Oh hey, it's still your neighbor who's always out vacuuming his car and you're like, is he really clean or is he so dirty he needs to be vacuuming it that much? Ellie Ward back with part two of the Potteralogy episode of Ologies. Okay, if you have not listened to part one, go do that first. So much context and backstory's wizard puns, so go there first. This is like the dessert portion involving your questions, but first go fill up on the main course. So go on gey
it all right, Okay. Thank you so much to all the patrons who support the show and sebnic questions, and the folks who subscribe and rate and who also review because you know that I creepily read them, such as for example, Funky Fact Friday, who said this week, I'm not a huge podcast person, and the podcast I've listened to tend to come and go, but not Ologies. It's kept my attention for over a year plus. I now have fun facts disview at friend and family gatherings. Ali
asks my questions and makes quality dat jokes. In conclusion, I want Ali Ward to be my dad. Good news, Funky Fat Friday, I am your dad. If you've been listening for a while and you wondered, why does this lady call herself my dad? It's dad jokes and just because of darn love you are kiddos. Also, I do wear socks with sandals sometimes, I did just yesterday, And I don't care how that makes you feel. Well, I do, but I hope that you secretly are okay with it.
All right, So buckle up Part two of Potterrology, in which we ask all of your questions and we talk about poisons and anecdotes and anecdotes and noble gases and jerky wizards, dark arts, stun guns, risky business, fireworks, stomach butterflies, and more, with University of Nebraska Lincoln chemistry professor and electro chemist and potterrologist, doctor Rebecca Live. Can I ask you some questions from listeners? Yes? Is that okay? One
hundred and thirteen questions. We're not going to go through all of them. Oh my gosh. Sarah Nashaw wants to know are you a real wizard? Be honest.
That I'm not prepared.
Are you a wizard? You can say no comment, I don't know. Rebecca pointed to a nearby t stained CPA colored letter in a shadow box frame. It looked like something, say, like an owl might drop down your chimney.
Okay, I can tell you one thing. If you look at that letter right there, I presumably received I received that when I was eleven, but then I was not eleven when when JK. Rowling had those books out, So I don't think I received it.
You're not a muggle. You are not a muggle. You're a wizard. I think my.
Brand of magic people have asked at before, my brand of magic is really weird. I don't think there is that kind of Harry Potter. See. I think my brand of magic.
I look at it because I like learning.
I like to absorb other people's knowledge, so what they learn, So I guess my magic is absorbing other people's magic. People are developing all their great things. And you know what I call magic every day and from whether it is listening to or ologies or watching YouTube or just you know, reading encyclopedia. I still like that. So any of those I'm absorbing other people's magic, magic that has been developed years and years back in the days. And
that's how I look at it. My magic is to absorb others magic.
Sydney Brown wants to know what's your favorite spell.
Favorite spell expects, So patrona expect. I think that is probably not just mine. I think it's probably the top one well because it's repulsed de mentors de mentors based on what JK.
Rowlings.
You know, how she came up with that was related to when she herself suffered from depression. It's basically something that is, you know, making you feel sad and unhappy and just despair, and you have this expectable patronum that will be an animal. Mine's actually, according to potom More, a beagle, little dog. So that's my that's my patronus.
So I think the Patrona's charm is what I think is a really great spell because sometimes we're humans, we do get sad and despair, sometimes sad or sometimes disappointed or you know, having that to protect us is a great thing.
Yeah, okay, so quick as I is the comfort of a Patrona's animal magic, is it witchcraft? No, fam, It's just a big frothy stew of biology and chemistry. So according to psychosocial and psychophysiological Effects of Human animal interactions, the possible role of oxytocin. This is a meta analysis of a bunch of studies looking at h a I Human animal interaction aka snorgels aka so HAI has been
investigated for its effects on hormonal indicators of stress. These are things like cortisol and on neurotransmitters like epinephrine and one Australian study found that dog and cat owners had fewer sleeping problems and went to the doctor less frequently than non pet owners, and in a Chinese survey, researchers reported that dog owners had higher self reported fitness and health, they exercised more frequently, they slept better, they saw their
doctors less frequently, and took fewer days off from work than comparable non dog owners. There was another study in the same menta analysis that involved showing participants a live tarantulaspite her saying they'd have to hold it later on now.
In the interim, they had the subjects either pet a live rabbit, a live turtle, a toy rabbit, a toy turtle, or they just had them chill out without a toy or a life animal, and petting a live animal was the only option that reduced fear and anxiety, and the tarantula is like, Hi, Hi, I am a live animal. Kid. You don't want to pet me because look at my harry bud. Look at it isn't around, isn't acute. What's
the matter now. The study also said that just loafing with a critter, especially doggos, can trigger oxytocin release in both humans and dogs, which decreases stress hormones and lowers blood pressure. So thanks, pops, me rubbing your belly helps you soothe my soul. Also side note, every once in a while I will get a really lovely sweet listener who says that, like squid or toads are their spirit animals.
