What is silicone?

Could a cheaper, more environmentally friendly refrigerant already exist, and could corporate lobbying be helping keep it out of American air conditioners? Why did the chemicals once hailed as safe alternatives become environmental villains, and are their replacements actually mu ...  Show more

What happens when a chemist ventures onto Reddit to answer the internet’s most pressing science questions? Why does carbon get its own entire branch of chemistry, what makes fireworks burn different colors, and can an invention work even when its inventor has no idea why? Melissa ...  Show more

Years ago, Teflon was all the rage. Now, the chemical originally used to make it has been banned. Is nonstick silicone cookware really safer or just another time bomb waiting to explode?Read the transcript.Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows.Subscribe to the newsletter f ...  Show more

What's the smallest piece of matter? Is there one? 

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Send us Fan MailWelcome to the Beauty Brains, a show where real scientists answer your beauty questions and give you an insider’s look at the beauty product industry. Hosts: Valerie George and Perry Romanowski On today’s episode we’re going to be answering your beauty questions a ...  Show more

We encounter sticky surfaces and sticky substances everyday, but what exactly IS “stickiness?” In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the physical properties of stickiness and look at some very sticky examples from the natural world. See omnystudio.com ...  Show more