Distillations

Episode 35: Things We Wear

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:01:04 +0000

This week we discuss the chemistry behind what we wear. Many modern fabrics include synthetic materials , and these synthetics would not be possible without chemistry. In the Element of the Week, we learn about aluminum’s role in creating Lurex, a brand of metallic thread. Then producer Jean Parker takes us to India and visits a tannery in Bombay to tell us more about one of the oldest fabrics known to man—leather. Finally, we explore the world of pantyhose in Chemistry in your Cupboard as CHF’s Erin McLeary describes new chemically enhanced pantyhose. Also please join us as we wish our host, Robert Hicks, a fond farewell. You can now find him as director of the Mutter Museum and Historical Medical Library at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Element of the Week: Aluminum.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:31 Introduction
01:00 Element of the Week: Aluminum
03:20 Leather Tanning in India
08:18 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Pantyhose
11:02 Robert’s Farewell
11:20 Quote: Mark Twain
11:33 Closing Credits

Resources and References

For more about Lurex, visit the company web site.
Curious about the history of metallic threads? Check out this blog posting, at Needle’nThread.com.
For an article about high-tech pantyhose look at this one from Business 2.0.

Credits

A special thanks to Erin McLeary and Jennifer Dionisio for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. Additional music is “Addicted to Lies,” by Frank A. LoCicero, “Back to Bach,” by Saharadja, and “Zimbobvilla,” by Podcast Troubadour.

This week’s image, “tights,” is from flickr. It was uploaded by How can I recycle this.

Episode 34: Criminal Chemistry

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:01:30 +0000

We’re rather fond of chemistry here at Distillations, but even we have to admit that not everyone who’s interested in chemistry is inspired purely by a love of science. On today’s show we explore the uses of chemistry on either side of the law: as a poison, as a set of skills to create illegal substances, and as a tool for forensics. We chat with Jay Aronson, the author of Genetic Witness: Science, Law, and Controversy in the Making of DNA Profiling, about how the development of DNA fingerprinting technologies has changed both criminal investigations and the relationship between science and the law. CHF’s Jennifer Dionisio reviews the new AMC television series Breaking Bad, in which a chemistry teacher moonlights as a meth dealer. Element of the Week: Arsenic.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:31 Introduction
01:08 Element of the Week: Arsenic
03:12 A Conversation with Jay Aronson
07:34 Review: Breaking Bad
10:58 Quote: Emma Goldman
11:09 Closing Credits

Resources and References

For background on arsenic, see the entry on the WebElements Periodic Table.
Find out more about the history of poisoning in this helpful overview of forensic chemistry.
We can’t vouch for its accuracy, but check out this list of victims of arsenic poisonings at Wikipedia.
Check out Jay Aronson’s book, Genetic Witness: Science, Law, and Controversy in the Making of DNA Profiling on Amazon.com.
Trailers, previews, downloads, and more are available at the Breaking Bad Web site.

Credits

A special thanks to Jennifer Dionisio for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. Additional music is “It’s Your Theme Song,” by Podcast Troubadour, “Under Investigation,” by Eric Dietrich, and “Blurp,” by Al Philipp and the Woo Team.

The photo is a publicity shot from AMC.

Episode 33: Molecular Gastronomy

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:01:27 +0000

The term molecular gastronomy can sound pretentious, but food writer Harold McGee describes it as “the science of deliciousness.” Learn more about the science of food (and deliciousness) in this week’s episode. First we take precautions by discussing Pepto-Bismol, in the event that an experiment in the kitchen goes wrong. Next we find out how to cook the perfect hard-boiled egg—and why it works that way. Finally join CHF’s Chi Chan and Jen Dionisio as they work with a recipe for chocolate mousse that requires only two ingredients—chocolate and water. (The photos shown here depict their experiment.) Element of the Week: Bismuth.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:30 Introduction
01:14 Element of the Week: Bismuth
03:39 Mystery Solved! The Perfect Egg
06:28 Chemistry in the Kitchen: Making Mousse Without Dairy
11:04 Quote: Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
11:19 Closing Credits

Resources and References

For more on how to cook the perfect egg, an article about Hervé This in this February 2006 Discover article, Cooking for Eggheads.
If you’re intrigued by the concept of this week’s episode, check out the blog khymos.org, dedicated to molecular gastronomy and the science of cooking.
Also, check out Hervé This’s book, Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor on Amazon.com.

Credits

A special thanks to Chi Chan for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. Additional music is “Happy Piano,” by Podcast Troubadour, “Big Hairy Momma,” by Al Phlipp and the Woo Team, and “Rust and Bones,” by Tom Caderet.

