Best Mess Museum Podcasts (2024)

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Sewage and the Seine: From Mesopotamia messes and the 1858 Great Stink to today's flush toilets and fatbergs 32:26

3d ago32:26

32:26

Send us a Text Message. The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics is two short days away. As over 10,000 athletes gather in Paris, France, anticipation builds. But that anticipation is not just for the next 19 days of fierce competition, it’s also for the Seine. The Seine River is set to host events including the 10 kilometer marathon swim a…

1
The disappearance of 10,000 skeletons and get those eyes outside: Tiny Show and Tell Us #2 22:16

7d ago22:16

22:16

Send us a Text Message. In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover a recent story about how spending time outdoors can help keep kids from becoming nearsighted and the mysterious absence of skeletons at the site of the Battle of Waterloo despite over 10,000 soldiers dying (and how the beet sugar industry may have played a gruesome role). He…

1
It’s sporty (science) summer: Cutting edge monitoring of sweat, and how decades of labiaplasty inspired a new bike saddle 32:19

18d ago32:19

32:19

Send us a Text Message. This summer is a sports fan’s dream! Beyond some major soccer tournaments, Paris 2024 kicks off at the end of July. If you think about it, sports are science in motion, which means that buried in incredible athletic feats is a lot of data about how athlete bodies are using and responding to chemistry, biology and physics. Th…

1
Subscribe to the Tiny Matters newsletter! 1:34

5d ago1:34

1:34

Send us a Text Message. We have exciting news! This Wednesday, July 10th, Tiny Matters is launching a newsletter! It will come out every 2 weeks, so about twice a month. We will not spam you, promise. You can subscribe at bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter. So what will be in this newsletter you may ask? Well, it will of course alert you to the latest ep…

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Parrotfish poop beaches and an altitude adaptation: Tiny Show and Tell Us #1 16:14

21d ago16:14

16:14

Send us a Text Message. In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, Sam and Deboki cover the role parrotfish poop may play in your next beach vacation and how the molecule 2,3-BPG helps people adapt to high altitudes and more. We need your stories — they're what make these episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org *or fill out this form* wit…

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‘Beef snow,’ sludge, and seafood fraud: How NIST standardizes everything from $1,143 peanut butter to house dust to keep us safe 30:04

17d ago30:04

30:04

Send us a Text Message. Standard reference materials — or SRMs — at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) serve as standards for many food, beverage, health, industrial and other products. There are over a thousand SRMs including peanut butter, house dust, dry cat food, soy milk, blueberries, stainless steel, fertilizer, and a D…

1
From volcanoes and Swiftquakes to buzzing bees: How scientists use sound to understand our environment 32:27

1M ago32:27

32:27

Send us a Text Message. At the end of 2016, a pilot reported that a volcano in Alaska called Bogoslof was erupting. Bogoslof had been quiet for 24 years, and there wasn’t any equipment on it that scientists could use to track its eruptions. But over the next 8 months, scientists were able to track at least 70 eruptions from Bogoslof, and they did s…

1
Long COVID: What we’re learning about pathogens and chronic illness goes beyond COVID-19 47:36

2M ago47:36

47:36

Send us a Text Message. On March 11, 2020, after over 118,000 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in 114 countries, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The term Long COVID began popping up across the globe shortly after. People with Long COVID experience any combination of a huge number of symptoms that range from gastrointe…

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Mysteries in the museum: How textile conservators investigate and preserve historic clothing 31:46

3M ago31:46

31:46

Send us a Text Message. A week ago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art held its 2024 Met Gala — a yearly event to raise money for the Costume Institute. The gala also marks the opening of the Costume Institute's annual show, which this year is called "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." The idea behind this exhibit is to showcase pieces from the m…

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The curable disease that kills someone every 20 seconds: Tuberculosis (ft. John Green) 33:53

3M ago33:53

33:53

Send us a Text Message. Every year, tuberculosis claims over a million lives despite being curable. Tuberculosis or TB is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. About 5–10% of people infected with TB will eventually get symptoms. In the early stages a TB infection might cause chest pain, a cough, night sweats, and loss of appet…

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Introducing 'Tiny show and tell us' (send us your stories!) 1:33

3M ago1:33

1:33

Send us a Text Message. Deboki and Sam put out a survey last month asking Tiny Matters listeners for feedback and were overwhelmed by the number of people who asked for more Tiny Matters episodes! At Tiny Matters, we like to give the people what they want, so we're going to begin releasing bonus episodes soon. But to do that, we need your help. If …

1
Arsenic, radium, and a locked room cyanide mystery: Poisons and the rise of forensic toxicology in early 1900s United States 31:51

