We have some bittersweet news: Orbitals is coming to a close. BUT there’s a new science podcast headed your way in 2022! It’s called Tiny Matters, and it's a show about things small in size but big in impact. Every other Wednesday, hosts Sam Jones and Deboki Chakravarti uncover the little stuff that makes the big stuff possible, answering questions like, “how does our brain form memories?” and “why haven’t we terraformed Mars yet?" The first full episode drops on Wednesday, January 26, 2022. Che...
Dec 30, 2021•5 min
If there’s one flavor you can always count on, it’s vanilla. Sweet, creamy, and nostalgic, it comes from a creeping orchid vine. But with increased demand, scientists are finding new ways to make it, including starting from an unexpected plant…rice! Solutions is made with funding and featuring scientists from 3M, Ascend Performance Materials, Baker Hughes, BASF, Dow, DuPont, Procter & Gamble, PPG, Royal DSM, SABIC, Solvay, and W. L. Gore & Associates, none of whom influenced any editoria...
Dec 29, 2021•12 min
Think the science behind sponges must be boring? You’re so, so wrong. Shrink down to the microscopic level with us and take a walk among sponges designed to keep bacteria alive, clean with just water, and literally cut through your holiday cleaning. Solutions is made with funding and featuring scientists from 3M, Ascend Performance Materials, Baker Hughes, BASF, Dow, DuPont, Procter & Gamble, PPG, Royal DSM, SABIC, Solvay, and W. L. Gore & Associates, none of whom influenced any editoria...
Dec 02, 2021•15 min
Bacteria often get a bad rap, which is fair—they are responsible for diseases like strep throat, pneumonia, and tuberculosis, and antibiotic resistance is a legitimate threat to humanity's existence. But some bacteria might actually save lives by cleaning up things like massive oil spills and radioactive waste. Featuring Dr. Cara Santelli.
Nov 11, 2021•15 min
Polymer membranes make everything from rain jackets to medical devices. But they’re also integral parts of hydrogen fuel cells, powering cars that give off nothing but water vapor. How do fuel cells work, and why aren’t you driving one yet? Solutions is made with funding and featuring scientists from 3M, Ascend Performance Materials, Baker Hughes, BASF, Dow, DuPont, Procter & Gamble, PPG, Royal DSM, SABIC, Solvay, and W. L. Gore & Associates, none of whom influenced any editorial decisio...
Oct 28, 2021•16 min
When you hear the word “molasses” you probably imagine super slow-moving, brown-colored sweet stuff that you add to a cookie recipe. And that is what molasses usually looks like, but under certain conditions and in large enough quantities, molasses can be dangerous. Just over a century ago, the North End of Boston learned just *how* dangerous. Featuring Alex Dainis, PhD and Nicole Sharp, PhD
Oct 14, 2021•13 min
5G is coming… but can your phone handle it? Surprisingly, a lot of that comes down to the chemistry inside! Let’s crack open your phone to figure out how chemistry is making it smaller, faster, and a little more sticky! Solutions is made with funding and featuring scientists from 3M, Ascend Performance Materials, Baker Hughes, BASF, Dow, DuPont, Procter & Gamble, PPG, Royal DSM, SABIC, Solvay, and W. L. Gore & Associates, none of whom influenced any editorial decisions.
Sep 30, 2021•14 min
Sweat is this thing that many of us seem to loathe, but also pay a lot of money to do while being yelled at by professionals. So what is sweat? And why do we do it? And why are we often so embarrassed by it? This episode features writer Sarah Everts, who recently wrote a book called The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration.
Sep 16, 2021•17 min
A team of researchers making workout gear that never stinks realized that their invention could actually have a bigger impact fighting a global pandemic. It all starts with a high-performance fabric found in your closet and a common mineral in your breakfast cereal. Solutions is made with funding and featuring scientists from 3M, Ascend Performance Materials, Baker Hughes, BASF, Dow, DuPont, Procter & Gamble, PPG, Royal DSM, SABIC, Solvay, and W. L. Gore & Associates, none of whom influe...
