Biofilms are everywhere: your teeth, your kitchen sponge, and even medical implants. Scientists are uncovering how these highly organized microbial communities protect bacteria from antibiotics and the immune system, and how understanding their hidden lives could help us fight some of the scariest infections, particularly those that disproportionately impact people with cystic fibrosis.

Learn more about CALM here.

Check out Wow If True 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.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore the fascinating history of embalming, from ancient mummies to arsenic-laced funeral practices (that weren’t all that long ago!). Then we chat about cadaver dissection, the importance of Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical drawings, and whether virtual reality could someday replace anatomy labs. Plus, what's the real story behind those creepy iron cages found above burial plots in old cemeteries?

Learn more about CALM here.

We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to [email protected] 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.

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.

Single-celled marine organisms called foraminifera may be microscopic, but they've had a massive impact on life on Earth. They also leave behind intricate shells that have become part of a fossil record stretching back more than 500 million years. Today, they're one of the most powerful tools scientists have for reconstructing Earth's past climates, helping us put the current (alarming) state of our warming planet into context.

Learn more about CALM here.

Check out Pale Blue pod 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.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we discuss new blood tests and research into blood biomarkers that could make diagnosing endometriosis faster and less invasive. Next, we unpack subsynchronous resonance, a phenomenon that can damage power infrastructure, and is gaining new attention with so many AI data centers being built across the country. Then we hear from guest Emily Schneider who shares some delicious (maybe? You be the judge!) new research where scientists have engineered yeast to convert plastic waste and agricultural leftovers into cookies.

We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to [email protected] 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.

Scientists spent decades searching for viruses by filtering out anything too large to be one. That strategy seemed to work well... until it didn't. When researchers discovered a microbe living inside an amoeba that looked like a bacterium but behaved like something else entirely, they uncovered a hidden world of giant viruses with massive genomes, unusual genes, and even their own viral parasites. In this episode, we dive into the discoveries that forced scientists to rethink what viruses are, how they evolve, and whether the rules historically used to define them still hold up.

Check out Dreaming Against the Machine 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.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore how scientists are using evolutionary methods to reconstruct the history of folktales like Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, and Jack and the Beanstalk. Then guest Matt Gabriele, professor of medieval studies and host of the podcast American Medieval, shares his fascination with Greenland sharks, leading us into the science of radiocarbon dating, longevity genetics, and the ongoing debate over whether these elusive deep-sea predators truly live for 400 years or more.

We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to [email protected] 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.

Before modern blood transfusions, doctors tried some odd alternatives, including cow's milk. In this episode, we trace the fascinating history of blood transfusions, from risky animal experiments and failed milk injections to the discovery of blood types and disease screening. You'll hear how blood transfusions became one of medicine's safest procedures, why researchers are still debating exactly when patients need them, and what innovations could make blood easier to store, transport, and use in emergency situations including the military battlefield.

Check out Dreaming Against the Machine 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.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we dive into the surprisingly elaborate world of occlupanids: the humble plastic bread bag clips that have inspired an entire taxonomy complete with Latin names, species classifications, and a community of collectors. Then, we investigate a strange power outage in central Texas, where power poles caught fire after a light drizzle. We unpack the science behind pole-top fires, the "Goldilocks" weather conditions that fuel them, and the surprising technologies being used to inspect and maintain power grids across the world. 

We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to [email protected] *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.

A sugar pill shouldn't work as well as a real drug ... except sometimes it does. In this episode, we explore the fascinating science of the placebo effect and how expectations can shape biological outcomes. From open-label placebos and AI healthcare chatbots to the nocebo effect, we unpack what scientists know, what they still don't understand, and why the placebo response is still largely mysterious. 

Check out Spirits 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.

In this episode of Tiny Matters, a listener who works in a pathology lab explains how even the ickiest specimens become ho-hum with time, sending Sam and Deboki down a rabbit hole of pathology history and the bizarre life of Rudolf Virchow, the “father of pathology” who was also rumored to have brought worm-filled sausages to a duel. Then, a listener's sourdough experiments spark a conversation about yeast and how these microscopic organisms are the chemists behind tasty bread, beer, wine, and more.

We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to [email protected] *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.