Skip to main content
Back to Show
Reactions

Why Do Hot Peppers Cause Pain?

Season 2 Episode 55

Reactions is taking a look into spicy science. That's right--the chemistry of capsaicin and why hot peppers cause pain. You have probably had the burning sensation of eating a hot jalapeno or other tear-inducing pepper. What causes this painful fire in your mouth? The short answer is capsaicin. But what exactly is capsaicin? How does it work? Why do people drink milk and not water?

Only Available with Passport Starting
Support Provided By
Season
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!
The End of Haber Bosch
13:50
Discover the single most important chemical reaction on Earth, and why we need to kill it.
What is Amorphous Ice?
9:38
This week Reactions dives into something truly out-of-this-world: amorphous ice.
Lab-grown, Plant-based, Real – What Is The Chemistry Of Meat
15:51
Are we about to re-define meat? If so, what is meat?!
Active loading indicator