And I'm sure y'all are very compassionate and kind. I just wanted to let you know that saying spirit animal is something reserved for native and indigenous populations. So if you would not wear a headdress tocochella because you know it's really not your place, you might want to nix spirit animal. Just burn that right out of your brain. Alternatives, Oh, yes,
of course there are many. I'm glad you asked. You can say alter ego familiar, or you can say patronis, so your patronis might be a toad or a squid, and some gracious furry folks have said that PERSONA is also fine with them. Okay, so moving into a different
shape entirely. Some listeners asked about the transfiguration realm. These listeners were Samantha Pinpinto, Claire Meyer, Hannah Riley, Daniello Buchanan, and first time question asker Ashra Colactar says, on a scale of one from one hundred, just how cruel is transfiguration when it comes to animals? What happens when they mess up a switch and now your beetle is half button and half beetle? Any idea? That's a tough one.
I think in terms of that is because the transfiguration. The fact is that I do believe that it's cruel in a way. I would say it's like about seventy percent, you know, like seventy But the fact is that I do believe it might not be mentioned here. I think they probably could reverse it. I think there's some fans, maybe not everyone can do that. Just don't count on Nevill long Bottom to do that at that time when he was Okay, now he's much improved. But I'm sure
maybe professor McGonagall can do that. I think it could be reversed.
Lauren Reed and Michelle Grandine both want to know have you seen improvements in scores since introducing Harry Potter into your teaching and also what is your Hogwarts house?
I'm Ravenclaw. Okay, yes, I will answer that you, Celia, I have a mattress my nail.
Rebecca did have a fresh tapered manicure in a lovely periwinkle hue. And ever the scientist, she said, it's tough to isolate the data to track down how much better students did in chemistry after taking her Muggle Magic course because they're typically enrolled in other chemistry classes from other professors. But all in all, she hopes it helps students become passionate about chemistry. Myself, I'm going to go on a
limb and say it's got to help. Now. A few folks posed linguistic queries, including Jack Benjamin Harrison, Wayne Brantley, Rebecca Zanbrecker, and Okay, so, Destiny Rector wants to know, I know a lot of spells and their names are based in Latin. Are there any based in other languages that are maybe a little bit less common? Have you ever found that.
No, I have not done too too much on that. Most of them a Latin based, but I think that might be others as well. I cannot say, but that's why I'm hoping imploring that another professor will continue this A Muggle's Guide to Harry Potter's.
Linguistic That's amazing.
Because honestly, right now I look at it, it doesn't have to be in Nebraska. It would just be you know, it could be globally these days, right because people did ask me if I could have this class, you know, broadcast live online. It's it could be done. Of course, there's some you know, because it's paid and then the credits and stuff like that. It cannot just be for you know, no, it's just for fine, But I don't mind if it could be all right, yes, okay.
Side note any Georgetown folks out there, because scan your course catalog for a class called Nights of Old and Harry Potter, which explores the medievalism of JK. Rowling's Harry Potter novels by diving into quote medieval antecedents from the twelfth and fifteenth century in French, English and Latin literature, as well as selected volumes of JK Rowling's Harry Potter novels. So Spooky Muggles, your people, they're out there. They are
teaching classes. Alphie Oi. If Casey asked what Harry Potter subject is a most like chemistry in your opinion, mainly between potions and transfiguration.
Potients potions, Definitely potients, because potients and some of them, I'm we didn't even get to that, actually some of them. I basically what I did in the class is that, of course there's potents and then science. I actually look at a few recipes, such as the Draft of Peace
and also the Witch Sharpening potion. I actually look at the ingredients what jk Rowling listed, and I look at the chemistry of them and try to prove that whether jk Rowling is right or wrong to put you know, valerian root in you know, the draw a piece or putting ginger in the witch sharpening potions. So I think there's some correlations. I think she knows her stuff. Yeah, so potions.
Ps. If you've ever taken Valerian root to calm anxiety or to help you drift off into a deep, deep sleep with wacky dreams, there is an acid in it. That's similar to the neurotransmitter gamma aminomuteuric acid nickname gabbas called a gabba for short, which handles calming the nerves. And the jury's still out in the scientific community on its efficacy, but some trials show that it works better
than placebo at helping you chill out and calm down. Now, another fun fact, Valerian root smells terrible, so bad, so awful, So if you try it, just push through that fermenting dung rancid sock flavor and then it's all good if you're not left traumatized. I mean, a cursed is the stench, but just me it's effect trust me. I am in no way a doctor, though, so ask one first. Emily Read wants to know what's the most obscure and or seemingly useless spell.
