Critical Mass

with Kenna and Elliot

First-person laboratory horror stories, unexpected chemical reactions, research mishaps, and academic science drama retold and debated straight from online chemistry communities.

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14 stories

The latest

Aug 25, 2026 · ▶ Episode live

Secret Vault of a Tobacco Chemist Revealed: 50-Year-Old Stash of Rare Perfumes, Mystery Compounds, and Lethal Poisons Found in Home Lab
A breathtaking private collection of vintage olfactory science sparks awe—and highlights the sharp divide between chemical preservation and academic burnout.
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Aug 24, 2026 · ▶ episode live

Superbug In A Trash Can Wound & Rebuilding Science From Zero
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Aug 21, 2026 · ▶ episode live

From Nitrogen Bombs to Recycled Plastic: Inside the High-Stakes World of Lab Survival
Why handling volatile energetic chemicals and trying to reuse single-use cell culture vessels present two sides of the same academic pressure cooker.
Aug 20, 2026 · ▶ episode live

Is Your Entry-Level Science Offer a Launchpad or a Dead-End Trap?
Chemical engineering grads weigh in on benchtop formulation offers and the controversial rise of unpaid academic post-bacc positions.
Aug 19, 2026 · ▶ episode live

Muted Mics and Seven-Figure Salaries: Chemistry World Erupts Over Corporate Logo Wipeout
Thousands of researchers sign protests after a prominent scientific society replaces historic icons with modern corporate geometry during a heavily censored town hall.
Aug 18, 2026 · ▶ episode live

Grad Student Catches Major Error in Dream Lab's Paper—Is Pointing It Out Career Suicide?
Finding a critical bug in a world-renowned lab's code leaves a finishing PhD student trapped between proving their brilliance and destroying a job opportunity.
Aug 17, 2026 · ▶ episode live

Mouse Models, Volatile Bosses, and Lead Paranoia: Inside a Doctoral Candidate’s Lab Crisis
When chronic academic stress hits a breaking point, the line between research anxiety and everyday fear begins to blur.
Aug 16, 2026 · ▶ episode live

Lab Hacks or Safety Disasters? Chemist Sparks Warfare Over Undergrad Research Clout
From chemical glove melting to premature paper publishing, scientists are locked in a battle over early career hustle.
Aug 15, 2026 · ▶ episode live

Data P-Hacking, Career Dread, and Ziploc Disasters: Inside a PhD’s Meltdown
A doctoral candidate facing bad science and impossible job markets uncovers corporate physics blunders on the factory floor.
Aug 15, 2026 · ▶ episode live

PhD Gatekeeping and Project Engineering Panics Split the Science World
Young STEM professionals reveal the harsh realities of breaking into high-tech labs and surviving non-traditional engineering roles.
Aug 11, 2026 · ▶ episode live

Faking the Lab Bench: Should You Ever Exaggerate Your Chemistry Resume?
Inside the high-stakes debate dividing young scientists between strict ethical purity and corporate survival.
Aug 11, 2026 · ▶ episode live

PhD Nightmare: Rejected for 'Lack of Motivation' After 8-Month Job Hunt
A chemical engineering PhD candidate specializing in a niche field faces devastating job rejection and questions their academic path.
Aug 10, 2026 · ▶ episode live

Academic Suicide or Genius Pivot? Inside the High-Stakes World of Double STEM Pre-Reqs and Career Swings
From double-stacking microbiology with anatomy to jumping from brewery work to chemical engineering, STEM students are pushing the boundaries of academic survival.
Aug 10, 2026 · ▶ episode live

Quantum Crisis in the P-Chem Lab: Grad Students Suffer Math Meltdowns Over Secret Energy Surfaces
From adiabatic approximation nightmares to radical-pair medicine, young scientists are pushing back against old-school academic dogma.
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