3M ago31:51

31:51

Send us a Text Message. At the beginning of the 1900s, New York City was in turmoil. Prohibition loomed, outbreaks of typhoid and an influenza pandemic had people on edge, and the city was steeped in corruption. One of the many consequences of that corruption was a completely inept coroners office. Instead of having trained medical examiners work o…

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IVF: The history, science and struggle that gave rise to a life-changing technology 29:33

4M ago29:33

29:33

Send us a Text Message. On July 25th, 1978, in the northwest of England, a baby was born. On its surface, that’s not a big statement — babies are born every single day. But this birth attracted media attention from around the world. The baby’s name was Louise Brown, and she was the first baby born from in vitro fertilization, or IVF. In this episod…

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Win a Tiny Matters mug by filling out this survey! 1:25

4M ago1:25

1:25

Send us a Text Message. Tiny Matters listeners are THE BEST and we want to bring you more of what you like! Head to bit.ly/tinypodsurvey to give us feedback and help us make Tiny Matters even better. The survey should take no more than 5-10 minutes to fill out. Your motivation? Filling out the survey will enter you into a Tiny Matters mug raffle! T…

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Who invented lawns? From Cretaceous grass to modern turf with That's Absurd Please Elaborate 33:35

4M ago33:35

33:35

Send us a Text Message. This week, Sam and Deboki are joined by Trace Dominguez and Julian Huguet, the hosts of That’s Absurd Please Elaborate, a podcast where they do serious research to answer silly questions like, "What if the world had more sheep than people?" and "What would happen if you filled a volcano with concrete?" In this episode of Tin…

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What hibernating bears and 'couch potato' cavefish are teaching us about blood clots and fatty liver disease 25:29

5M ago25:29

25:29

Send us a Text Message. Although we look very different from many of the other creatures on this planet, we’re more connected than you might think. Our evolutionary history means we share many of the same genes and physiology, and that’s not just cool to think about — it’s useful. Because it means that, to learn about the things we lack or wish we …

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Listener Q&A: Methanol poisoning, quantum entanglement, biomimicry, sea foam snakes, tiny discoveries in 2023, and more! 45:54

5M ago45:54

45:54

Send us a Text Message. It's happening again! A Tiny Matters Q&A and mug giveaway! Sam and Deboki answer listener questions about science, like, ‘Is it true that when we think of a memory we are actually remembering the last time we thought of the memory?,’ ‘Why do differently colored cats have such differing personalities,’ and ‘What is quantum en…

1
Let's talk about love: Is oxytocin really the 'love drug'? How do we stay in love? And how do our brains adapt to the deaths of people we love? 26:05

6M ago26:05

26:05

Send us a Text Message. Love is everywhere: In friendships, in romance, in the songs we listen to, books we read, and movies we see. So whether you love love, hate love, or are somewhere in between, you’re still hearing about it all the time. And that means you’ve probably learned about a molecule called oxytocin, aka the ‘love hormone’ or ‘love dr…

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Did mating with Neanderthals make us morning people?: What ancient DNA tells us about the messiness of human evolution 30:37

6M ago30:37

30:37

Send us a Text Message. In the winter of 1829, Dutch-Belgian anthropologist Philippe-Charles Schmerling discovered a fossil in a cave in Engis, Belgium — what looked like the partial skull of a small child. Schmerling is often called the father of paleontology, but even he had no idea what he had stumbled upon. Decades later, as other similar fossi…

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Win a Tiny Matters coffee mug ROUND TWO! Submit your questions! 1:35

7M ago1:35

1:35

Send us a Text Message. Last fall Sam and Deboki did a Q&A/mug giveaway episode and it was a hit. Round 2 it is! Anyone living within the U.S. is eligible. Entering the raffle is easy. Just send your question(s) to tinymatters@acs.org. Questions can be about a previous episode, some science thing you're dying to know the answer to, a question about…

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Cosmic clues, shrinking transistors, debunking a Salem witch trials theory, and more! Faves from the second year of Tiny Matters 27:04

7M ago27:04

27:04

Send us a Text Message. Today, Sam and Deboki are taking a look back at a handful of their favorite episode moments from the second year of Tiny Matters. And it just so happens to also be episode 50! Asteroid updates, atom-sized transistors, a world without photosynthesis, and more! Have suggestions for topics for 2024? Email us! tinymatters@acs.or…

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He was never there, but his DNA was: The history and debate surrounding forensic DNA profiling 28:49