Aug 26, 2021•14 min
In 2020, researchers discovered that more than 1,000 tons of plastic—that’s over 100 million plastic water bottles worth—rains down on National Parks and wilderness in the western U.S. every year. How is that possible? This week's episode features microplastics researcher Imari Walker. Check out her YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoiqwAaGW6-xANs3XOCO_Pg
Aug 12, 2021•16 min
Many of us slather sunscreen on in the summer to keep sunburns at bay. But new materials can improve sunscreens without adding more of the sticky, greasy compounds we all hate. The surprising origin of those new ingredients? Wood! Solutions is made with funding and featuring scientists from 3M, Ascend Performance Materials, Baker Hughes, BASF, Dow, DuPont, Procter & Gamble, PPG, Royal DSM, SABIC, Solvay, and W. L. Gore & Associates, none of whom influenced any editorial decisions....
Jul 29, 2021•16 min
Sam Kean's latest book, The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science , dropped earlier this week. It’s about when knowledge becomes everything—the only thing. At whatever the cost. You'll hear about what made Sam want to write the book, and about a couple of the characters within its pages. You can find the book here: https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/sam-kean/the-icepick-surgeon/9781549102929/...
Jul 15, 2021•18 min
How do you keep moths from munching on apples? By confusing them with a field full of mating pheromones brewed in a lab. The same fermentation strategy can also make enzymes to help chickens digest their feed and keep their farmyards a little less… sticky. Today we’ll talk about the biochemistry that helps food make it from the field to your fridge without getting eaten first! Solutions is made with funding and featuring scientists from 3M, Ascend Performance Materials, Baker Hughes, BASF, Dow, ...
Jun 25, 2021•15 min
A lot has happened in the last year (understatement of the millennium), so we wanted to bring our listeners something a bit sillier than usual. In this episode we’re talking food and drink chemistry—just fun bits of trivia that you can take with you as you venture back out to bars and restaurants this summer. Sam's joined by Orbitals executive producer George Zaidan (as promised in the episode, you can see his hot pepper struggle here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R98O29Fs7s ) Featuring Matt...
Jun 11, 2021•20 min
Vaccines help our immune system to learn to recognize invading pathogens before we ever get infected. But some vaccines include molecules that act like an extra alarm system, alerting our immune cells to pay attention! These molecules are called adjuvants, and scientists are working on creating new ones that could help create vaccines against pandemics that haven’t even happened yet! Solutions is made with funding and featuring scientists from 3M, Ascend Performance Materials, Baker Hughes, BASF...
May 27, 2021•18 min
Over half a million people in the US have died from an opioid overdose over the last 20 years, and a lot of the time they were prescribed those opioids by a doctor. So what makes these drugs so dangerous? And if we know they can be this dangerous, why are they still prescribed? This month’s episode is about opioids—their history, their use, and the research that might help us emerge from this epidemic. Featuring opioid researcher Kelly Dunn, PhD
May 13, 2021•15 min
In this episode of Solutions, we’re going to travel from mangrove coasts to outer space, to the middle of Nebraska, and even to Norway to answer the question of how microscopic algae could help save our oceans from overfishing by making literal tonnes of omega-3 fatty acids. Solutions is made with funding and featuring scientists from 3M, Ascend Performance Materials, Baker Hughes, BASF, Dow, DuPont, Procter & Gamble, PPG, Royal DSM, SABIC, Solvay, and W. L. Gore & Associates, none of wh...
Apr 29, 2021•16 min
April 22nd is Earth Day, so this month’s episode is all about our warming planet--what the data are telling us about our planet's future, how scientists are working to find solutions to deal with it, and how you the listener can actually make a difference.
Apr 19, 2021•18 min
We humans are pretty smart, but sometimes our best solutions to big problems are inspired by nature! We’re talking to scientists about how deep-sea diatoms can inspire more efficient solar panels and how tiny marine plants can lead to boats that float on air… literally. Solutions is made with funding and featuring scientists from 3M, Ascend Performance Materials, Baker Hughes, BASF, Dow, DuPont, Procter & Gamble, PPG, Royal DSM, SABIC, Solvay, and W. L. Gore & Associates, none of whom in...