Oh, I think a killing spell. Sorry, the killing curse. I don't want to say it. Okay, the killing curse because I don't think we need such things.
Okay, that's a good answer. And jam Curs wants to know what potions might actually be medically useful for us muggles.
M Well, I think the witch sharpening potions containing ginger as one of the ingredients is not bad. People have studied a lot of ginger has been used in India and China for many many years, mostly for indigestion or some digestive system issues, and I correlated to witch sharpening. It's that well, that may not make you sharper, but yet if you don't have a cake, you feel a lot better. Okay, right, you can think right, I mean
both of us right now having digestions problem. I don't think we'll be sitting so comfortably talking right now, all right, so we might want to be at other places. So I think it might just have some correlations in that. I think ginger overall people have studied it for a lot of different you know, to see if they could find chemicals and components in that that could be able to help with other diseases and other maladies beyond digestive system issues.
So yes, ginger scientists are looking at it for its pain management and anti inflammatory properties. And of course there's a reason they serve it on airplanes. It's kind of like a magic potion. It makes you less nauseous. How does it do this? Well, I looked into it. It breaks up gas and it moves things through your system,
So thanks, Ginger, you're a real fartbuster. Also, I think people drink it on airplanes because if you have to walk through first class and see people drinking champagne when you get to your seat, you want something gold and bubbly but also free. I have yet to pursue this theory academically, but I have a lot of faith in it. Okay, speaking of a classroom, this next question was seconded by
l McCall. A couple of people asked Emma Janegelian wants to know why is it Leviosa and not Leviosa, Like what if someone has an accent, like if they're German wizards instead of English wizards, it's Levo.
Well, I think in that scenario, clearly both Ron and Hermione are to my best knowledge, I think the British. I don't know why Ron said it that way. Ron just have a different way of you know, maybe a different part of UK got different accents as well. Probuately maybe that right, That is a very I have never heard of this question. This is lovely and I would just recommend her to say try her best to say the right way. Okay, spells, you don't want to get
it wrong. Even though we're levitating this thing or not is not a big deal, but it could be. If it's a wrong curse, you might just get into more trouble than what wrong. God might just poke a person's eye out or something and beyond.
So okay, And you have kind of a beautiful almost like a British lilt to your voice too.
I'm originally from Hong Kong, so I learned British English.
Oh my gosh, I was wondering because it's like you've been in la and so yeah.
Yeah, I know, because it's just yeah.
Oh, you have such a beautiful voice. Seriously, how golden and sparkly and wonderful is her voice?
So much?
Now, Margaret Hammer Sersley had this next question, which spoiler gets us back to something from episode one that rhymes with schman visible sphinks. What is the best lab demo to get people interested in chemistry and science because it looks like magic?
Yes, a parisium right now, let's see do it again.
Invisible Elie Ward is awesome.
Okay, that remains a factual thing.
Okay, this is the best day ever. That is invisible link.
You got to say yes, absolutely basically this art.
Chris Burer wants to know what would be considered the dark arts of chemistry, and Michelle Grandine says, second that question, dark arts and chemistry.
Dark arts, dark arts. Well, there are some dangerous chemicals too, I have to say, but in general in the chemistry lab, no matter what we work with, we always consider them being dangerous and also we will take extra precautions and care. So one thing about me being a professor, training my graduate student or teaching the class later on, I always remind them safety is the most important because if you're
not safe, you're doing dark arts. You know why, because you could generate an explosion and kill your neighbor right there, whether you wanted it or not. That could occur, Or that you're going to break the whole glass case of chemicals that would cost five thousand or ten thousand dollars, So that's not.
Good solid advice. Safety first. Unsafe behavior is dark arts, so texting while driving dark arts, those weird kids who do parkour on top of skyscrapers, Dark arts, room temperature, mayonnaise, dark arts. Safety first. Katie Shabas wants to know what type of elixer will help us live longer and healthier.
Well, elixir of life that you can be Nicholas Flamel to six hundred something. If we have the Sorcerer's Stone, that would be pretty good. But while we don't have that yet, I say, drink some green tea. Okay, still pretty good, antioxygen content, some EGCG in. That's all good. Actually analyzed it myself.
