Reactions

Science and Nature Series / 11 Seasons

Reactions is a show that uncovers the chemistry all around us. We answer the burning questions you’ve always wanted to ask, blending the worlds of science and every-day life.

9m 47s

George Figures Out Static Electricity

S11 E7 / 20m 29s

If you rub two identical balloons together, they both pick up a static charge. This strange and unexpected behavior has been documented in the scientific literature and remains fundamentally unexplained to this day. But when George tries the experiment, he stumbles into something that – to the best of his knowledge – has never been reported in the literature, and is, if possible, even stranger.

The Performance Enhancing Drug They Can't Ban

S11 E6 / 11m 25s

In February 2025, a number of running world records were absolutely demolished by athletes who claimed they gained an edge through a common kitchen ingredient: baking soda. It sounds like pseudoscience, but incredibly, this trick might actually work… or make you violently ill. So of course, Alex had to try it.

Why Norway's Osmosis Power Plant Failed

S11 E5 / 8m 10s

When seawater and freshwater mix, a surprising amount of energy is released. Norway tried to capture this energy using an osmotic power plant, but the plant mysteriously and abruptly shut down. Join George as he tries to figure out why using dialysis tubing, toilet parts, and a baby turbine.

Hot Water Freezes Either Faster or Slower Than Cold Water

S11 E4 / 13m 59s

The Mpemba Effect happens when hot water freezes quicker than room temperature water, or does it? Alex goes on an exhaustive journey to replicate the Mpemba effect and hits a few snags on the way, including a paper being released the week this video was supposed to come out. Does this paper finally resolve all existing ambiguities about measuring relaxation speeds in the Mpemba Effect?

Why a Carbon Capture Breakthrough Will/Won't Save Us

S11 E3 / 9m 56s

Chemists have been pulling carbon dioxide out of the air for almost 300 years, but can this seemingly magical technology save us from climate change? George answers that question with a couple of Erlenmeyer flasks, some limestone, two envelopes, and a straw.

How an HIV Miracle Drug Vanished

S11 E1 / 9m 47s

In 1998, a pharmaceutical company suddenly lost the ability to make their lifesaving HIV drug at one of its production facilities. Then that failure spread to the company’s analysis labs. Then it spread to the other production facility, and within months the lifesaving drug had effectively vanished from the entire planet. And this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

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