The photos this week were taken while Jen and Chi made chocolate mousse in the kitchen at CHF.

Episode 32: Religious Experience

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:04:32 +0000

There’s an old stereotype that portrays science and religion as inevitably mired in conflict. On today’s show we look past the clichés—evolution and Galileo and all that—for some areas where the two have something constructive to say to each other. We start off with early philosophers’ attempts to understand the soul as an element. Next, we chat with Jackie Duffin, a historian and hematologist at the University of Toronto, who inadvertently found herself making a case for sainthood for Marie-Marguerite d’Youville (pictured). Partially because of Duffin’s testimony, d’Youville was recognized as the first Canadian saint in 1990. Duffin’s experience with the Vatican inspired her new book, Medical Miracles: Doctors, Saints, and Healing in the Modern World, which will be published by Oxford University Press this October. We wrap up the show with a look at the chemistry of zombies. Element of the Week: Pneuma.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:32 Introduction
01:01 Element of the Week: Pneuma
03:00 A Conversation with Jackie Duffin
07:55 Mystery Solved! Zombies
10:42 Quote: Albert Einstein
11:02 Closing Credits

Resources and References

For background on pneuma, we relied on William Newman’s Promethean Ambitions: Alchemy and the Quest to Perfect Nature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004).
Mary Roach tells the story of the weight of the soul in her book on scientific studies of the afterlife, Spooked, and also in “A Soul’s Weight,” Lost Magazine (December 2005). [Note: we are having trouble linking to the article, but just Google the phrase “soul’s weight lost magazine.”]
You can learn more about the process of canonization and miracle verification at the Web site of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The information on voodoo powder came from William Booth, “Voodoo Science,” Science 240 (1988): 274–277.
You can find a chemical analysis of tetradotoxin here.
Today’s quote is from Albert Einstein’s 1941 book, Science, Philosophy, and Religion.

Credits

A special thanks to Robert Hicks for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. Additional music is “To Lose the War,” by Josh Woodward, “Burnt Sugar,” by Plasmabat, and “Funk in A,” by Pat Zalenka.

The portrait of Marie-Marguerite d’Youville is in the public domain, and was downloaded from the Vatican’s biography of the saint.

Episode 31: Motherhood

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 05:01:50 +0000

The scientific aspect of motherhood is not a common angle to consider. In this week’s episode, we explore the history of pregnancy tests. At one point South African clawed frogs were used to help a human determine if she was pregnant or not! Also, Janet Golden, an expert on fetal alcohol syndrome, joins us to talk about how ideas have changed regarding pregnant women and what they should and shouldn’t consume. And we learn about Marie Curie and her daughters—one a scientist, the other a writer. Element of the Week: Curium.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:32 Introduction
01:06 Element of the Week: Curium
03:43 A Conversation with Janet Golden
07:55 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Home Pregnancy Tests
11:07 Quote: Katharine Whitehorn
11:29 Closing Credits

Resources and References

For more on the history of pregnancy tests, read Rebecca Lipsitz’s article “Pregnancy Tests,” in Scientific American (November 2000). Find a preview here.
Learn more about Janet Golden’s research and other work at the Center for Children and Childhood Studies.
Read more about Marie Curie on the Nobel Prize Web site.

Credits

Special thanks to Erin McLeary for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. The music at the end of the Element of the Week is “Podcast Background Music Loop 6,” by Nick Murray. At the show ID, you’re hearing “A Song for Jake (Unplugged),” by DJOC. Under the quotation is “Edgar Meyer Winter,” by Shibboleth.

This week’s image is the cover of Janet Golden’s book, Message in a Bottle: The Making of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, available on amazon.com.

Episode 30: American Chemistry

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:01:28 +0000

Chemistry has been part of the American experience ever since the settlers at Jamestown built a lab for blowing glass and assaying metal (you can learn more on our Jamestown episode). Today we celebrate the 4th of July with a tribute to American scientific and technological achievements—and we’ve thrown in some fireworks, just for fun. We start with Glenn Seaborg (pictured) and the trans-uranium elements. Named for their position on the period table following uranium, the trans-uranium elements are all radioactive, with short-half lives, and all have their origins in the lab. Seaborg’s research group at the University of California discovered 10 of them. Next, we chat with Dale Keairns, the president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, about a century’s worth of engineering progress. Element of the Week: Americium.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:31 Introduction
00:57 Element of the Week: Americium
03:03 A Conversation with Dale Keairns
07:22 Mystery Solved! Fireworks
09:54 Quote: Vannevar Bush
10:25 Closing Credits

Resources and References

For background on americium: This reference page, from an online periodic table prepared by the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Chemistry Division.
For more on the Manhattan Project, including documentary histories by participants in the project, visit the Atomic Heritage Foundation.
The AIChE and CHF are preparing a special Web site dedicated to the AIChE centennial. Check for updates here.
Our information on fireworks was largley adapted from this helpful site prepared by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin.
Today’s quote is taken from the transmittal letter that accompanied Vannevar Bush’s famous 1945 memo, Science, The Endless Frontier. Thanks to the National Science Foundation, you can now read the entire document online.