You are a wizard. But if you're like, hey, Pops, what's EGCG, I'm about to spill that piping hot green tea. So it's epicallo catachkin galatee, which is a polyphenal compound that some studies show has potential to reduce inflammation and possibly prevent cancer. Needs a bunch more research also, Rebecca, at this point whispered something alluding to a process involving tea and gold. But I had to cut it because
that chemistry might be proprietary. Don't worry, Rebecca, I didn't fully grasp it and would not begin to know how to steal it now. Next question was also asked by first time question asker Don Ewald, Carrie Weber, Sydney Brown, crystal, mendoza, Anacomerkelbock, and Jessica Beard wants to know if you could perform only one spell, what would it be?
One spell?
Wow?
Sorry, I is it's a hard question. Yeah, if it's just only one spell, it's definitely not the killing curse. You know, anything like that though, should not even exist. And I suppose I still try to go with expectel patronum. You know, I would say, you know, on a very sad day, or maybe if I think that there are de mentors around or other people around that I don't want,
I will try to protect myself. If not expected patronum, I would go with I suppose protago because protago you protect basically you protect from any who knows what would happen, right, It could be earthquake, could be you know, something following. So I could use one thing to protect to ones. I think I would do that, you know, but I don't. Hopefully I never need to use that. Hopefully you won't exactly right.
This next question was also asked by Rasali Contreres, Sonya karp A Slaine, and KEM grad student Jessica Beard, and she also asked Jessica Beard as so, what moment in your research felt most like magic?
Actually, most of the first Eureka moments. But that's one thing gets back to what I think about research is said, no matter how you know, you like your field, you really like what you're doing. Is that you know, think about that the moment that you're doing the experiment, adding this and that and see that color change. For example that I do different kind of research, but for example, that is the case. You know, for that one single second in the whole world, you might be the only
person who knew about that fact. And I think that's the Eureka moment. And you can recreate it again again as you do experiments and you go in the lab, you like, no matter how am minute, and people think, oh, well, your discovery is not as significant, but you know at that moment is you're the first, the only person at that moment to be able to see that. And that's one thing I really to know the truth of that
reaction or this system or whatnot. It's amazing. I think that to me, it's not just one, it could be many of that moment, but you really just that little Eureka moment that you're like wow, and then you think about it, that specific moment in the lab that you found that that's way before you making these beautiful figures published in a journal and getting news articles written about it.
You know, maybe waybe way before that. Just at that instantaneously like wow, I'm the only one who knew about this. At that moment, it's kind of really neat. I wish I could go back in the lab to do more work. These days, I cannot because I run the lab and I teach and do other things. But those are the moments I think what scientists will always cherish. Now I cherish it vicariously, just like last night sending email to Channing's like, Channing, how did the experiment go? Did it work?
I'm just going Channing is the ologite who told me about Rebecca. So Channing, thanks for hooking it up. I are you one high five from your chant.
That's really if you think about it, that moment's pretty unique. No matter other people think, oh, it's just my notes. It's not like you need you found a cancer, you know solution right now, But at that moment, you're the only one in that world who knew this fact, this truth. After all, science is about truth finding, right, Yeah, So.
What a special, surreal moment.
Yes, absolutely, it's I don't want to exaggerated or people think it's overrated or whatnot. But I think at that moment when you plan so much into that experiment hoping to see that because experiments are all not just oh, let's put some stuff together and I'm sure some reactions going to occur and whatnot. The same goals for spells. I'm sure put effort into generating these spells, and we we really you know, carefully plan it and have lots
of hypothesis in your own mind what will happen? And then when you see one happen, oh wow, that is the truth, okay, out of the all the other options. So that's the answer. Because a lot of times you go into an experiment you would think it could work this way, it could also this this, and what will happen is amazing just the process of it.
Side note, I wondered what the etymology of Eureka was, and Eureka I've found it is from the Greek eric skine to find so in case you need a new way to say, I can't herriskine my keys, what is wrong with my brain? Where are they? Why? Why? Why I'm late? Eureka, They're in the fridge seratary wants to know. Are the sparks that come out of a wizard's wand noble gases They wouldn't spark if they were noble, right.
Or no, you are right exactly they are not. I mean I think they're most likely maybe hydrogen No. No, noble gases you know, like argon and neon. No. But could that be argone neon? Well, you think about neon signs and all the others under some conditions, it could be. Right, you think about krypton, neon, xenon and xenon lambs and things like that. Under some conditions it could be. So therefore, I think she's onto something, but you should think about it.
But it could also just be fireworks, you know, maybe one s box off different colors, because fireworks are all depending on what chemicals is in there. Like if you have lots of sodium, you're going to get a yellow firework for sure. So all the fireworks of different colors all depends on different elements.
Yep, sealibratory sky explosions all about chemistry. So the next time you're at a stadium or at someone's very expensive yacht wedding or hoping that your neighbors. Don't burn your city down on the fourth of July. Just think. Hey, that red one is the metal salt strontium carbonate. Look blue copper chloride? Oh yellow? Hey, what's up sodium nitrate?