8M ago28:49

28:49

Send us a Text Message. A warning to listeners — this episode contains sensitive material surrounding homicide and assault. On November 29th, 2012, a group of men broke into the Silicon Valley mansion of 66 year old investor Raveesh Kumra. The men attacked and tied up both Raveesh and his ex-wife who was living there, and then ransacked the home fo…

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The rise and fall of a fake decongestant: What phenylephrine tells us about the history of the FDA 28:39

8M ago28:39

28:39

Send us a Text Message. The FDA drug approval process is known to be a lengthy and rigorous one. But the FDA-approved ingredient phenylephrine — found in common cold medicines like Sudafed, Mucinex, and NyQuil — was recently found to be no better than a placebo. Phenylephrine has been on store shelves for nearly 90 years. How could that happen? In …

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The opioid crisis: From pill mills to fentanyl. Are we now seeing glimmers of hope? 30:38

9M ago30:38

30:38

Send us a Text Message. In 2021, 80,411 people in the United States died of an overdose involving opioids, making up 75% of all drug overdose deaths that year. That’s also 10 times as many opioid overdose deaths as in 1999. How did we get here? In this episode, Sam and Deboki trace the origins of opioids, from opium and morphine to fentanyl, and sc…

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November 2023 Sheffield Events Round Up 10:00

9M ago10:00

10:00

We're trialing a slightly different type of episode this month! In this episode, Conor lets you know about a collection of cool events for game fans in Sheffield, this November. The full list of venues mentioned is available below: NVM - www.thenvm.org Extra Life Gaming Lounge - Facebook Treehouse Board Game Cafe - www.treehousesheffield.com/events…

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We don't deserve dogs: The science behind the human-canine relationship 28:05

9M ago28:05

28:05

Send us a Text Message. We often hear that dogs help lower our blood pressure, decrease our allergy risk, and even alert us to disease. But is there science behind those claims? In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki unpack some dog domestication history and fascinating research with Jen Golbeck and Stacey Colino, authors of the new book, …

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The Salem witch trials LSD theory and the fascinating evolution of mummification in ancient Egypt 30:02

10M ago30:02

30:02

Send us a Text Message. Happy spooky season, Tiny Matters listeners! In today’s episode, Sam and Deboki tackle two Halloween themed topics: The Salem witch trials and mummies. In 1692 and 1693 a series of hearings and trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts, leading to 19 people being executed, marking the last executions for witchcraft in the Un…

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Scaredy Cats Guide to Games in Sheffield - SGP #59 36:57

10M ago36:57

36:57

Spooky season is now upon us! But what are the best activities this October for the scaredy cats (or dogs) among us? This month sees us talk about all the things we can do when the jump scares just get too much. In this episode, we discuss: The best spooky-but-not-scary Halloween games. Why Hitman is basically just violent trick-or-treating. The up…

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Asteroid Bennu, OSIRIS-REx, and the Apollo 11 moon microbe scare: The challenge of bringing samples home from space 30:57

10M ago30:57

30:57

Send us a Text Message. A couple weeks ago, NASA did something they’d never done before: they collected material from an asteroid and brought it back to Earth. These samples — harvested as part of the OSIRIS-REx mission — could tell us more about our planet's beginnings and even reveal information about the origins of life. But collecting samples f…

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It’s flu season: Why do we need a shot every year? And should we be worried about the new avian influenza strain? 29:35

10M ago29:35

29:35

Send us a Text Message. Why do we need an influenza vaccine every year when there are many vaccines we only need to get once every few decades? In this episode, Deboki and Sam kick things off by covering the different strains of influenza that are most likely to cause, or already caused, pandemics. They also chat with experts about the new, more de…

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Listener Q&A: Plastic-eating mushrooms, allergy-curing hookworms, the end of the universe, making a career in scicomm, and more! 1:01:35

11M ago1:01:35

1:01:35

Send us a Text Message. This episode is outside the Tiny Matters norm — it’s a Q&A and mug giveaway! Sam and Deboki answer listener questions about science, like, ‘Can parasitic hookworms cure allergies?,’ ‘How do you measure the end of the universe?,’ ‘What’s the science behind why we can’t stand nails on a chalkboard,’ plus questions about making…

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The Steel City Galaxies Adventure Trail Special! - SGP #S2 54:50

11M ago54:50

54:50

Sheffield Gaming Podcast #S2 For our second-ever special episode - we're blasting off into the stars! To honour the recent 'Steel City Galaxies Adventure Trail', the creators, Conor and Matt, take us on an adventure across Sheffield (hereby referred to as the 'Steely Way Galaxy'). On their way they visit 9 different gaming locations all across the …

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Flavor is more than meets the taste buds: Health impacts, seltzer facts, and chocolate zucchini cake snacks 27:48