Credits

A special thanks to Chi Chan for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. The music at the Element of the Week is “Meltdown Man,” by Derek K. Miller. At the show ID, you’re hearing “The Corner of Sacco and Vanzetti,” by Shibboleth. The show ends with “Blink and You’ll Miss ‘Em,” by DJOC.

The portrait of Glenn Seaborg is from the United States Atomic Energy Commission’s Division of Public Information, courtesy of the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

Episode 29: Left Behind

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:01:01 +0000

Matter can neither be created nor destroyed. So when you take your garbage out to the curb every week, do you ever stop to think about where it’s going? In this week’s episode, Jori Lewis explores how New York City is trying to make it easier for residents to recycle their electronic waste. Electronic devices like computers and televisions contain heavy metals that are toxic if they get into our water, soil, or air. It is important for these objects to get disposed of, or recycled, properly. We also take a look inside of CHF’s own new construction project to see how recycled materials of all kinds are finding their way into new building materials. We talk to Demir Hamami, whose company Renewed Materials creates architectural products using recycled (or un-recyclable) aluminum, which is used as a countertop surface in our new museum and conference center. Element of the Week: Cadmium.

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Show Clock

00:00     Opening Credits
00:31     Introduction
01:15     Element of the Week: Cadmium
03:25     Conversation with Demir Hamami
07:16     Recycling Electronics
11:23     Quote: Chinese proverb
11:32     Closing Credits

Resources and References

For more information about recycling batteries, check out BatteryUniversity.com.
To learn more about Renewed Materials and their product, Alkemi, visit their Web site.
If you want to know more about how you can recycle your electronics, the Environmental Protection Agency has the answers.

Credits

Special thanks to Jody Roberts for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music for the Element of the Week is “Turnstile,” by Eric Dietrich. After the interview the music is “Old Man Coyote,” by Ethan Martucci. The music following the feature is “East Side Bar,” by Josh Woodward.

The images this week were taken in CHF’s new conference center. The top image is a countertop made with aluminum scraps (from Renewed Materials), while the bottom image is of glass wall tiles which are made from recycled glass (from Oceanside Glass Tile).

Episode 28: Summer

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:01:07 +0000

Summer 2008 officially begins today, June 20, at 7:50 EDT (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). Here at Distillations, we’re celebrating with a show dedicated to poolside lounging. We’ve got the sunscreen and the chlorine—in fact, two different kinds of chlorine. Later in the show, CHF’ s own David Caruso explains how buoyancy allows some people to float and makes others sink. So lather up, stoke the grill, and enjoy the solstice. Element of the Week: Titanium.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:31 Introduction
00:58 Element of the Week: Titanium
02:57 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Chlorination
05:22 Mystery Solved! Why do we float?
07:42 Quote: Henry James
08:00 Closing Credits

Resources and References

For background on titanium: Web Elements Periodic Table.
For a good introduction to the issues surrounding nanoparticles in sunscreen: David Biello, “Do Nanoparticles and Sunscreen Mix?” Scientific American 20 August 2007.
You can find a good introduction to buoyancy, with brainteaser, at this site from the PBS television show NOVA.
Today’s quote was attributed to the novelist Henry James by his fellow novelist, Edith Wharton, in her memoir, A Backward Glance (1934).

Credits

A special thanks to David Caruso for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. The music at the Element of the Week is “Stickybee,” by Josh Woodward. At the show ID, you’re hearing “Coombargana,” by 34hZ. The show ends with “One Question at a Time,” by Van Davis.

This week’s image, “Summer Splash,” is from stock.xchng. It was uploaded by zuen.

Episode 27: Illumination

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:01:34 +0000

Illumination has been a quest of humans for centuries now—both in terms of the cerebral and the physical. In today’s episode we focus on the physical type of illumination. First we learn about light pollution and why sodium vapor lamps are used so abundantly today. Then producer Ann Dornfeld goes to Bioluminescent Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico, to explore how bioluminescence works. Finally we uncover the mystery behind glow-in-the-dark products like the green star stickers on ceilings or glowing wristwatch numbers. Element of the Week: Sodium.

