May
11
It’s springtime and Distillations has babies on the brain. But we’re not oohing and aahing over these babes – we’re onto the games of the little parasites. First, Sabiha Khan shares the history of the breast vs. bottle debate. Did you know that the guy who first came up with infant formula is the same guy who “invented” marmite?! (More on that in our next show.) Then Audrey Quinn explains the many pregnancy hormones that can wreak havoc on a mother’s body, and the one that makes it all worthwhile.
Image of my little parasite at one month.
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Apr
27
Just looking at this picture makes my lungs seize up; I am SO allergic to cats. On this episode of Distillations, we examine the science of allergies. First we look at the development of hypoallergenic pets. Then producer Gretchen Kuda Croen visits the first ever dust library – a collection of individual dust particles that could help health experts determine what components in the air are likely to make us sick.
Image courtesy of Flickr user admiller.
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Apr
13
On this episode of Distillations, we examine asbestos. Once heralded as an ideal building material — light, cheap, and heat resistant — asbestos is now recognized as a major health hazard. Remediating asbestos-laden buildings is a time consuming and costly venture, so thousands of buildings sit vacant in abandoned lots throughout the country. Bob Kenworthy tells us about one of these waste sites in Ambler, PA. Then producer Larkin Page-Jacobs brings us to Pittsburgh, PA, where an architectural wonder of a school building sits crumbling.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia.
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Mar
30
On this episode of Distillations, we tackle Mass Spectrometry – a technology that’s hard to explain and even harder to say. (Go ahead, try it!) First we learn about some of its modern uses – like newborn genetic screening and testing for steroids. Then we dip into the CHF oral history archives to hear a portion of an interview with mass spec pioneer Alfred Nier – who worked on the instrument during the Manhattan Project and beyond. And if you still haven’t gotten your fill of mass spec, visit CHF’s new online exhibit.
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Mar
16
Before there was Mr. Wizard or Bill Nye the Science Guy, there was the Fairyland of Chemistry - a late-19th century children’s book in which fairies (as the elements) dance around and join hands to make hydrochloric acid and other compounds. On this episode of Distillations we explain how educators used these fairy tale images to teach chemistry. And we present our first ever podcast play – a dramatic reading of part of the book.
Image from Real Fairy Folks: Explorations in the World of Atoms, by Lucy Rider Meyer, 1887. Courtesy of CHF’s collections.
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Mar
2
This episode of Distillations is about the early days of genetic modification. When gene manipulation first became popular in the 1940′s it was seen as a great new fad; a way to speed up evolution. People even grew atomic gardens using radioactive seeds. We interview a Yale PhD student about her research on this. Then, when Harry Truman announced major funding for the hydrogen bomb in 1950, people started to get a little nervous. Hollywood played out the worst case scenarios in a slew of monster movies. We celebrate those sci-fi classics in the second half of the show.
While researching this episode, I found this video produced by GE in 1952. I’ll give you a dollar if you can find the clip I snuck into the show. 
Image courtesy of Flickr user Marxchivist.
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Feb
17
The latest episode of Distillations is about how the natural world responds to and recovers from major disasters. First, a segment on ecological succession – how plants and animals repopulate an area after it’s been devastated by a major disaster – in this case, a hurricane. Then an interview with Haverford College chemistry professor Helen White about how the Gulf of Mexico is faring since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
I’m a little frightened that this is the second disaster-related piece I’ve produced recently. Late last year I reported this piece about what emergency responders can learn from jazz improvisors when responding to major disasters.
Image courtesy of Flickr user EPI2oh.
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Feb
3
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here’s the latest episode of Distillations. First, a chemical exploration of spit. (We produce 2-4 PINTS of it every day!!) Then, an interview with Sheril Kirshenbaum, author of The Science of Kissing. For me, her book is right up there with Mary Roach’s Bonk – good scientific fun.
Image courtesy of Flickr user Scented Mirror.
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Jan
20
Dedicated to my sports-crazed husband. J-E-T-S! (maybe next year)
From the Distillations website:
Whether it’s football season, baseball season, or basketball season, one thing is constant: a good chunk of the population has sports on the brain. On today’s episode of Distillations we explore why this is the case. First, producer Lindsay Patterson follows a high school basketball team to learn about the role chemistry plays in winning a big game. Then we check in with the fans at home, learning what happens in your brain when you’re cheering on your favorite team. One word: Dopamine! (Thanks to Ric Seaberg for the great song.)
Image courtesy of Flickr user seantoyer.
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Jan
6
The latest Distillations is all about the genome. This from the Distillations website:
“Each of us is made of more than 20,000 genes that determine everything from our tendency towards baldness to our likelihood to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. On today’s episode of Distillations we look at how researchers have sought to identify our individual genomes and how they can be interpreted. First, we learn how advances in DNA sequencing technology are increasing the likelihood that soon we will all have our genomes mapped. Then we talk to an expert in personalized medicine about the pros and cons of having such sensitive information available.”
Image courtesy of Flickr user skreck.
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