Mar 24, 2021•19 min
In today’s episode, we’re talking about life. What it is, how it started here on Earth, and how we’re trying to find it in other parts of the universe. Featuring NASA astrobiologist Dr. Jason Dworkin and MIT astrophysicist Dr. Sara Seager.
Mar 11, 2021•15 min
Natural extracts are in everything from food to medicine to beauty products. But how do we know which molecules from the natural world have benefits? And how can we verify that the ingredients advertised on the outside of the bottle are actually what’s on the inside? We’ll talk with three scientists who answer those questions with an unlikely case study: shampoo. Solutions is made with funding and featuring scientists from 3M, Ascend Performance Materials, Baker Hughes, BASF, Dow, DuPont, Procte...
Feb 26, 2021•18 min
Dr. Steven Townsend is a professor of Organic Chemistry at Vanderbilt University, studying the chemistry of breast milk—what makes it so good for babies, and why that’s so hard to replicate in infant formula. Dr. Townsend’s interest in the field came from a personal experience he had almost a decade ago, walking around New York City with his pregnant wife and seeing inequalities in who was being marketed what information.
Feb 11, 2021•11 min
Welcome to the first episode of Solutions, an Orbitals spin-off podcast for 2021! We need to move people and stuff around the globe, but the options we have to do that aren’t great for our planet, and we’re the ones who are going to feel those effects. We’re talking with experts who are trying to make transportation more sustainable with innovative solutions like temperature reducing paint and new materials to make cars lighter. Solutions is hosted by Alex Dainis, PhD, produced by Mike Rugnetta ...
Jan 28, 2021•19 min
Introducing Solutions , a fun new Orbitals spin-off podcast hosted by Dr. Alex Dainis. Every month of 2021, we'll be releasing an episode that will give you a front row seat to chemists in industry today—the work they do and how it can solve problems in our lives. We’ve teamed up with chemical companies from around the world to talk about everything from airplane paint inspired by eggplants to new drug delivery systems that can deposit medication only where it’s needed. Can't wait for you to lis...
Jan 25, 2021•1 min
In the first half of the 20th century, there were very few environmental laws in the United States. Then, in 1962, environmentalist Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, opening the eyes of many Americans to the environmental destruction and detrimental impacts on human health caused by unchecked toxic chemical use and industrial waste. One of those chemicals was the highly effective synthetic insecticide DDT. 8 years later, the Environmental Protection Agency was created....
Dec 21, 2020•19 min
As of November 16, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused over 1.3 million deaths globally, more than 246,000 of which have been in the United States. Although this country has done very little to control the spread of this virus, there are people out there working tirelessly to get us back on track by developing and improving materials that protect us from the novel coronavirus.
Nov 17, 2020•12 min
The only thing that's standing between life and lifelessness is about six feet of loose soil material covering the Earth. In this episode of Orbitals , soil biogeochemist and political ecologist Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe breaks down why soil is a key controller of our climate and essential for our existence.
Sep 30, 2020•13 min
Imagine buying mascara that makes you go blind, or picking up hair removal cream that causes your teeth to fall out. Before 1938 products like these were all over the place. Legally. The American Chamber of Horrors was a traveling exhibit, created by the FDA, that exposed these atrocities, and it helped push forward a law that changed consumer protection in the United States forever. Want to see some of the products in the American Chamber of Horrors? https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/histories-prod...
Aug 26, 2020•16 min
Antiviral drugs could help us fight the new coronavirus, but we don’t currently have a highly potent and effective antiviral that cures COVID-19. Why not? We called a few virologists to find out.
Jul 22, 2020•8 min
The COVID-19 pandemic has scientists considering a few less-conventional options while vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are being developed. One option might be the oral polio vaccine. We chatted with one of the researchers proposing the idea—Dr. Robert Gallo—to understand why a vaccine that hasn’t been used in the US for two decades might provide short-term protection against this coronavirus.
Jul 08, 2020•6 min