I see you and I see you. Also, thanks to the sponsors of the show who make it possible for us to donate to a cause each week of the Ologists choosing Doctor Rebecca Lite shows PBS dot org, which is funded about fifty percent by individual contributions like this, and now a few words about sponsors of the show who make that possible. Okay, back to your Patreon questions.
This next one comes from Ashra Kolhatkar. What allows some spells to continue to have an effect after the spellcaster dies, like Madame Moody's protective spells over a grim old place after his death? Will others stop working immediately after the spellcaster dies? So why do you think some spells continue to have an effect versus others not? What do you think?
That's very interesting questions? But I think it depends on the strength of that spell too. I think there are some spells that will have that ability and will not. I think, I know, I'm not really giving an answer here, or maybe not an answer that's what you would like to hear, or not a great answer. But I think that there are categories of spells as well, and there are definitely some spells that have to have time frame. Some of the spells will not even will will stand
on its own as well. I don't think it even needs to be honest, I do not think that spells such as you know stupified will will last forever.
Okay, side note, Cliff note, The stupefy spell from the Harry Potter books stuns an opponent, and Rebecca works it into the Magic for Muggles course by teaching the science of stun guns. Okay, So, stun guns require contact with a foe, but taser guns shoot out coyly wired darts kind of like a chameleon tongue, and the electro shock they administer can be up to fifty thousand volts, which in a stun gun that can cause enough pain to
just temporarily incapacitate someone. A taser, though, that can hijack the electricity system that neurons use to communicate and then make muscle spasm and leave an opponent floored. Not dead, but floored. On floor.
You see, even the spellcaster is still alive. I don't think you stupidfire you stun a person, the person will come back to life. You don't need to use renovate to uh, you know, revive the person. I think the person could come back as a function of time. So you see, there are spells that actually got limits of
a number of hours that the effect could be. So therefore there are, of course the ones that are have much longer lifetime, and there are some that will end with the you know, with the spellcaster being you know gone. So I think even amound the spells itself, depending on what type of spells, they are not forever. If you think about if it's forever like Tergio scourgeify to you just use it once and it's already clean and got
dirty again, do I have to reuse it? Or I already just did that spell two minutes ago, and someone just through some soil on this whatever. So it just depends on the specific spell and how how the wizard who developed that spell wants it it to be. I think so that makes sense.
It's intention. Sartary and Kirana Brookstrum both asked about finding antidotes to poisons, and apparently it's not as easy as just waving a stick. It's something because that's a complex question.
It's a very complex question. No. Actually, the fact is that with chemistry in biology antidote, it's really about understanding you ingested that chemical, whether it is cyanide or some scoppowamine or mental goal amine which is from mendrake. These are these, you know, alkaloids, compounds that are poisonous. You need to know what that what poison you ingested or you were forced to be in jest, so what you what you what you took, and understanding how that poison
will interact with your body. So you find an anatole against that. And there are multiple poisons, There are multiple
poisonous compounds that could have the same effects. So maybe one antidote can go against them, as long as you need to know the biological pathway of that law of what that compound, that specific molecule is affecting which part of your body and which you know down to very very specific and so therefore sometimes there are classes of antidotes that could go against a few different types of poisons.
OOO, So some antidotes work as an anticoagulant if the poison or the venom is bunching up blood cells. Now, anti venom can be injected antibodies that have been collected from animals who have been exposed to the venom, and an EpiPen is a shot of epidephrine which can counteract anahalactic shock. Also fun fact, poisons are eaten and venom
is injected. I feel like this was in a previous episode, but just in case you forgot so, there are no poisonous spiders unless you eat them, and even then your stomach will likely break down the poisons. Now in case anyone ever points to your spider friend and accuses it of being poisonous. Rebecca Hall wants to know what's the weirdest Harry Potter potion's ingredient that you're like, whoa, this could not be all real thing, but it is a
real thing, any crazy potion ingredients? And he like, what is this?
I need to find a unicorn's horn or something first, right, because the unicorns component. There are definitely potions with unicorn components, and I think I have to I think that's a little bit hard to find. I want to find one first, really, and I want a real one, not those, not the ones that people presume they're unicorns. They're actually narvelves. They're taking that horn from the novels, really, and one should
not be doing that either. It is because of the fact that just like people should not be taking ivory from elephins, I don't think people should be just taking that from the novels either. So if they could find a real unicorn, I would be interested in that.
