Chemistry podcasts

The Chemical Breakdown team looks ahead to the 2026 Nobel prize in chemistry. Host Mariana Kneppers discusses possible research areas and laureates with Jamie Durrani and Neil Withers, with additional predictions from the Chemistry World team. Topics include skeletal editing, GLP-1 research and analytical techniques, alongside how previous prizes shape expectations. This is a predictions episode published before the prize announcement, rather than a report of confirmed winners.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Jonathan Webb discusses lithium-ion battery chemistry with Neeraj Sharma of UNSW, explaining why prolonged full charging or deep discharge can shorten battery life and what the underlying processes mean for phone and electric-vehicle battery engineering.

Hosted by Jonathan Webb

Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell discuss two scientific stories from the Nature Briefing. The first concerns a technique for detecting lead that may help researchers read damaged Roman scrolls from Herculaneum without unrolling the fragile, charred material. The second examines a biodegradable, paper-inspired edible battery and its potential use in medical devices inside the body. The publisher’s episode page and official podcast feed both identify this 25 September 2026 episode; the discussion lasts 11 minutes 32 seconds.

Melissa and Jam answer questions about household natural gas, organic-chemistry careers, topical pain-relief gels and pharmaceutical crystal forms. The episode also revisits previous explanations and discusses chemistry education and the history of the field.

Hosted by Melissa, Jam

Melissa and Jam examine the chemistry and cell biology proposed to explain red-light therapy. They discuss photobiomodulation, mitochondria, collagen and the limitations of available studies, alongside the distinction between regulatory clearance and evidence for a particular consumer device.

Hosted by Melissa, Jam

Mariana Kneppers, Neil Withers and Phillip Broadwith discuss molecular glues and efforts to target cancer-related proteins previously considered difficult to drug. They also explore how analysis of fibres and dyes helps researchers investigate and conserve the Bayeux Tapestry.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

C&EN journalists examine the chemistry behind sustaining human activity beyond Earth. Topics include obtaining useful resources, designing materials and understanding the practical constraints of living and working in space. The episode connects chemical research with planetary resources and engineering.

Hosted by Craig Bettenhausen

The Chemistry World team examines research on CAR-T immunotherapy for bladder tumours, including results in mice and the challenges of treating solid cancers. A second discussion considers how incorrectly assigned spectral features may have affected interpretations of defects in carbon materials.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Melissa and Jam explain how evaporating water can cool a building and why the same approach works much better in dry climates than humid ones. They connect swamp coolers to older cooling techniques and examine newer ideas, including ice-based systems intended to reduce pressure on electricity grids.

Hosted by Melissa, Jam

Melissa and Jam trace the chemistry of refrigerants from early hazardous compounds to chlorofluorocarbons and their replacements. They explain why a substance that cools effectively can still create environmental problems, and discuss the tradeoffs among ozone protection, climate effects, flammability and regulation.

Hosted by Melissa, Jam

Mariana Kneppers, Mason Wakley and Jamie Durrani discuss changes affecting UK science policy and investigate the chemistry of deteriorating concrete in Ireland. The materials discussion examines the roles of mica, iron-sulfide minerals, oxidation and subsequent chemical reactions in structural damage.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Melissa and Jam answer science questions drawn from Reddit, including why different metals produce different flame colors and why carbon has its own major branch of chemistry. The episode also considers the gap between discovering something that works and understanding its mechanism, with stories about laboratory mistakes.

Hosted by Melissa, Jam

Mariana Kneppers, Frankie Macpherson and Phillip Broadwith discuss allegations about manipulated antibody-validation images in Thermo Fisher Scientific's catalogue and the questions they raise for research integrity. They also examine the technical and commercial difficulties facing chemical recycling of plastics.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Melissa and Jam unpack the chemistry inside an air conditioner. They explain how refrigerants, pressure changes and transitions between liquid and gas move heat out of a room, why the outdoor unit releases warmth, and what frozen coils reveal about the cooling process.

Hosted by Melissa, Jam

This bonus crossover from Inflection Point examines carbon-capture approaches, their history and the limits of their contribution to climate mitigation. The discussion includes ocean-based approaches and the chemical processes involved. It is the publisher’s syndicated episode in the Stereo Chemistry feed, rather than a separate new recording.

Mariana Kneppers, Mason Wakley and Jamie Durrani revisit the Seveso chemical disaster and its lasting health and regulatory consequences. They also discuss membrane materials designed to separate hydrocarbons with less energy than conventional refinery processes, connecting materials research to industrial efficiency.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Mariana Kneppers, Mason Wakley and Frances Briggs reflect on 25 years of click chemistry and its spread into medicine and materials research. A second discussion examines covalent bonding in actinide elements and the experimental challenges of understanding how the heaviest atoms share electrons.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Mariana Kneppers, Patrick Walter and Frankie Macpherson discuss a new molecular-simulation result combining quantum computing with conventional computational methods. They also investigate how an everyday laboratory item can contaminate microplastics measurements, illustrating the importance of tracing unexpected results back to experimental materials.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Mariana Kneppers, Patrick Walter and Neil Withers compare competing cathode materials for electric-vehicle batteries and the tradeoffs among cost, safety and performance. They also discuss a photocatalyst that uses spent car-battery acid to help convert plastic waste into useful chemicals.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Anja Røyne discusses nitrogen, fertilizer production and the environmental consequences of changing the nitrogen cycle. Conversation in Norwegian.