<p>From molecules to microbes, Tiny Matters is a science podcast about the little things that have a big impact on our society, past and present. Former scientists Sam Jones and Deboki Chakravarti explore questions like, 'what is a memory?', 'will we ever cure HIV?' and 'are we alone in the universe?'. New episodes every Wednesday.</p>

&lt;p&gt;On January 27, 1958, newspaper editor Olga Huckins sat down to write an angry letter to a friend. Olga and her husband owned a private two-acre bird sanctuary, and the previous summer the government had sprayed the pesticide DDT all over that two acres to control the mosquitos. She saw wildlife, particularly birds, getting sick and dying. The friend Olga sent the letter to was none other than Rachel Carson, who would go on to write the book &lt;em&gt;Silent Spring&lt;/em&gt;, exposing the dangers of synthetic pesticides, including DDT, and helping push forward the modern environmental movement and the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Today on the show we’re going to talk about the history of pesticides and their deployment, and how researchers are working to develop more effective, safer pesticides. We will also take a fascinating dive into the coevolution of plants and pests, specifically insects, and what we’re learning about the effectiveness of pesticides based on hundreds of millions of years of plant and insect evolution. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href=&#039;https://forms.gle/pxyCeQ3LRea4SwiT8&#039;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Send us your science stories/factoids/news&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; for a chance to be featured on an upcoming Tiny Show and Tell Us episode and to be entered to win a Tiny Matters coffee mug! And, while you&amp;apos;re at it, subscribe to our newsletter at &lt;a href=&#039;https://bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter&#039;&gt;&lt;b&gt;bit.ly/tinymattersnewsletter&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Link to the Tiny Show &amp;amp; Tell story is &lt;a href=&#039;https://www.stowers.org/news/stowers-scientists-uncover-a-critical-component-that-helps-killifish-regenerate-their-fins&#039;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. You can find &lt;a href=&#039;https://birdcast.info/&#039;&gt;BirdCast here&lt;/a&gt;. All Tiny Matters transcripts and references are available &lt;a href=&#039;https://www.acs.org/pressroom/tiny-matters/episodes.html&#039;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

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