Maybe we'll find a fossil one across the rainbow somewhere. Ps Narwhals are called the unicorns of the sea, and their tusks are just one big, long tooth that's grown through their lip, and they use it to communicate with each other about the water they've been in, just what's going on in their life, who got divorced. And the name Narwal derives from Old Norse for corpse because of their blotchy grayskin looked like a floating dead sailor. So
always just embrace those mutations, you magical unicorns. Also, all those in favor of a future Narwal episode say corpse tusk, all right, duly noted, we'll do.
There are the other things, such as a mortensia. I know people like that one because as the you know, that's a love potion, but you need to get some ashwind er ax. I don't think I can find that, so it's a little serpent. It's a magical surpent. I don't I cannot find that. But you see within the love potions full common ingredients rose thorns, peppermint, and powdered moonstone.
Actually have some moonstone in my draw I showed my students moonstone as well, So those are okay, but there are some yeah, I just I think they'll find the unicorn for me. I might just ask them to do something for me, okay, some magic.
This next question was asked by gen Anathos and ungq one and it's very romantic. Another listener want to know is there anything close to life? Is there anything in life that's really close to love potion other than just like Margarita's or something a love potions.
Yes, I think if you look at it, it's more talk about in the animal world. In that case, it is because you can think about like pheromones, right, pheromones really attracting. You know, you think about a lot of you know the queen bee, will you know secrets? You know different you know, different type of compounds. Pheromones are just compounds, right molecules. And you can also think about even the moths. If you think about silkworm moths, basically
a mom mixed maurie. They are a little they cannot fly anymore, you think about they can off fly, They just move around. How can they find to reproduce right via pheromones? The sense of it, they could just sense that the right person's right there, okay, the right moth is over there. Basically you can use that. Pheromones are important. I think if one could concentrate that and make some extract maybe could could.
Be used time.
It works every time. Other than that, I really no. Actually there's a joke to you. You know, forget forget a mortensia using love potion. Why don't you just make beautifying potions because they're for the others too, well, you know, I mean that's also not a bad thing. I think, you know, make everyone a little harder exactly, that's never go amiss. A little bit, you know, a little bit beautification. It's a good thing.
Okay.
So yeah, you have not one this well and.
No fashion background coming into's get a little bit of style.
Got to do that you know it just it's part of life.
So for more on the science of grooming, you can see the Cosmetology episode, and for more on the psychology of beautification see the two part colology episode, which debunks the need to pluck every hair from your body and or hate yourself into looking perfect for others. Now, speaking of myth busting, any flim flam that you would want to debunk about chemistry, any myths about chemistry that you want people to get over.
I think to think that chemistry first, you think that chemistry is really hard, or maybe I cannot do it. No, I think if you like it enough a lot to do is the passion you need to like it. You like it enough, you'll be able to do it. I think that's one thing. Another thing is that chemistry is only useful in this and that. But actually everything that you use from food science I cover so much involves chemistry. You can do a lot of things with a chemistry degree.
There are a lot of you know, career options and there. And we talk about perfume, right, people would not necessarily associated with chemistry. But actually doctor Chong and myself my friend last semester we actually taught a skincare chemistry class. It's also a Yeah, there's also one credit on this course. We talked about, you know, antioxidants, talk about sunscreen. We talk about a lot of things they do. A lot of chemis are involved in formulation and making sure the
product is good and feel smooth. It's about the advocacy the fact that it should work and work well, but it's also about should feel nice on your skin. So there's actually a lot of science involved in just making one cosmetic product. So I think that one could think about chemistry in many different ways. And I'm just I'm just using this example perfumes and cosmetic chemistry. If you're interested in food science and food chemistry, right, we all like most people, Okay, I like food and I talk
about it a lot because I do. So I'm just speaking from from my own perspective that there's just lots to study.
Right.
If you are botanists, you want to you like to be like Navel Bottom to be you know, herbologists, right, I mean you study We just talk about you trees, talk about taxl we talk about holly trees, we talk about people could do that type to study you want If you're a naturalists. You like to find out about nature, understand nature. You can study trees and look at what kind of compounds and chemicals you can get from trees, and that will these compounds be able to help human
to improve human life. I think at the end, doing chemistry, doing science, I think, in my humble opinion, is to really improve human life. And I think there are many ways of doing it. You know, making perfume mixed, people smell nicer is good. You know, beautification is good. But you know, of course it's also very important, very good to do biomedical research and understanding the effects of these compounds on cancer cells and different type of cancer cells.
These are just a few examples of what one could do if one has an undergraduate degree in chemistry. Of course, if you want to go into specialization, to go into graduate school, you can choose different topics as long as again, it's about passion, right If you look at ultimately why Jqrowlan can create a world like this because she's passionate about it. Without passion, she cannot. I mean, I'm sorry, very few people would be able to do that. You have to sustain a career at that level, you know,
So that's all you have to like it. You have to wake up and want to do it.
