpack this complex mood disorder that impacts over 300 million people across the globe as well as the effectiveness of SSRIs and the work being done to find better drugs. A link to David Hellerstein's new book The Couch, The Clinic and the Scanner: Stories from Three Revolutionary Eras of the Mindis here. The Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

The first computer was created in 1945 and came in at double the size of a one-bedroom apartment. Just 50 years later, the architecture of the computer on a chip that measured just 7.44 by 5.29 millimeters in size. And now, computers have gotten smaller and smaller [looks down at Apple Watch]. So how did we go from apartment-sized calculators to the tiny devices we use to look up cat pictures when we’re bored? And just how much smaller can we go? Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Want to drink your coffee (or beverage of choice) in style? Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

The question of whether or not life exists on other planets is an important and interesting one. But maybe the more intriguing question is, “what if it does?” In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki chat with science writer Jaime Green about what it would mean for life to exist beyond Earth. Her book, “The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos,” is a mix of history, astronomy, biology, philosophy, and sci-fi, and just hit store shelves. To order a copy, check out local bookstores and other options here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

Since the very beginning of the space age, people have been wondering if algae could provide a life support system beyond our planet. From dozens of studies over the last 60 years, we’ve figured out that algae probably can thrive for up to a year in space. But what if we wanted to live permanently on another planet, like Mars? This episode is all about algae: how it shaped early Earth, how we might use it to terraform planets in the future, and how it’s being used in biomanufacturing to hopefully get us away from relying on fossil fuels. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

For millennia, humans have looked to the sea to find medicine. Today, medical treatments that come from the ocean have been clinically approved for pain, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease, and over a dozen more are in clinical trials. In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki are tackling marine natural products—things like proteins, fats, and other molecules that aquatic organisms produce—that humans are hoping to use to treat the diseases that plague us. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

If you’ve been watching HBO’s The Last of Us, you might have some questions about fungus zombies and maybe fungi in general. In this bonus episode, Sam calls up field mycologist Giuliana Furci for a little fungi 101 and to talk fungi fact vs. fiction in the show. We promise there will be no jump scares! Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

Around 400 million tons of plastic are produced annually, which is the estimated weight of all of humanity! Plastic-covered beaches and litter on the side of the road is gross and depressing, but it turns out that stuff is just the visible tip of the iceberg. Plastic breaks down into tiny, tiny pieces that have now been found in almost every ecosystem on the planet—from the bottom of the ocean to mountain ranges in Europe. They’ve also been found in us. This episode of Tiny Matters is all about microplastics and both the molecules that stick to them and the ones they release, like forever chemicals (aka PFAS). Find Imari's upcoming book about plastics here. If you're looking for more info on microplastics monitoring and policy, check out  this episode of Stereo Chemistry from our friends at C&EN. If you're in the United States: for data on your region's drinking water go to the Environmental Working Group's website here. The Tiny Show & Tell stories this week can be found here and  here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here. 

In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki go on a detection dog deep dive. These are dogs who can sniff out basically anything, from explosives to invasive pythons to diseases like cancer and COVID-19. How are they trained? Are certain breeds better at recognizing certain odors? And, come to think of it, how do any of us smell things? Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

Maybe you know Hank Green from Vlogbrothers or CrashCourse. Maybe he taught you something on TikTok. Maybe you’ve read one of his books. Or maybe you know him from about a dozen other things. Hank does a lot, so Sam and Deboki were psyched to get a chance to chat with him. Even more about Hank at https://hankgreen.com/ Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters 

For centuries, scientists have looked through microscopes to witness the worlds of tiny creatures and cells that exist all around us. In this episode, Sam and Deboki learn what it takes to hunt down a rare microbe and why it matters for how we understand evolution and the connections between species today. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters 

Over the last year we've talked about the microbiome, the evolution of lactose intolerance, why we've only eradicated one infectious disease, if sugar is actually addictive, vampire science, and so, so much more. There are lots of tiny things out there that have a big impact. So what do YOU want to hear about? What science questions are on your mind? Let us know! [email protected] 

