Tiny Matters

In December 2017, the FDA approved a new injectable drug to treat type 2 diabetes called semaglutide, which you likely know by its brand name: Ozempic. A few years later, during the pandemic, Wegovy, a drug with a higher dose of the same active ingredient, was approved specifically for chronic weight management. Soon after, people taking Ozempic started reporting a dramatic, even “life-changing” weight loss. Ozempic is now a bona fide blockbuster. So what's the science behind these “wonder drugs” that apparently 1 in 10 of us could end up using? They have the potential to have so many positive effects on our lives, from treating Alzheimer's disease and addiction to changing our relationship with consumption but, like with most things, they also come with risks.Send us your science facts, news, or other stories for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode. And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter!Links to the Tiny Show and Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we hear from a listener who has Marfan syndrome and dive into the complexities of the disease. Then we talk about pathogens that eat — or infiltrate! — plant DNA.We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured.A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Over the last 200 years or so, vaccines have come a long way, for a number of viruses. We've made so much progress, in fact, that in 2017 scientists began the early stages of vaccine development for some virus families they believed could pose a future pandemic threat. One of those families was Coronaviridae: coronaviruses. Not many people know that before SARS-CoV-2 started making its way into people in 2019, there was already a project underway in the U.S. to create a vaccine for a looming coronavirus (we didn't!), but even that would not have been possible without the decades of vaccine and drug research that came before it, particularly for HIV. Send us your science facts, news, or other stories for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode. And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter!Link to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we break down what limits on anesthesia could mean, both for doctors and patients. Then we hear from a listener who's on a research trip in Puerto Rico and went kayaking in a bioluminescent bay. What is bioluminescence? And what are the perfect conditions to try to see it?We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured.A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.Check out this Journey to the Microcosmos video, "The Algae That Saved an Astronaut's Life"See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The placenta is essential for life, but so much of its function is unknown. In this episode, we talk about how this disposable organ's development within the early weeks of pregnancy shapes so much of what happens months later. We tackle what makes the human placenta so unique, what other animals like reptiles are teaching us about it, and how scientists are turning to evolution and computer models to see if we can better understand it.Check out the IVF episode of Tiny Matters.Send us your science facts, news, or other stories for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode. And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter!Link to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we hear from a listener about her incredible grandma who's a pharmacist in Venezuela (still, at 92 years old!) and has inspired her love of science and current lab work. We then talk about orcas spotted wearing dead salmon as hats, and what this fishy behavior may mean. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured.A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The reason many of us hear about glaciers has to do with sea level rise — which makes sense! If all of the glaciers on Earth melted, sea levels are predicted to increase by about 230 feet (70 meters), which would flood coastal areas, envelope a number of islands, and seriously impact human infrastructure, including our current water resources. But glaciers do more than safeguard Earth's future — buried within them is our ancient past. In January of this year, a team of scientists drilled nearly 2 miles down into an Antarctic glacier. The 1.7 mile long cylinder of ice they pulled up, called an ice core, holds the equivalent of 1.2 million years of climate history. In this episode of Tiny Matters, we talk about what glaciers mean to us today, their importance for the future of our planet, and what they tell us about Earth's ancient past.Send us your science facts, news, or other stories for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode. And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter!Link to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we discuss the differences between e-cigarettes (vapes) and far-less-studied dry herb vaporizers. Then we talk about some of the incredible evolutionary adaptations of populations of people living at high altitudes. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured.A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the 1700s and early 1800s scientists from Europe and the Americas were studying what they called "race science," a pseudoscientific field of study promoting the idea that humans could be divided into separate and unequal races. Biases stemming from race science have influenced medicine for hundreds of years, and still have deadly consequences today. In this episode of Tiny Matters, we tackle some of these consequences, where they get their roots, and what people like our guest — physician and science communicator Joel Bervell — are doing to raise awareness and incite change.Send us your science facts, news, or other stories for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode. And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter!Link to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we discuss if a crocheted wasp nest could actually attract wasps and keep them from invading your property. Then we talk about how sewage is impacting the resilience of coral reefs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the 1970s, the rape kit began as a simple box with some envelopes, a comb, nail clippers, and a few other basic tools. The contents of the kit have evolved somewhat since then, but the technology to analyze samples has evolved astronomically. And, through and through, the rape kit has stood for the idea that every survivor has the right to go to a hospital, get a full forensic exam, and have their evidence taken seriously. On today's episode, we talk about how the rape kit became a reality and the woman who championed the rape kit into the tool it is today. We also discuss what the future of the rape kit could look like, how the rape kit backlog has grown of control in some states, and what activists are doing about it.Send us your science facts, news, or other stories for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode. And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter!Link to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover the science of rainbows and why double rainbows are always mirror images. Then we talk about mysterious, yet super common, chromosomes called Robertsonian chromosomes that seem to have a significant impact on human health.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency in clotting factors in the blood, which can cause permanent damage to joints and, in some cases, life threatening bleeding, both externally and internally. Today, people with hemophilia can live generally long, healthy lives, but in previous generations, the future wasn't so bright. In fact, less than a century ago the life expectancy for someone with hemophilia hovered around just 10 years. It doesn't receive much attention, and when it does, what you hear might not be all that accurate. In today's episode, we cover the history of hemophilia and the science behind treatments over the decades, including the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on hemophilia patients. We'll also clear up several misconceptions, including one that seems to show up a lot in popular culture: that hemophilia is a "royal disease.” Send us your science facts, news, or other stories for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode. And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter!Link to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover the incredible world of fungus farming ants and how it really needs to be a Pixar movie. Then we talk about what makes fresh squeezed juice taste so much better than the mass produced processed juices you pick up in the grocery store. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured.A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the summer of 2011, paleontologist and science writer Riley Black was on a mission. Walking through the Montana desert, she was on the lookout for a Tyrannosaurus rex. But that day, she wasn't having any luck. Sitting atop a rock, she pulled out a geological hammer, sometimes called a rock pick, to dislodge a little piece and try to discern its composition. What she saw was a leaf, but upon closer inspection realized it was in fact the fossil of a leaf. As it turned out, finding it likely provided so much more information than if she had come across the dinosaur. In this episode of Tiny Matters, we explore the complex and essential relationship between plants and animals across evolution and some of the pivotal moments that allowed humans to exist and that led to the world we live in today. Send us your science facts, news, or other stories for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode. And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter!Link to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we consider if bacteriophages could become our biggest allies in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Then we cover the historical role of "night soil men" and how some sewage treatment systems today are setting the standard for sustainable management of human excrement while also making sure we don't get sick. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured.A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.