And I think, ah ah, how inspiring is that having stomach flutters for your job? Ps Even that is chemical. I just googled it and apparently having peptic lepidoptera butterflies in the stomach is because when we're excited, we think we're going to have to fight someone, so our blood gets rerouted to our muscles, even if we're just happy. And the butterflies are because of a lack of blood
flow to your food sack. So mention that on your next first date if you need an icebreaker, and instantly weed out decent people who are not into those disgusting fun facts. And the last questions I already ask everyone, what is the suckiest thing about your job? What is the hardest thing about your job? Or about chemistry? What is something that you're like even though I love you chemistry? Is this gets your goat?
I wouldn't say in terms of chemistry. I would say the toughest job about being a professor in our one school or like a PhD level school. It's the ultimately is the amount of work you have to work a lot. The fact is it's really tough to be good at everything. The trilogy of academia is research, than teaching, than education, and outreach, and each of them will require a lot of time if you want to do good at it right,
If you want to do a great job right. Research involves doing I do biosensor research, and I have graduate students, I have to train, I have to obtain funding. You have to do a lot of writing and all the others. It's a lot of work. And then teaching, you know, it's also very important because I look at it teaching and mentoring. Ultimately, what I really like about this job the most. I know you asked me what I dislike, but I would like to you know, by when getting free,
I'll give you what I like the most. Is that's the next question exactly? Oh sorry, preview, I should stop. Okay, So what I thought? You asked me what I like first? U should It's like you want the bad news versus no.
I always end on it. I always make you say the worst thing and then I end on a high note.
Okay, So the hard part is really about, you know, the amount of time that in order to be very good at research, very good at teaching, and very good. And you know, education outreach you have to put a lot of time in there, and I'm doing I'm trying my best. You know, I do research and and I teach and I also currently am the Nebraska me Education Outreach Director and Jocelyn is the assistant director. That's why we're partners in crime, Hi, Jocelyn, And so to do that,
I really enjoyed it. But of course, you know, every part of the work in order to do a great job, it's a lot of time involved and you have to prioritize things. So I think that part is it's hard work.
Yeah, yeah, so a lot of hours.
A lot of hours exactly, I think hard work. I think that's I would say most people in academia would agree it's a lot of it's hard work. But if you like it, that gets your next party.
Yeah, yeah, what do you love the most about what you're doing? I can't even I don't even know how you're going to answer this, because what you do is so awesome, so cool.
I like too too many things. I think I'm probably people like to say would think that about me. I like, but ultimately, yes, I do like a lot of things. But ultimately I think I like the most. It is
really about teaching and mentoring students. Those two are actually together in some sense, right, you know, you think about my research group with my graduate students, my undergraduate students or visiting professors in my research group doing research, and how I you know, teach them, mentor them provide them with opportunities to do different things so as for them to advance in their career in the future. So I
really enjoyed that part of it. But also my classes, like great, you know class that I'm going in half an hour, and because you can also it's also very satisfying to see that before the students starting your class versus after you know how much they learned. Just seeing them learning, I think that is a very rewarding part.
And you can see that from even though within one semester of teaching them, or like with Channing, it's already go to five years I've been with her, right Channing this year you just talked about and so you can see that it's actually both are equally important and very to me. It's very satisfying. And also even for the students you know that I teach in the class only you know, maybe with them for one semester or whether it's a class I'm currently teaching or the Harry Potter class.
You know, if later on I could see their future and some of them I still keep in contact, and then I could see them doing great things in life, it's amazing. You know. It's just you know, not trying to say that I had, you know, that much impact on them. Maybe even if it's just a small little part, it's still I think it's still a very good thing. So and that's what I continue I would like to
continue to do that. To be a good teacher, to be a good mentor, I think, and I think it's an important thing because I think being a good teacher, a good mentor and be able to communicate well. And I think it's not only for this profession, right, it is probably very important for nearly most many different professions.
Right, whether you're an author, absolutely absolutely teacher, I think so.
I think so even if I'm not a professor, I work in the industry or another place, you still have to teach people, right, You still want your mentor people because at some point you go hire, you're going to have new people that's hired into your company. You know, how do you guide them? How do you help them so that they will continue to do great things?
Right?
So I think that's it's a skill set that it would be nice if we all have that, right.
Right, Okay? I had to ask one more question, and if you could tell JK Rowling anything, what would you tell her if you could send her a message?
Ah?
This I thought about, but.
Ah, there's so many things. I suppose I would just say that J. Qrowling, you're awesome in this, yeah, all right, in invisible exactly. I think that I will physically show her that she will have her own J. K. Rowling's diary, not just Tom Riddle's diary. It will not be stabbed by, you know, by the basilist tooth. It will be fine. It's not a hot crux with a basilisk.
