Up Next
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?
Support Provided By
11:50
With the right cleaning methods, we can turn the dirtiest water into safe cleaning water.
9:12
Counterintuitively, you do it with explosives.
12:10
We’re gonna dive into the controversial chemistry of water's unusual properties.
10:03
Plot twist: Toxic Anhydrous ammonia is responsible for 50% of the food on your table.
7:29
This is a deeper dive into how complicated and climate based hibernation is.
10:50
There is so much more to these “negatively charged particles” than we've thought.
8:31
Making pop rocks at home is so much harder but so much fun. Check it out!
6:31
How did something meant to keep you safe end up killing over 100 people?
5:39
We try to find some of the 700 trillion dollars worth of gold in the ocean.