In 1893, Belgian paleontologist Louis Dollo suggested that evolution can't go backwards in the exact same way that it proceeded. This became known as “Dollo's Law,” and came under a lot of scrutiny. But, more recently, Dollo's Law was co-opted into the idea that traits, once they gain a certain amount of complexity, can't return to a simpler state. In this episode of Tiny Matters, we explore two exciting examples where scientists have found that not to be the case. Send us your science facts, news, or other stories for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode. And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter!Link to the Tiny Show & Tell story is here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover a species of armadillo that, as it turns out, is actually four species. Then we discuss what researchers know about if pregnant people have a better sense of smell.We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured.A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.

The 1940s were a pivotal time for the world. In the United States, as men went to fight in World War II, women became essential additions to the US workforce. And when the war ended, many of those women wanted to continue working. But having more children than they wanted or could care for was a huge barrier to making that a reality. When the oral birth control pill became available in 1960, it was a massive deal because it gave women control over when and if they wanted to have children. Today the pill is widely accepted, comes in a number of formulations, and is considered so safe that now you can buy it over the counter. But setting the groundwork for what we have available today took time, and experimentation. The history of the pill was also shaped by racism in an era where discrimination was not just state-sanctioned, but backed by many scientific institutions. In this episode of Tiny Matters, we cover the science and development of the oral birth control pill and, importantly, the lack of ethics in its testing, particularly in the trials that began in Puerto Rico in 1955.Send us your science facts, news, or other stories for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus episode. And, while you're at it, subscribe to our newsletter!Links to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

We're always on the lookout for Tiny Show and Tell Us submissions and we thought, why not provide a little incentive? The first 40 listeners within the United States who send us their science facts or some cool news they've come across or even a fun science story from their childhood will be sent a Tiny Matters coffee mug with our original logo! You can submit at this link or email tinymatters@acs.org. Ready, set, go!

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover an aurora-like phenomenon — STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) — and how citizen science led to its discovery and unforgettable name. Then we talk about convergent evolution in tenrecs, a fascinating family of animals endemic to Madagascar. Some look identical to hedgehogs, some are similar to opossums, and others look like moles. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *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!A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.

On April 26, 1986, the Soviet Union's Chornobyl Power Complex nuclear reactor 4 exploded, releasing a massive amount of highly radioactive material. People living near the power plant were forced to evacuate, and the area was deemed uninhabitable. But today, many animals — some the descendants of pets left behind — have made this region their home. In this episode, we chat with researchers who have spent a lot of time in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone studying the animals that live there, trying to understand how constant low levels of radiation impact their health. What they're learning could inform plans to repopulate areas that suffered past nuclear disasters, including Fukushima, and help with the development of methods that protect astronauts from radioactivity in space. To support the care of the dogs at the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone: https://clean-futures-fund.myshopify.com/products/dogs-of-chernobyl-sticker-series-7-dog-collectionSend us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus 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. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

Happy 2025! Join us as we reflect back on 2024 and share exciting episode topics and podcast plans for 2025.Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus 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.All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover a study where a researcher stepped on 116 snakes over 40,000 times for science (don't worry, the ‘steps' were more like touches, no snakes were harmed in the process). Then we get into why a pollen allergy might trigger an allergy to some of your favorite fruits.We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *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!A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.