11M ago27:48

27:48

Send us a Text Message. Flavor and taste are not the same thing. In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki explain why, and unpack the important role flavor plays in health. They also chat with experts about ways of making the foods you don’t like more appealing. The Tiny Show & Tell stories are here and here. And to support Tiny Matters, pic…

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We’re not all in this together: How colonialist practices are shaping the impact of climate change 29:30

12M ago29:30

29:30

Send us a Text Message. Colonialist practices, past and present, combined with climate change are having catastrophic effects on poorer countries in the global south. In this episode, Sam and Deboki talk with experts about how and why that’s the case and unpack two major examples of this impact: the 2022 Pakistan floods and the global factory, part…

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Mapping Out Sheffield's Games! - SGP#58 46:57

12M ago46:57

46:57

What game worlds do you know like the back of your hand? In this month's episode, we discuss the beauty of gaming maps, spurred on by the new Summer exhibition by the National Videogame Museum all about game maps! To help us, we're joined by special guest, Leah Dungay of the National Videogame Museum. In this episode, we also discuss: The National …

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Mad cow, 'zombie deer disease' and the science and spread of prions 29:31

1y ago29:31

29:31

Send us a Text Message. Mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was first discovered in cattle in the UK in 1986. In 1996, BSE made its way into humans for the first time, setting off panic and fascination with the fatal disease that causes rapid onset dementia. In this episode, Sam and Deboki cover the cause, spread a…

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Combating misinformation in a crisis: Lessons from Deepwater Horizon 29:02

1y ago29:02

29:02

Send us a Text Message. On April 20, 2010, a drilling rig called Deepwater Horizon exploded, capsizing 36 hours later. Eleven workers were killed and, over the next 87 days, more than 100 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico in what the EPA has called the largest marine oil spill in history. With public distrust of the companies r…

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Want to win a Tiny Matters mug? Send us your questions! 1:19

1y ago1:19

1:19

Send us a Text Message. Sam and Deboki will be raffling off Tiny Matters coffee mugs in an upcoming Q&A episode. Entering the raffle is easy! Just send your question(s) to tinymatters@acs.org. Questions can be about pretty much anything — a previous episode, some science thing you're dying to know the answer to, a question about podcasting, or abou…

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Sheffield's Video Game Gladiators! - SGP#57 52:13

1y ago52:13

52:13

Gladiators! Are You Ready?! To celebrate Gladiators being filmed in Sheffield Arena, we've decided to run our own hypothetical Gladiators competition, but by swapping out Wolf and Jet for some Sheffield icons like Zool and... Alan Shearer? To help us out, we're join by gaming improv expert Tom McGrath from SideQuest and Life's a Pitch. In this epis…

1
Hurricane Katrina and the Ohio train derailment: Science, confusion, and human influence 30:28

1y ago30:28

30:28

Send us a Text Message. In this episode of Tiny Matters, Sam and Deboki unravel two very different environmental disasters: Hurricane Katrina and this year’s Ohio train derailment. They’ll cover the science underlying those events, the confusion and misinformation that followed them, and how human influence infiltrates all of these disasters, even …

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A fungal pandemic is unlikely in humans. That’s not true for other species. 25:13

1y ago25:13

25:13

Send us a Text Message. A few months ago, we did a bonus Q&A about the HBO series The Last of Us, a show about a pandemic caused by a fungus that turned people into terrifying zombies. After that bonus episode aired, we received emails from people who wanted to learn more about fungi and the fungal infections on the rise, like white nose syndrome i…

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Games in Unexpected Places (like Sheffield)- SPG #56 50:06

1y ago50:06

50:06

Where's the best unexpected places to play games in our lovely city? This month, Conor gets an idea in his head about mapping all the best places to play games in Sheffield that aren't the usual suspects! In this episode, we discuss: Renting games from the Blockbuster on Ecclesall Road (may it never be forgotten) Our arcade history and favourite ar…

1
Could psychedelics transform mental healthcare? 30:00

1y ago30:00

30:00

Send us a Text Message. In the mid-20th century, psychedelic research to treat conditions like depression began to take off, yet by 1970 almost all of that work came to a screeching halt. But guess what? It’s back, and access to guided therapy to treat various mental health conditions is becoming a reality. The link to The New York Times article ab…

1
Treating depression: Then versus now, and the SSRI debate 31:24

1y ago31:24

31:24

Send us a Text Message. There's a whole lot of information (and misinformation) out there about depression, as well as debate surrounding how it's treated. In this episode, Sam and Deboki unpack this complex mood disorder that impacts over 300 million people across the globe as well as the effectiveness of SSRIs and the work being done to find bett…

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