Today, we're taking a look back at a handful of our favorite episode moments from the first year of Tiny Matters. Want to tell us your favorite? Have suggestions for topics for 2023? Email us! [email protected]. Here's the article in The Conversation that Deboki mentions. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters 

In the final episode of Tiny Matters for 2022, Sam and Deboki chat with Latif Nasser about his experience as the co-host and director of research at Radiolab, his love of science history and telling surprising stories about everyday things, and much, much more. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters 

The Ig Nobel Prize celebrates discoveries and inventions that are unusual and imaginative. Think of it as the younger, more fun sibling of the revered Nobel Prize. Ig Nobel Prize winners are often recognized for research that might not make it into a more traditional science journal—one that doesn’t publish studies about levitating frogs or constipated scorpions. You’re in for a fun one. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters 

The ‘microbiome’ is very trendy right now. Maybe you’ve seen supplements marketed on social media or on store shelves that supposedly “support a healthy gut microbiome.” But what exactly is a microbiome? What does it have to do with your health? And is your gut microbiome actually connected to your brain?! Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters  

Sam and Deboki went on vacations to Greece and Norway and (not so shockingly) found science along the way. Get ready to hear all about the northern lights, ancient skull surgery, lava bombs, and more! Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters  

What is aging, exactly? Is it days on a calendar? The number of wrinkle lines on your forehead? And what causes aging? In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki tackle those questions plus if any of those ‘fountain of youth’ products on your newsfeed will actually keep you from aging, and if there will ever be a day where aging is a thing of the past. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters  

Halloween is right around the corner, and what’s Halloween without the undead?! In this episode, Sam and Deboki cover the mythology surrounding vampires and the possible scientific and medical connections to that mythology. Plus: how you could use chemistry to survive a zombie apocalypse. Check out Monstrum: Dracula, the first modern vampire Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters  

Sam was an avid eater of greasy, cheesy pizza until her early 20s. Now, dairy has her running to the bathroom (tmi). Why is that the case for so many people all over the world? This week’s episode covers what causes lactose intolerance, why it’s not the same thing as a dairy allergy, and what might have caused a rapid shift in humans’ ability to digest lactose. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters  

A recent study looking at sleeping spiders left Sam and Deboki with a lot of questions, namely, “Do spiders dream? And why do we humans dream?” In this episode of Tiny Matters, you’ll hear all about dreaming and its connection to sleep, and learn what big questions the field is still trying to answer. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters 

When you wash your dishes, take a shower, or flush a toilet you send a bunch of waste into your local sewer. But wastewater isn’t just filled with things like food scraps, soap, and feces—it also contains microbes, like viruses. During the pandemic, scientists realized how powerful a tool wastewater is for tracking many diseases, including COVID-19. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters 

Sam and Deboki chat with astrophysicist and folklorist Moiya McTier about her new book, The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy. It’s a fascinating read about our galaxy’s past and future, what scientists have uncovered about it, and what people have been inspired to create by studying it. Pick up a copy online or on bookstore shelves now. And to learn more about Moiya and the many things she’s up to, check out her website: https://www.moiyamctier.com/ Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters 

Regeneration is a hot topic in the sciences, and for good reason. We humans are not known for being great at regenerating, but if we could understand how other organisms do it so easily we might be able to heal a spinal cord injury or damaged organs and limbs. Or we could even slow the aging process and not suffer from diseases like Alzheimer’s. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters 

Humans have been finding ways of preserving food for thousands of years—long before the invention of silica gel packs that absorb moisture or chemicals that keep away bacteria and mold. This week’s Tiny Matters is about the evolution of food preservation and the regulations that came about to keep us safe from the more dangerous food additives we came up with (ahem, arsenic candy). Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters   

On May 8, 1980, the World Health Organization declared that smallpox—a highly-deadly disease in humans—had been eradicated. Today it’s still the only one we’ve completely wiped out. So, how’d we do it? And why haven’t we done it for the many other diseases that plague us, like COVID-19? Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters   

Marine conservation biologist David Shiffman joins Tiny Matters to chat about sharks and his new book Why Sharks Matter. We talk weird physiology, misconceptions, cinematic jump scares, Sharknado easter eggs, and science-backed activism. Check out Why Sharks Matter here. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters  