Dominique Jean Larrey lived quite a life. He was born in 1766, and at the age of 13, had to walk from his home in a French village to study in the city of Toulouse. That journey was 70 miles, and yes, he walked it. That would be important much later in his life, when he found himself walking through the bitter cold in Russia as the Chief Surgeon of Napoleon's army. During that time, Napoleon's troops had to contend with the reality of Russian cold and temperatures that got as low as -37 degrees Celsius, which is about -35 Fahrenheit.Larrey attributed his ability to withstand the cold to his walking. But many of the soldiers around him wound up with frostbite, and to treat them, Larrey suggested slowly rewarming the affected area and rubbing it with snow. Frostbite treatment has been on quite the journey since then, and it was just earlier this year that the FDA approved the first drug to treat frostbite in the US, which is exciting news for the doctors who see cases of frostbite and for patients who are often left with the horrific reality of amputation. Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus 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 story are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover exciting new 'living robots' called xenobots — made from frog cells with the help of a supercomputer — and what they might be used for down the road. Then we challenge how much "junk" really makes up "junk DNA" and discuss the regulatory sequences and other things our DNA codes for that aren't functional proteins. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *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!A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.

On Tiny Matters we just weren't giving enough love to plants, but we're dedicated to fixing that! In this week's episode, we chat with Matt Candeias, the host of the podcast In Defense of Plants. We tackle a subject that we had definitely oversimplified in our minds: pollination. From stinky corpse flowers to pitfall traps to faux fermentation, the way plants have evolved so many strategies to reproduce is beyond fascinating. We can't wait to take you all on this pollination ride!Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus 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 story are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover why your body feels so ‘off' at high altitudes and how we've evolved not to detect low oxygen levels but high amounts of carbon dioxide. Then we unpack the confusing world of molecule chirality — what it is, why it matters, and how we evolved to only have ‘left-handed' amino acids but ‘right-handed' DNA and RNA.We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *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!A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.

How often do you think about your teeth? In this episode of Tiny Matters, we talk about how the atoms trapped within teeth can reveal what an animal ate and where it lived, and how studying teeth has helped ecologists reconstruct prehistoric food webs of megatooth sharks and retrace the steps of woolly mammoths across the Arctic. And hopefully, we'll give you a few new reasons to appreciate your own pearly whites. Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus 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 story are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore the science behind a very catchy headline about a drug that makes mice look more youthful and increases their life expectancies. Then we shift gears to talk about a predatory unicellular organism with a swan-like neck that rapidly extends a great distance to capture prey. Researchers used origami to understand the mechanics behind this anatomical feat. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *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!A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.

Halloween is right around the corner, so what better way to celebrate than a deep dive into the ‘science' of ghost sightings? We touch on a bit of the psychology behind these experiences and then break down the equipment people use when searching for proof that spirits float among us, and how power lines and rats in walls muddy the specter detection waters. Then we switch to something a little more corporeal, but no less weird: cyborgs. Biohybrid robots hold a lot of potential, but their ethical use, especially when human tissues are involved, need to be carefully considered. Send us your science stories/factoids/news for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us bonus 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 story are here and here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore the unexpected ways algae (and the things that kill them) influence cloud formation. We also chat about the massive galaxy walls in our universe, including the South Pole Wall and the Sloan Great Wall, both of which are around 1.5 billion light-years long. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *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!A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.

On January 27, 1958, newspaper editor Olga Huckins sat down to write an angry letter to a friend. Olga and her husband owned a private two-acre bird sanctuary, and the previous summer the government had sprayed the pesticide DDT all over that two acres to control the mosquitos. She saw wildlife, particularly birds, getting sick and dying. The friend Olga sent the letter to was none other than Rachel Carson, who would go on to write the book Silent Spring, exposing the dangers of synthetic pesticides, including DDT, and helping push forward the modern environmental movement and the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency.Today on the show we're going to talk about the history of pesticides and their deployment, and how researchers are working to develop more effective, safer pesticides. We will also take a fascinating dive into the coevolution of plants and pests, specifically insects, and what we're learning about the effectiveness of pesticides based on hundreds of millions of years of plant and insect evolution. 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.Link to the Tiny Show & Tell story is here. You can find BirdCast here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about the Ampullae of Lorenzini that allow sharks to detect the electrochemical signals coming from prey. We also cover the fascinating science behind cyanide-filled clovers. Did you know cyanide is actually a very popular poison in the plant kingdom? We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *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!A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.