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Show Clock

00:00     Opening Credits
00:32     Introduction
01:14     Element of the Week: Sodium
04:09     Chemistry of Bioluminescence
09:10     Mystery Solved: Glowing in the Dark
11:08     Quote: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
11:24     Closing Credits

Resources and References

For more information about light pollution, visit the International Dark-Sky Association.
To see some cool images from Vieques, Puerto Rico, visit Bioluminescent Bay.
On sodium vapor lamps: this helpful entry on Wikipedia.

Credits

Special thanks to Hilary Domush for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music for the Element of the Week is “Insomnia,” by Josh Woodward. After the feature the music is “Groovelt,” by Denis Kitchen. The music under the quotation is “The Number is Three,” by Matthew Hall.

This week’s image, “jellyfish 4,” was uploaded to stock.xchng by zenpixel.

Episode 26: Performance

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:01:04 +0000

Baseball, track, swimming, biking—is there any sport that hasn’t suffered a scandal in the past few years? It turns out that the obvious culprits—performance enhancing drugs—are just the tip of the iceberg for how chemistry can alter athletic competition. In today’s show we look at some of the chemistry going on both inside and outside athletes’ bodies. We talk with John Hoberman, a professor at the University of Texas, Austin, and the author of Testosterone Dreams: Rejuvenation, Aphrodisia, Doping, for some perspective on how steroids became part of the culture of sport. Later on, CHF’s Erin McLeary explains why you might want to invest in some Lycra if you want to set a world record in swimming. Element of the Week: Potassium.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:31 Introduction
01:10 Element of the Week: Potassium
02:56 A Conversation with John Hoberman
07:28 Chemistry in Your Cupboard
10:48 Quote: Damon Hill
11:00 Closing Credits

Resources and References

For background on potassium: Web Elements Periodic Table.
For the history of Lycra: DuPont’s Online Archives (click on Lycra).
For more information on the history of spandex: Marc Reisch, “What’s That Stuff?” C&EN 77 (15 Feb 1999), p. 70.
We learned about spandex and biking from the ASSOS company’s Web page.
Online articles abound for the new swimsuit that’s been accused of “technological doping.” Just Google “LZR suits.”

Credits

This show was researched by Erin McLeary.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. The music at the Element of the Week is “Let’s Get High,” by Disciples of Panic Earth. At the show ID, you’re hearing “That’s No Dream,” by Derek K. Miller. The show ends with “Shalom Aleichem,” by Jeremy Gimbel and Shira Tirdof.

This week’s image is the cover of John Hoberman’s book, Testosterone Dreams, available from amazon.com.

Episode 25: The Chemistry of Time

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 30 May 2008 05:01:54 +0000

There are four fundamental qualities: time, length, mass, and temperature. All other units can be derived from them, but these four can’t be broken down any further. This week we focus on time—the measurement that orders our lives. Catalysts are something chemists use to speed up time; in other words, to make chemical reactions work faster. Ruthenium is an element that has recently become an important catalyst in organic chemistry. This week Chemistry in Your Cupboard explores the wonders of the pressure cooker. And finally, producer Eric Mack visits the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, to check out the world’s most accurate atomic clock (shown on the left). Element of the Week: Ruthenium.

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Show Clock

00:00     Opening Credits
00:32     Introduction
01:30     Element of the Week: Ruthenium
03:59     Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Pressure Cooker
06:20     The Atomic Clock
10:37     Quote: William Faulkner
10:51     Closing Credits

Resources and References

Check out the summer issue of Chemical Heritage for more information about green chemistry.
The 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded to Robert H. Grubbs, Yves Chauvin, and Richard R. Schrock.
Learn more about pressure cookers and their history.
More information about the NIST-F1 Cesium Fountain Atomic Clock.

Credits

This show was researched by Audra Wolfe.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music for the Element of the Week is “1 o’clock Martini Intro,” by Podcast Troubadour. After Chemistry in Your Cupboard is “The Wonder Clock,” by The Psycho Daisies. The music after the feature and under the quotation is “Tick Tock,” by Podcast Troubadour.

This week’s image is the NIST-F1 clock, which uses a fountain-like movement of cesium atoms to determine the length of the second so accurately that—if it were to run continuously—it would neither lose nor gain one second in 80 million years. Image copyright Geoffrey Wheeler Photography.