On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people died, many of whom were first responders. Today, World Trade Center first responders who are still alive are being diagnosed with illnesses like lung disease and cancer more often than the general population. Many scientists say the air pollution caused by the terrorist attack is to blame. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters  

On December 5, 1952, the city of London was engulfed in a lethal black haze that killed thousands of people. This event, now known as the Great Smog, altered how London and much of the world viewed air pollution, and led to environmental policies that have no doubt saved many lives since then. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters  

When it comes to human decomposition, scientists have a pretty good understanding of what happens shortly after you die. But what happens months or years later is mostly a mystery, and that makes it hard for law enforcement to figure out how a person died and, ultimately, provide answers to loved ones of the deceased. That’s where anthropological research facilities (a.k.a. body farms) come in. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. More on the MOVE bombing. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters 

In 2016, Zika virus dominated the news, but today it seems to have dropped out of public consciousness. Zika is still out there and thousands of children and their families continue to be impacted by its devastating effects. In this episode, you’ll hear from a scientist who's been working with children with congenital Zika syndrome since the start of the outbreak, as well as from a journalist who has spoken with families who are feeling left behind. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters

We humans eat a heck of a lot of sugar. So, how do our bodies process it? And why is eating so much of it so bad? In this episode, we tackle those questions, plus the ‘is sugar addictive?’ debate, and talk about how a DNA mutation that helped our ancestors survive millions of years ago is making life in today’s sugar-saturated world all the more dangerous. Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories here and here. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters

Science, when it falls into the wrong hands, can do a whole lot more harm than good. This episode is about the historical use of biological agents, the science behind what makes them dangerous, and how researchers are developing drugs to save people who have been exposed to them. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters

Have you ever had such a clear memory of something and then found out it never happened? We tend to think of a memory as a photo in an album that we can open up and access whenever we want. But it’s more like the pieces of a photo scattered in a stack of papers and you might only be able to access a couple of those pieces at a time. In this week's episode we're asking, "How do our brains form and store memories? And why do we lose them?" Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters

Bonus, bonus! This week on Tiny Matters, get ready to learn a bit about hosts Sam and Deboki. Who are they? Why do they love talking about science so much? Who are their science writing idols? Are they self-conscious about what their voices sound like? Answers to those need-to-know/certainly do-not-need-to-know questions are coming your way! Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters

Typhoid fever is a disease that, in the United States, is synonymous with Mary Mallon—a woman better known as Typhoid Mary, who infected New Yorkers with typhoid in the early 1900s. But typhoid is not just a thing of the past. Across the globe every single year, it kills over 100,000 people. And over the last few years, even in countries like the US where typhoid hasn’t been a concern for generations, the number of reported cases is climbing. So why is typhoid making a comeback? And what are scientists doing to stop it? Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters 

Pollution, disease, and climate change are pushing the limits of what coral reefs can withstand. But, despite those harsh conditions, some corals are thriving. Scientists are trying to understand how that's possible, and what they're learning could save these incredible ecosystems from extinction. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters

We had a vaccine for COVID-19 within a year of identifying the virus that causes it, yet still don’t have one for HIV after 40 years of research. Why is that? On this week’s episode, Sam and Deboki cover HIV’s history and spread, how it causes AIDS, and the tiny things it does that have allowed it to evade potential vaccines for decades. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters

This week on Tiny Matters, we’re talking about dinosaurs: the ancient beasts that died off 65 million years ago but whose remains still captivate us today. Fossils are helping scientists piece together how dinos and other extinct creatures looked and behaved. That info isn’t just inspiring movies like Jurassic Park—it’s helping researchers predict Earth’s future and could even lead to more sustainable tech. Episode transcripts at acs.org/tinymatters

Tiny Matters is a science podcast about things small in size but big in impact. 

Every other Wednesday, join hosts Sam Jones and Deboki Chakravarti as they unpack the little stuff that makes the big stuff in our world — both good and bad — possible, tackling questions like, “What is a memory?” "Is sugar actually addictive?" and "Why don't we have an HIV vaccine?"