Tiny Matters

Episodes

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  Next week: 'The Drugs That Shape Us,' from Chain Reaction 30.10.2026 1m

  We'll be publishing a 4-episode miniseries from our sister podcast Chain Reaction over the course of the next 4 weeks! Where Tiny Matters episode span all the scientific fields, Chain Reaction has more of a chemistry focus — but it’s also packed with fascinating history and societal relevance that we know will appeal to our listeners. So we wanted to bring over a recent miniseries about the drugs that have shaped humanity.You’ve likely relied on a drug at one point or another, whether it be a prescribed medication or something over the counter. So this miniseries explores the history, impact, and future of major drug classes. The first episode is on including antibiotics, followed by birth control, then antidepressants including SSRI and we bring it all home with the very trendy highly impactful, and GLP-1s. You’ll hear from experts about the scientific breakthroughs behind these medicines and the ongoing research that could shape the next generation of drugs. Be sure to tune in! You can get all of Chain Reaction's episodes wherever you listen to podcasts and at acs.org/chainreaction See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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  Secrets in the peat: Ghost lights, bog bodies, and life built on death 28.10.2026 35m

  For centuries, ghostly lights floating over bogs have appeared in folklore. Known by names including will-o'-the-wisp, corpse candles, and ‘Lantern Jack,’ they’ve inspired stories of supernatural tricksters leading travelers astray, sometimes to their doom. But in 2024, scientists finally uncovered the chemistry behind the phenomenon. From there, we travel deep into the strange world of bogs. These waterlogged landscapes help cool the planet and have preserved ancient artifacts — including human bodies — for thousands of years, helping teach us about what life was like many millennia ago, but also providing insight into some of the diseases that plague humanity today, including Alzheimer's.Related episodes you may enjoy: Biofilms: The sticky, slimy communities behind some of medicine's toughest infectionsForaminifera: The one-celled predators that shaped our planet (and kept the receipts) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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  [BONUS] The ‘Tyrant Lizard Queen’ and how evolution shaped our anxious brains: Tiny Show and Tell Us #58 21.10.2026 32m

  We explore the evolutionary root of anxiety and learn about our favorite lizard queen: T. rex.
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  The canaries in the coal mine: How sentinel species monitor our world 14.10.2026 31m

  Scientists rely on certain organisms, referred to as sentinels, to reveal hidden environmental threats.
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  [BONUS] Decoding dinosaur colors and the failure of postpartum care: Tiny Show and Tell Us #57 07.10.2026 19m

  We cover how scientists know the colors of some dinosaurs and why maternal mortality rates in wealthy countries like the U.S. and Canada have risen.
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  How do you save a species?: Breakthroughs from cheetahs, red wolves, and 'spicy' toads 30.09.2026 41m

  Extinction requires far more than protecting habitat alone.
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  [BONUS] Milking spiders and why this scientist’s grave is covered in gifts: Tiny Show and Tell Us #56 23.09.2026 32m

  In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we first discuss funnel-web spiders, who are among the most venomous spiders on Earth. Maybe somewhat paradoxically, their toxins are being studied to treat human disease and chronic pain. Then we talk with historian Claire Aubin about J. Willard Gibbs’ grave at Yale, where she’s a professor. Gibbs was a quiet scientific genius whose work transformed chemistry. He was also seemingly a very cool dude, and today his gravesite is decorated by students seeking good luck before exams. Check out This Guy Sucked wherever you get podcasts!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.
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  Biofilms: The sticky, slimy communities behind some of medicine's toughest infections 16.09.2026 37m

  From your teeth to your lungs, biofilms help bacteria hide and thrive.
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  [BONUS] ‘Drinking Grandma,’ digital cadavers and debunking a grave robbing myth: Tiny Show and Tell Us #55 09.09.2026 23m

  From arsenic-filled embalming fluid to VR anatomy labs, we discuss how we’ve preserved and learned from the dead over millennia.
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  The Shroud of Turin: American Medieval x Tiny Matters crossover episode 03.09.2026 1h 6m

  In this special bonus episode, we join American Medieval with host Matthew Gabriele, a professor of medieval studies and who knows about a LOT of history that we don’t. We're there to chat with Matt about some new science research surrounding the Turin Shroud — a cloth that many Christians believe was used to wrap Jesus after he was killed. The debates over this artifact are fascinating and the science only adds to it! So if you like science, history, and a little controversy, you’re going to love this episode. American Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, Professor Matthew Gabriele is joined by expert guests to explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves.Matthew Gabriele is a professor of Medieval History and an elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (UK). In addition to hosting the podcast "American Medieval," he’s the co-author of the books The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe (Harper Books, 2021), and Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers that Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe (Harper Books, 2024). His new book, Violence: A Christian History, will be out with WW Norton in late 2027/ early 2028.Learn more about CALM here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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  Foraminifera: The one-celled predators that shaped our planet (and kept the receipts) 02.09.2026 37m

  Single-celled marine organisms called foraminifera may be microscopic, but they've had an outsized impact on life on Earth.
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  [BONUS] Dangerously tiny frequencies, endometriosis tests, and cookies made from ... plastic?: Tiny Show and Tell Us #54 26.08.2026 25m

  Dangerous resonance on the power grid, blood tests for endometriosis on the horizon, and scientists converting plastic into cookies.
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  Giant viruses: How these amoeba-infecting behemoths are rewriting the rules of virology 19.08.2026 36m

  Giant viruses have upended how we think of these common pathogens.
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  [BONUS] Fairy tale evolution and the 400(ish) year old elusive Greenland shark: Tiny Show and Tell Us #53 12.08.2026 30m

  How scientists are using evolutionary methods to reconstruct the history of folktales and the debate over the age of the elusive Greenland shark.
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  From cow’s milk to blood banks: The surprising evolution of blood transfusions 05.08.2026 35m

  We trace the fascinating history of blood transfusions.
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  [BONUS] Bread clip taxonomy and power poles on fire: Tiny Show and Tell Us #52 29.07.2026 18m

  How humble plastic bread bag clips that have inspired an entire taxonomy and the perfect conditions for a power pole to go up in flames.
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  Placebo: Why ‘fake’ treatments can have real power 22.07.2026 37m

  A sugar pill shouldn't work as well as a real drug ... except sometimes it does.
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  [BONUS] A pathology lab, a sausage duel, and the fascinating lives of yeast: Tiny Show and Tell Us #51 15.07.2026 23m

  A pathology lab worker shares their experience and we unpack the importance of yeast in the foods we love.
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  Fireworks over millennia: From battlefields and royal displays to sustainable spectacles 08.07.2026 30m

  In medieval Europe, people who worked with early cannons and gunpowder were viewed as untrustworthy, boorish outsiders. But just a few centuries later, as they began creating elaborate fireworks displays for royalty, they went from outcasts to artists. From black powder to modern low-smoke pyrotechnics, in this episode of Tiny Matters we look at the chemistry, engineering, and artistry behind one of humanity's favorite forms of celebration. We also learn how scientists are reinventing pyrotechnics with cleaner-burning compounds that deliver brighter colors and fewer emissions. And check out this video from our friends at Headline Science to get a behind the scenes tour of the Science History Institute’s new exhibit: Flash! Bang! Boom! A History of Fireworks.Check out Simple and Clean here or wherever you listen to podcasts!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.
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  [BONUS] The ‘elite neutralizers’ immune to HIV and why galaxies ‘FART’: Tiny Show and Tell Us #50 01.07.2026 16m

  We’re covering galactic gas outflows and antibodies that could neutralize almost any strain of HIV.