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The Universe in a Cup of Coffee

This week Reactions delves into the surprisingly complex chemistry behind coffee. The science runs deep in this one. The chemistry of the universe is, in a way, in your morning cup of coffee — from the evolution of caffeine as a defensive chemical weapon in plants to the swirling eddies of milk and coffee fueled by diffusion, Brownian motion and other phenomena.
Season 4 Episode 1 Length 04:33 Premiere: 01/24/17

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Specials

Season 4 Episodes

The Universe in a Cup of Coffee
S4 E40 Length 04:39 Premiere Date 09/10/18

The Periodic Table Table
S4 E39 Length 05:39 Premiere Date 12/26/17

The One Where We Put Stuff in Acid
S4 E38 Length 05:13 Premiere Date 12/21/17

Why Do Some People Hate Cilantro?
S4 E37 Length 02:44 Premiere Date 12/12/17

How Does Xanax Work?
S4 E36 Length 04:07 Premiere Date 12/05/17

How Do Hand Sanitizers Work?
S4 E35 Length 03:21 Premiere Date 11/28/17

How Do Hand Sanitizers Work?
S4 E35 Length 03:06 Premiere Date 11/28/17

How Does Glassblowing Work?
S4 E34 Length 03:59 Premiere Date 11/21/17

Your Liver and Kidneys Are Good Enough, Put Down the Detox
S4 E33 Length 05:15 Premiere Date 11/14/17

The Chemistry of Hollywood Fake Blood
S4 E32 Length 04:28 Premiere Date 10/27/17

How Do We Know How Old the Earth Is?
S4 E31 Length 04:27 Premiere Date 10/23/17

How Do We Know How Old the Earth Is?
S4 E31 Length 04:24 Premiere Date 10/23/17

How Does Chemotherapy Treat Breast Cancer?
S4 E30 Length 05:21 Premiere Date 10/17/17

3 Egg-cellently Weird Science Experiments
S4 E29 Length 03:46 Premiere Date 10/10/17

Better Pancakes Through Chemistry
S4 E28 Length 04:38 Premiere Date 09/25/17

The Delicious Chemistry of Sushi
S4 E27 Length 05:43 Premiere Date 09/19/17

What Makes Smartphones Explode?
S4 E26 Length 03:13 Premiere Date 09/12/17

What Makes Rubber Rubbery?
S4 E25 Length 04:26 Premiere Date 09/05/17

What Do Astronauts Do With Pee in Space?
S4 E24 Length 04:08 Premiere Date 08/22/17

The Smell of Durian Explained
S4 E23 Length 05:21 Premiere Date 08/15/17

Why Do Superhydrophobic Materials Never Get Wet?
S4 E22 Length 03:24 Premiere Date 08/07/17

7 Wine Facts & Myths
S4 E21 Length 07:36 Premiere Date 08/01/17

7 Wine Facts & Myths
S4 E21 Length 07:08 Premiere Date 08/01/17

Frying Your Way to Better Chicken
S4 E20 Length 04:55 Premiere Date 07/18/17

Dragon's Blood Could Save Your Life
S4 E19 Length 03:58 Premiere Date 07/11/17

Why is the Statue of Liberty Green?
S4 E18 Length 03:45 Premiere Date 06/29/17

Why is the Statue of Liberty Green?
S4 E18 Length 03:35 Premiere Date 06/29/17

Why is Olive Oil Awesome?
S4 E17 Length 04:34 Premiere Date 06/20/17

How Do Anti-Wrinkle Creams Work?
S4 E16 Length 04:33 Premiere Date 06/13/17

Chemistry Life Hacks: Food Edition
S4 E15 Length 04:55 Premiere Date 06/06/17

Does Peeing on a Jellyfish Sting Make it Stop Hurting?
S4 E14 Length 04:55 Premiere Date 05/23/17

The Leidenfrost Effect
S4 E13 Length 04:01 Premiere Date 05/16/17

How Is Whiskey Made?
S4 E12 Length 04:01 Premiere Date 05/02/17

What Do Electrolytes Actually Do?
S4 E11 Length 02:26 Premiere Date 04/25/17

How Do Worms Turn Garbage into Compost?
S4 E10 Length 04:49 Premiere Date 04/19/17

What is Bicycle Day?
S4 E9 Length 04:32 Premiere Date 04/11/17

How Do We Tell Temperature?
S4 E8 Length 04:49 Premiere Date 03/28/17

What's the Best Way to Cook Pasta?
S4 E7 Length 04:23 Premiere Date 03/21/17

Catalytic Converter Stolen? Here's Why.
S4 E6 Length 05:11 Premiere Date 04/20/21

Vertical Farming
S4 E5 Length 04:26 Premiere Date 02/28/17

Vertical Farming
S4 E5 Length 04:28 Premiere Date 12/15/16

How Does Cooking Affect Nutrients in Veggies?
S4 E4 Length 04:21 Premiere Date 02/21/17

Milk Vs. Dark Chocolate: The Ultimate Showdown
S4 E3 Length 04:11 Premiere Date 02/07/17

What is Your Snot Saying?
S4 E2 Length 02:40 Premiere Date 01/31/17

The Universe in a Cup of Coffee
S4 E1 Length 04:33 Premiere Date 01/24/17

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