Skip to main content

Up Next

What Do Electrolytes Actually Do?

What Do Electrolytes Actually Do?

Season 4 Episode 11
2:26
How Is Whiskey Made?

How Is Whiskey Made?

Season 4 Episode 12
4:01
The Leidenfrost Effect

The Leidenfrost Effect

Season 4 Episode 13
4:01
Chemistry Life Hacks: Food Edition

Chemistry Life Hacks: Food Edition

Season 4 Episode 15
4:55
How Do Anti-Wrinkle Creams Work?

How Do Anti-Wrinkle Creams Work?

Season 4 Episode 16
4:33
Why is Olive Oil Awesome?

Why is Olive Oil Awesome?

Season 4 Episode 17
4:34
Why is the Statue of Liberty Green?

Why is the Statue of Liberty Green?

Season 4 Episode 18
3:45
Dragon's Blood Could Save Your Life

Dragon's Blood Could Save Your Life

Season 4 Episode 19
3:58
Frying Your Way to Better Chicken

Frying Your Way to Better Chicken

Season 4 Episode 20
4:55
7 Wine Facts & Myths

7 Wine Facts & Myths

Season 4 Episode 21
7:36
Back to Show
Reactions

How Do Worms Turn Garbage into Compost?

Season 4 Episode 10

How is it that these detritivores – literally dirt eaters – turn what humans find inedible into beloved compost? After the biology and physics of swallowing and “chewing”, like us it’s all chemistry for digestion. But earthworms have an extra enzyme that allows them to munch through cellulose, the ultimate fiber of that makes tree bark a non-starter in human diets.

Support Provided By
Season
Is There a Quick Fix for Ocean Acidification?
13:12
Let’s dive into the science behind ocean alkalinization!
I Reinvented a 300-Year Old Drink
16:56
Discover why curdled milk is the key to the best cocktail you’ll ever taste.
We Are Made of Star Stuff
10:13
Scientists are finding the building blocks of carbon ring structures… out in space!
Does Toyota Know Something That We Don’t?
12:00
George becomes a pyromaniac to figure out if ammonia is the fuel of the future.
The Antibiotic Resistance War
13:06
Why Alex is terrified of antibiotic resistance, and what chemists are doing about it
Are Vanadium Flow Batteries Worth the Hype?
9:01
Are liquid, virtually fireproof, recyclable batteries the future of grid-scale storage?
An Antidote for Deadly Mushrooms?
11:39
Join George as he hunts for an antidote to deadly mushrooms.
Why You Can't Recycle Your Pants (Until Now)
12:15
George tests a newly discovered technique that could solve a recycling problem.
How is Ceviche "Cooked?"
11:46
How does lime juice turn raw fish into delicious ceviche? We explain with biochemistry!
Burning Forever Chemicals With Water
10:31
Forever Chemicals last… forever. Can a new technology finally send them to their doom?
The Bioconcrete Revolution (maybe)
8:21
Reducing the carbon footprint of concrete and cement by relying on biology.
Why are Mosquitos So Obsessed with Me?
9:13
Mosquitos really do prefer some people over others, and this Reactions ep explains why!
Active loading indicator