Think about it for a second, plastic is everywhere. What plastic things are around you right now? What plastic things do you use everyday? This week, Melissa and Jam dive right into the proverbial (and sort of literal) ball pit. What even is plastic? What is it made of? How is it made? How are there so many different kinds? Let's find out.
Jul 16
What’s really happening when our hair gets damaged?
#028 This week, Melissa and Jam travel even further down the rabbit hole of hair chemistry. How does our hair get damaged? How do we curl, straighten, and perm our hair? What's going on there at the molecular level? Let's find out! References from this episode Biochemistry, Editi ... Show More
34m 48s
Aug 2025
Life in plastic — not fantastic?
Much of our modern world is made of plastic, but as more signs point to its dangers to human health, what can we even do about it? Guest: Annie Lowrey, Atlantic writer and author of I fought plastic. Plastic won. For show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscripts ... Show More
29m 35s
Aug 2021
TED Climate: What happens to the plastic you throw away?
Plastic is everywhere. We know we should cut down on it where we can, but is plastic ever the answer? In this episode, a whole world of plastic you never knew about. Starting with: which bag is best: paper, plastic, or cotton? The answer might surprise you. Dan breaks down the pr ... Show More
12m 33s
Aug 2021
TED Climate: What happens to the plastic you throw away?
Plastic is everywhere. We know we should cut down on it where we can, but is plastic ever the answer? In this episode, a whole world of plastic you never knew about. Starting with: which bag is best: paper, plastic, or cotton? The answer might surprise you. Dan breaks down the pr ... Show More
11m 43s
Nov 2018
Why We Fell In Love with Plastic
Plastic waste and pollution have become a global problem but is there any sign of a global solution? And how did we allow this to happen in the first place? Materials scientist and broadcaster, Professor Mark Miodownik, explores how we fell in love with plastic, why we've ended u ... Show More
26m 28s
Sep 2022
23: Plastic's Past, Imperfect Pitch, and the Dumb History of Generation Naming
<p>What is the history of plastic, and what could the future hold? Why is perfect pitch, not so perfect, and do any animals have it? And how on Earth did we end up with these meaningless names for generations?</p><p><a href="https://maximumfun.org/join/">Support us on Maximum F ... Show More
1h 46m
Aug 2021
What happens to the plastic you throw away? | TED Climate
Plastic is everywhere. We know we should cut down on it where we can, but is plastic ever the answer? In this episode of TED Climate, a whole world of plastic you never knew about. Starting with: which bag is best -- paper, plastic or cotton? The answer might surprise you. Host D ... Show More
12m 1s
Aug 2022
The problem with plastics -- and how to start cleaning up the mess | Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez
Plastics are everywhere -- they're in our favorite electronic devices, they package our food and insulate our homes. Today, the total mass of plastic is twice the total mass of all living organisms on the planet, and it's starting to change the processes that allow the Earth's cl ... Show More
10m 22s
Apr 2023
The Trash Trail: Why is there so much plastic in the ocean?
We use plastic for all kinds of things, from shampoo bottles to glitter. It’s useful but also a danger, because a lot of plastic is ending up in our oceans, where it’s sucked into swirly twirly whirlpools of garbage. The biggest of these is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. ... Show More
36m 41s