E-cigarettes, commonly referred to as “vapes,” were invented in the early 2000s with the explicit goal of helping people quit smoking by transitioning them to something safer.  But there are many people, particularly in the United States, who start vaping without ever having smoked a cigarette, leading to fears that vaping will be an on-ramp to smoking — a “gateway drug.” In fact, in the U.S. alone, nearly half a million middle school students vape. And in 2019, the CDC started receiving reports of severe and acute lung injury in people who vaped. By February of 2020, almost 3,000 people had been hospitalized and 68 people had died. We know that smoking is deadly (in fact, it's estimated to take about 10 years off your life), but of course vaping isn't risk free. In this episode of Tiny Matters, we'll dive into the science behind both to answer, “What's more dangerous, smoking or vaping?” “And does vaping actually help people quit smoking cigarettes?” We'll also get to the bottom of why so many people got sick or died from vaping back in 2019 and 2020, yet we haven't seen injuries like that since. 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.Link to the Tiny Show & Tell story is here. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we break down the complicated science of tides and why some places have massive tidal swings while others do not. We also cover the role of ancient viral DNA in our genomes, and how it seems to be making us less susceptible to cancer treatments like chemotherapy.We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *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!Here's the tides video George mentioned. The rest of the references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.

Around 8 million years ago, an underwater volcano just to the east of Madagascar formed the island of Mauritius. Pigeons on nearby islands set flight and settled on that island. There they continued to evolve, and the dodo bird eventually emerged as its own species: Raphus cucullatus. And tiny Mauritius, with an area of just 720 square miles, was the only place in the entire world where the dodo lived. And it lived a good life, among bats and tortoises and other birds, safe from the predators its ancestors left back on land millions of years before. But in 1598, when sailors from the Netherlands arrived, the dodo's luck ran out.On today's Tiny Matters we dive into the history of the bird that everyone loves to make fun of: the dodo. And we're going to explore some of the work investigating why this bird went extinct and what it was like when it was alive. Then we'll shift gears and talk about what some people worry will cause a massive extinction in the future — one that might include us: supervolcanoes. These are volcanoes capable of eruptions thousands of times larger than the volcanic eruptions we are most familiar with today. The recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland or the deadly Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980 pale in comparison. These are volcanoes bigger than anything we've experienced as human beings in our recorded history. So are we ready if one comes our way?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. Check out the Headline Science video series here.  All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover work scientists have done to understand what's going on in dog brains and how attached to us they really are. We also discuss a polymer called hemoglycin that hitches a ride on literal tons of space dust and may have played a big role in how life on Earth got started.We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *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!

*A disclaimer that there will be discussions of self harm in this episode* In 2003, Chris Nowinski found himself in a WWE wrestling ring, concussed and not remembering where he was or how he was supposed to finish the match. This would be a pivotal moment not just in his life but for an entire field of research on a neurodegenerative disease long known to exist but poorly defined and even censored: chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE. There's evidence that people knew about CTE — which went by names like “punch drunk” — starting in the 1920s, but it wasn't until the 2000s, when American football players began being diagnosed with CTE post-mortem, that the disease started gaining public traction. Many of those football players, including Andre Waters, had died by suicide. Chris, now a behavioral neuroscientist and the co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, pushed to get the brains of Waters and other athletes tested, and began spreading awareness and putting pressure on organizations like the NFL to acknowledge the devastation this disease can bring to athletes and their families.Today on the show we will cover what's known about CTE and how to prevent it, and how researchers are trying to find ways of diagnosing it in people who are still alive and working to find treatments.Here are some good CTE resources:https://concussionfoundation.org/CTE-resources/support https://www.bu.edu/cte/resources/resources-for-families/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. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available here.

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 tinymatters@acs.org *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 tinymatters@acs.org *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/tinymattersnewsletterLinks to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

Send us a Text Message.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 tinymatters@acs.org *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!

Send us a Text Message.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/tinymattersnewsletterLinks to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

Send us a Text Message.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 purchase '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 tinymatters@acs.org *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!

Send us a Text Message.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 tinymatters@acs.org for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us episode!Subscribe to our newsletter at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletterLinks to the Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. Pick up a Tiny Matters mug here! All Tiny Matters transcripts are available here.

Send us a Text Message.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!

Send us a Text Message.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. Want your Tiny Show and Tell featured? Email tinymatters@acs.org 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 every 'Tiny Show and Tell Us' episode, Deboki and Sam will read your emails out loud and then go a bit deeper into the tiny science of it all. 

Send us a Text Message.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 tinymatters@acs.org 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.

Send us a Text Message.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 tinymatters@acs.org 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.