Fine.
So I would say thank you. Actually, I really would say. I think thank you because because because of what she has done basically so inspiring for me to be able to develop this class. And usually when I gave my talk, I always end with thanking her to give me all these inspirations. So to me, I think two words, just
thank you. I think it's great. I mean, of course I would like to meet her and hope that there are other things, but if it's just a very short meeting, I would just like to thank her for what she what you you know, what she has done and continue to do, inspiring me and so many other people. Well for her to have done, you know, I'm sure she's
also gone through hardship and all the others. But to be able to persevere, I think that's very as very powerful, and I think a lot of us could always learn from that.
Thank you so much for doing this. I think you just made a bunch of people who didn't realize they were chemists and a chemist you may have just it's birthed some new chemistry efficionados.
Why not exactly? You can do all sorts lots of things with it, and just being an experimentalist going into a lab thinking about, oh, this is what I think it would happen. Let's see if I do this together, will I'd be able really to get this reaction. It's an amazing feeling when you get it. When you get it right and it worked the way that you expected, it's very good. But remember you learn a lot when you did not get it right either. I told my students,
there are just no bad results. If your experiments were not well planned, then that's bad. You go into the lab without knowing what you're supposed to do. But if you have planned it and the results were not as what you expected, then you want to learn from it to see, well, what could what could this be? Did I do something wrong? Or is that really how this reaction go If it is really how this reaction goes, well I may never get to the next step. So how am I going to circumvent that? What am I
going to do to solve this problem? People say that, okay, chemists they mix solutions literally as solutions, like that coffee is a solution. No, we mix solutions. We find solutions that solutions that may not be able to be you know, placed inside the cup. So I really do see that. I think that if people have that type of mindset, you know, curiosity, it's always driven by curiosity, curiosity, creativity, hard work, perseverance. If you have all those are throwing
a good number. Five time management, because we all have finite amount of twenty four. If you have a time turner, you might have twenty five, but other than that you get that amount of time. How are you going to
yieldiize it. I think with this combinations, I would I think lots of people will become fantastic scientists, not just chemists just Wie range Well, I mean, chemistry is great, but no, no, But if they're interested in pursuing other fields of science, I think it's also amazing, right with the ultimate goal of trying to improve human life and improve this world.
So curiosity, creativity, hard work, perseverance, and if you can throw in number five, time management. So keep asking smart people, goofy, stupid and poignant questions, because that is how they learned everything they know. And we're all going to die anyway, you might as well ask questions. Now. For more on the University of Nebraska Lincoln's chem department, you can follow them on Twitter and Instagram at UNL Chemistry. Ologies is
also on both of those platforms. At Ologies. I'm on there too, at ali Ward with one l Ologies Merch is at ologiesmerch dot com. We now have stickers. We have shirts that say hey on the front and for buy on the back. There are hats totes back to school merch. It's all on there. Thank you. Shannon Felders and Bonnie Dutch. They host the comedy podcast You Are That, which is amazing. They helped manage all my merch too. Thank you to Hannah Lippo and Aaron Talbert for admitting
the ologies podcast Facebook group full of nice People. Thank you to assistant editor and domestic cheerleader Jared Sleeper, who hosts the mental health podcast My Good Bad Brain for assistant editing. And everyone's mustachioed patronis Stephen Ray Morris, host of the podcast See Jurassic, Write About Dino's and the per cast About Cats for helping stitch this all together
each week. And if you like Dino's and Stephen Ray Morris side note, he will be live this weekend September twenty first and September twenty second at the LA Natural History Museum's Dino Fest, so you can go see him there live. Give him a t Rex high five. Nick Thorburn wrote and performed the theme song. And if you stick around to the end of the episode, you know I tell you a secret, and this week's is that I recently bought a bunch of wash glass and started
using a fresh one in the shower each day. And I get it. I get it. What a luxury. What an ext foliant. It feels like a spa day every day. What a gross thought all of the dead powdery skin I've been carting around for just years? Wow? So wash glass, where have you been all my life? Thank you for coming into my linen closet and my shower with me. You are appreciated. Okay. We will be back next week with Phonology, which is a study of the seasonal change.
We're going to talk a lot about fall leaves. Ooh, birds migrate egg. That is a precious episode and I cannot wait for you to hear it. And then the week after that starts Spookdober. I'll be in Austin this week doing a few interviews there that we'll be airing and Spook Jober. I can't I'm it's I can't act.
Ah.
Okay, all right, byebye Pacadermatology, biology, hydo zoology, lithology and technology, meteorology, theology, technology, seriologymology.
As a Dumbledore, we need your help magical emergency.
Oh boy, let's go.
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