Episode 24: Beer and Brewing

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 23 May 2008 05:01:55 +0000

At least some members of the Distillations crew will join millions of other Americans in drinking a beer this Memorial Day weekend. Beer is produced through fermentation—a biological process whose details are greatly affected by chemistry. In today’s show we’ll explain how alpha acids in hops (pictured) affect the bitterness of beer and what pH has to do with flavor. In the final segment of the show, producer Joel Rose visits Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for a taste of an ancient brew. Element of the Week: Calcium.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:31 Introduction
01:04 Element of the Week: Calcium
02:57 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Hops
05:44 A Visit to Dogfish Head Brewery
09:57 Quote: Ben Franklin
10:10 Closing Credits

Resources and References

Brew Your Own is a magazine for the home brewer. Their Web site is chock full of useful information, including recipes and this article on the hops shortage.
Another useful site for home brewers, maintained by Chris Love, is Brew-Monkey.com.
Philadelphia is home to many craft brewers. Besides Dogfish Head, some of our favorites are Flying Fish, Dock Street, Philadelphia Brewing Company, and Yards.

Credits

This show was researched by Hilary Domush.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music at the beginning of the Element of the Week is “Montana de Ora,” alt. mix, by Rachel Kann. At the end of the Element is “Cuckoo’s Nest/Old French/Red Wing,” by Beyond the Pale. Next, at the show ID, is “Cincinnati Flo Rag,” by Ken Tucker and James Swafford. The music for the quotation is “Tanya—The Secret Tango,” by Romashka.

The image you see above is a detail of a hops plant in the hops fields near Olomouc. The photo was uploaded by nutto to stock.xchange.

Episode 23: Preservation

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 16 May 2008 05:01:53 +0000

Entropy is defined as the degree of disorder in a system, and according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics entropy is always increasing. Preservation is a way that humans are trying to beat entropy, and this week we look at why and how we preserve. Document preservation is important for historical items like the Constitution. We learn that argon is an inert gas much less reactive than oxygen and is used by places like the Library of Congress to display important documents safely. Also this week we interview Ronn Wade, director of the Maryland State Anatomy Board. Wade tells us about plastination, a modern-day mummy, as well as securing and preserving cadavers for medical students. And producer Eric Mack visits Nederland, Colorado, for Frozen Dead Guy Days where cryogenics and cryonics are discussed very seriously. Arguably Nederland’s most famous resident is the Frozen Dead Guy, Bredo Morstel. Element of the Week: Argon.

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Show Clock

00:00     Opening Credits
00:32     Introduction
01:08     Element of the Week: Argon
03:24     Conversation with Ronn Wade
07:29     Frozen Dead Guy Days
11:28     Quote: Neil Rollinson
11:44     Closing Credits

Resources and References

An article about using argon to preserve documents.
More about Waldseemüller’s 1507 map.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology Cryogenics Web site.
The Cryonics Institute Web site.
All about the plastination process.

Credits

This show was researched by Audra Wolfe.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music for the Element of the Week is “Shambhala,” by r.domain. Under the show ID is “Cafe Turc,” by Sara Alexander. The music for the quotation is “Shimdiggy,” by Romashka.

This week’s image is of Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 map, which was preserved in argon gas in December 2007, courtesy of the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.

Episode 22: Virtual Classrooms

distillations@chemheritage.org (Chemical Heritage Foundation) — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:01:46 +0000

Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, and wikis are just a few of so-called Web 2.0 technologies that are transforming the look and feel of science on the Web. Last week a group of leading science educators met at CHF during the annual Leadership in Science Education Conference to discuss how these new media technologies are affecting science education. To find out more about how students are using the internet, we spoke with John Horrigan, an expert on broadband and associate director for research at the Pew Internet and American Life Project. We also take a look at popular internet science videos, like the oscillating reaction shown above. Finally, Abigail Paske, a science teacher in Oakland, California, shares her experiences dealing with No Child Left Behind. Element of the Week: Iodine.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:32 Introduction
01:04 Conversation with John Horrigan
05:00 Element of the Week
08:01 Science Education in the Era of No Child Left Behind
10:58 Quote: Mary Shelley
11:16 Closing Credits

Resources and References

On the Riggs Brauscher reaction: Instructions and an explanation from the University of Leeds Chemistry Department.
For surveys of internet users, analysis of current Web trends, and more: The Pew Internet and American Life Project.
White papers summarizing LISE 5 and LISE 4 are available online.

Credits

Special thanks to Audra Wolfe for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music at the end of the interview is “Upbeat for Cable TV,” by Andrew Chalfen. In the Element of the Week, you’re hearing “Stopped Time,” by 37Hz. The music at the end of the show is “The Land of Candy,” by Chris Resu.