How can sunlight turn into electricity?

Can shining a red light on your face really improve acne, wrinkles, inflammation, or wound healing, or is red light therapy just an expensive skincare scam involving a slightly alarming mask? How could ordinary visible light affect cells beneath your skin, and should you trust th ... Show More

#007 Rebroadcast Melissa finally explains to Jam how microwaves work after making him wait for an entire week. What the heck is going on inside microwaves? How does it do it's thing and make our food tasty? Is it magic? Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Appare ... Show More

What happens when a chemist and a non-chemist make a podcast together for seven years? Which chemistry lessons stuck, which episode ideas spectacularly refused to cooperate, and does Jam still count as a layperson after all this time? Joined by returning guest Claire, Melissa and ... Show More

First up in our energy series: solar! How do we harness the energy from the sun to produce electricity? Why should we? What are the environmental impacts? Resources for this episode: National Renewable Energy Laboratory How Does Solar Work (energy.gov) End of Life Solar Panels: R ... Show More

Daniel and Katie talk about the amazing physics, chemistry and biology that determines how we see the Sun.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

<p>This week we are talking about SOLAR PANELS! We recently had Solar panels installed on our house, so we wanted to discuss how solar energy can have a huge impact on the climate crisis. We'll also chat about our experience so far living with solar energy and our thoughts on it. ... Show More

Brains On is a non-profit public radio program. There are lots of ways to support the show:Support the podcast with donation | Subscribe to Smarty Pass for ad-free episodes and bonus content | Buy our book and merch | Come to our live showsSolar panels capture energy from the sun ... Show More

<p>Solar panels have loads of potential -- but how do they work, exactly, and why aren't they more widespread? Join Jonathan and Chris as they break down the mechanics of solar panels, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of this technology.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad- ... Show More

In this episode, Scientific American editor Mark Fischetti talks about an audacious new plan, featured in the January issue of Scientific American, for turning the US into a solar-powered country. And editor-in-chief John Rennie talks about a new Sci Am health publication, Scient ... Show More

A mountain, a tower, a thermos full of molten salt: These are the batteries that could power our renewable future. For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show. Also, email us! unexplainable@vo ... Show More

Daniel and Kelly talk about how to keep solar panels bright and powerful when they far away on a dusty planet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

A new kind of solar cell - made by drying a special liquid on a surface - is being heralded as a revolution in solar power. The minerals known as perovskites were discovered more than 150 years ago. More recently, their crystal structure has been copied using other materials and ... Show More