Loading...

PODCAST

Tiny Matters

Science shapes every facet of our lives, but so much of its influence is overlooked or buried in the past. Tiny Matters is an award-winning science podcast about the small science of big things. From the microbes behind deadly diseases to the molecules informing our search for extraterrestrial life, hosts and former scientists Sam Jones and Deboki Chakravarti embrace the awe and messiness of science and its significance both today and in the past, asking questions like, "how was IVF

science life sciences

All Episodes

00:41:36

How do you save a species?: Breakthroughs from...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/09/30

Extinction requires far more than protecting habitat alone.

en

00:32:58

[BONUS] Milking spiders and why this scientist’s...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/09/23

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we first discuss funnel-web spiders, who are among the most venomous spiders on Earth. Maybe somewhat paradoxically, their toxins are being studied to treat human disease and chronic pain. Then we talk with historian Claire Aubin about J. Willard Gibbs’ grave at Yale, where she’s a professor. Gibbs was a quiet scientific genius whose work transformed chemistry. He was also seemingly a very cool dude, and today his gravesite is decorated by students seeking

en

00:37:00

Biofilms: The sticky, slimy communities behind some...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/09/16

From your teeth to your lungs, biofilms help bacteria hide and thrive.

en

00:23:15

[BONUS] ‘Drinking Grandma,’ digital cadavers and...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/09/09

From arsenic-filled embalming fluid to VR anatomy labs, we discuss how we’ve preserved and learned from the dead over millennia.

en

01:06:21

The Shroud of Turin: American Medieval x Tiny Matters...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/09/03

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

en

00:37:04

Foraminifera: The one-celled predators that shaped...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/09/02

Single-celled marine organisms called foraminifera may be microscopic, but they've had an outsized impact on life on Earth.

en

00:25:45

[BONUS] Dangerously tiny frequencies, endometriosis...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/08/26

Dangerous resonance on the power grid, blood tests for endometriosis on the horizon, and scientists converting plastic into cookies.

en

00:36:11

Giant viruses: How these amoeba-infecting behemoths...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/08/19

Giant viruses have upended how we think of these common pathogens.

en

00:30:53

[BONUS] Fairy tale evolution and the 400(ish) year...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/08/12

How scientists are using evolutionary methods to reconstruct the history of folktales and the debate over the age of the elusive Greenland shark.

en

00:35:43

From cow’s milk to blood banks: The surprising...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/08/05

We trace the fascinating history of blood transfusions.

en

00:18:12

[BONUS] Bread clip taxonomy and power poles on fire:...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/07/29

How humble plastic bread bag clips that have inspired an entire taxonomy and the perfect conditions for a power pole to go up in flames.

en

00:37:29

Placebo: Why ‘fake’ treatments can have real power

Tiny Matters ·

2026/07/22

A sugar pill shouldn't work as well as a real drug ... except sometimes it does.

en

00:23:08

[BONUS] A pathology lab, a sausage duel, and the...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/07/15

A pathology lab worker shares their experience and we unpack the importance of yeast in the foods we love.

en

00:30:48

Fireworks over millennia: From battlefields and royal...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/07/08

In medieval Europe, people who worked with early cannons and gunpowder were viewed as untrustworthy, boorish outsiders. But just a few centuries later, as they began creating elaborate fireworks displays for royalty, they went from outcasts to artists. From black powder to modern low-smoke pyrotechnics, in this episode of Tiny Matters we look at the chemistry, engineering, and artistry behind one of humanity's favorite forms of celebration. We also learn how scientists are reinventing pyrotechnics

en

00:16:47

[BONUS] The ‘elite neutralizers’ immune to HIV and...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/07/01

We’re covering galactic gas outflows and antibodies that could neutralize almost any strain of HIV.

en

00:36:49

Collisions in space: Satellites, space debris, and...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/06/24

In low Earth orbit, tens of thousands of satellites and millions of pieces of debris are hurtling around at incredible speeds.

en

00:23:10

[BONUS] A nitrogen asphyxiation disaster and why ears...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/06/17

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we unpack a tragic NASA accident in 1981 when technicians, preparing for the maiden voyage of Space Shuttle Columbia, were accidentally poisoned by nitrogen gas. Then guest Mischa Stanton takes us deep inside the human ear. We talk about how vibrations turn into thoughts via the cochlea and basilar membrane and dive into the fascinating world of logarithmic perception.Find Mischa at mischastanton.com.We need your stories — they're what make these bonus

en

00:35:44

The Challenger disaster: How a NASA tragedy led to a...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/06/10

How do we learn from tragedy? And can those lessons safely carry us back to the moon?

en

00:15:37

[BONUS] The ‘Plankton Manifesto’ and the birth of...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/06/03

Listeners write in about the importance of plankton and how MRI is really just a larger version of NMR.

en

00:36:27

When movies caught fire: The history and science of...

Tiny Matters ·

2026/05/27

Over 75% of silent films have disappeared. The culprit? Highly flammable film.

en

191 results

Similar Podcasts

Beyond the Divide

Koala Moon

The SCP Experience

Dr. NoSleep Studios

John Michael Godier"s Event Horizon

John Michael Godier

La Science CQFD

France Culture

A Moment of Science

Indiana Public Media