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Solutions Week: The Cost Of Food Delivery
10 september 2024 · 14 min
Since the height of the pandemic, there has been a boom in the use of food delivery services. Day 2 of NPR's Climate Solutions Week is all about the environmental impacts of how we shop for our food. So in this episode, NPR correspondent Scott Neuman reports on a question we've all wanted to know the answer to: What is the impact of getting food delivered on our carbon footprint? Lees meer
Interested in hearing more climate solutions? Email us at shortwave@npr.org – we'd love to hear your ideas!
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Solutions Week: Climate Change Is Coming For Your Wine
9 september 2024 · 13 min
In California's Napa Valley, the nation's unofficial wine capital, one varietal reigns supreme: cabernet sauvignon. But climate change is threatening the small blue-black grapes for which cabernet sauvignon is named. Increasingly severe heat waves are taking a toll on the grape variety, especially in late summer during ripening. Lees meer
To kick off NPR's Climate Solutions Week, climate correspondent Lauren Sommer joins host Regina G. Barber for a deep dive into the innovations wineries are actualizing — and the ways that cabernet farmers and fans alike could learn to adapt.
Climate change is affecting our food, and our food is affecting the climate. NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about the search for solutions.
Read more of Lauren's reporting on how climate change is affecting wine.
Interested in hearing more climate solutions? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Body Electric: How AI Is Changing Our Relationships
7 september 2024 · 27 min
Hey, Short Wavers! Today, we have a special present for all of you: An episode from our good friends at NPR's Body Electric podcast all a bout artificial intimacy! Thanks to advances in AI, chatbots can act as personalized therapists, companions and romantic partners. The apps offering these services have been downloaded millions of times. If these relationships relieve stress and make us feel better, does it matter that they're not "real"? On this episode of Body Electric, host Manoush Zomorodi talks to MIT sociologist and psychologist Sherry Turkle about her new research into what she calls "artificial intimacy" and its impact on our mental and physical health. Lees meer
Binge the whole Body Electric series here. Plus, sign up for the Body Electric Challenge and our newsletter here.
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Dogs Go Viral For 'Talking' To Humans — But Can They?
6 september 2024 · 9 min
Last year, a dog named Bunny went viral on TikTok for pressing buttons with words on them to "communicate" with her owner. But can dogs even understand those words on a soundboard in the first place? A new study in the journal PLOS One seeks answers. Host Regina G. Barber and producer Rachel Carlson break down that story and more of the week's news with the help of All Things Considered's Ari Shapiro. Lees meer
Have other viral headlines that you want us to put to the test for its scientific truth? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might cover it on a future episode!
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Feeling Itchy? Air Pollution Might Be Making It Worse
4 september 2024 · 13 min
Short Wave producer Hannah Chinn has adult-onset eczema. They're not the only one. Up to ten percent of people in the United States have it, according to the National Eczema Association — and its prevalence is increasing. Despite its ubiquity, a lot about this skin condition remains a mystery.
So today, Hannah's getting answers. They sat down with Raj Fadadu, a dermatologist at UC San Diego, to ask: What is eczema? What triggers it in the first place? And might climate change make it worse sometimes? Lees meerIf you liked this episode, check out our episode on the science of itchiness. Also, follow us! That way you never miss another Short Wave episode.
Interested in hearing more about climate change and human health? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear your feedback!
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Are You Overestimating The Algorithm?
3 september 2024 · 14 min
Humans hallucinate. Algorithms lie. Lees meer
At least, that's one difference that Joy Buolamwini and Kyle Chayka want to make clear. When ChatGPT tells you that a book exists when it doesn't – or professes its undying love – that's often called a "hallucination." Buolamwini, a computer scientist, prefers to call it "spicy autocomplete." But not all algorithmic errors are as innocuous. So today's show, we get into: How do algorithms work? What are their impacts? And how can we speak up about changing them?
This is a shortened version of Joy and Kyle's live interview, moderated by Regina G. Barber, at this year's Library of Congress National Book Festival.
If you liked this episode, check out our other episodes on facial recognition in Gaza, why AI is not a silver bullet and tech companies limiting police use of facial recognition.
Interested in hearing more technology stories? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to consider your idea for a future episode!
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Batteries: The Lemonade Of Life
2 september 2024 · 10 min
Just in time for the return of the school year, we're going "Back To School" by revisiting a classic at-home experiment that turns lemons into batteries — powerful enough to turn on a clock or a small lightbulb. But how does the science driving that process show up in household batteries we use daily? Host Emily Kwong and former host Maddie Sofia talk battery 101 with environmental engineer Jenelle Fortunato. Lees meer
Want us to cover more science basics? Email us your ideas at shortwave@npr.org — we might feature them on a future episode!
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Detecting Pests By Eavesdropping On Insects
30 augustus 2024 · 14 min
From Indonesia to Wisconsin, farmers all over the world struggle with a huge problem: pests. On top of that, it's tough for farmers to identify where exactly they have the pests and when. Reporter Lina Tran from NPR member station WUWM in Milwaukee joins host Emily Kwong to tell the story of how researchers in the Midwest are inventing new forms of pest detection that involve eavesdropping on the world of insects. Plus, hear what aphid slurping sounds like. Lees meer
If you liked this episode, check out behind-the-scenes photos of Insect Eavesdropper experiments in Lina's digital story!
Interested in hearing more insect news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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What's Missing From The Invasive Species Narrative?
28 augustus 2024 · 13 min
At first glance, the whole narrative of aquatic invasive species may seem straightforward: A bad non-native species comes into a new ecosystem and overruns good native species. But the truth? It's a little more complicated. To tear down everything we thought we knew about invasive species and construct a more nuanced picture, host Emily Kwong talks to experts Ian Pfingsten, who works on the United States Geological Survey's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, and Nicholas Reo, a Canada Excellence Research Chair in Coastal Relationalities and Regeneration. Lees meer
Check out episode where we get into the annual python challenge we referenced in this episode.
Have a favorite invasive species or one you really can't stand? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear your take!
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Preserving Your Humanity In The Age Of Robots
27 augustus 2024 · 14 min
Human beings are hardwired for social connection – so much so that we think of even the most basic objects as having feelings or experiences. (Yup, we're talking to you, Roomba owners!) Social robots add a layer to this. They're designed to make us feel like they're our friends. They can do things like care for children, the elderly or act as partners. But there's a darker side to them, too. They may encourage us to opt out of authentic, real-life connections, making us feel more isolated. Today on the show, host Regina G. Barber explores the duality of social robots with Eve Herold, author of the book Robots and the People Who Love Them. Lees meer
Curious about other innovations in technology? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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This Unremarkable Ant From Europe Quietly Conquered NYC
26 augustus 2024 · 14 min
New York: The city that never sleeps, the concrete jungle where dreams are made of and more recently ... home to a mysterious ant spreading across the city — before continuing across metropolitan and even state lines. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce joins host Regina G. Barber to trace the MahattAnts' takeover, explain why they're an interesting invasive species case study. Plus, how everyday people can get involved in research efforts to learn more about these critters. Lees meer
Read more of Nell's ManhattAnt story here. And if you like this story, check out our story on ant amputation!
Interested in hearing more animal news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Feeling Bored? Stop Swiping
23 augustus 2024 · 9 min
Have you ever scrolled through a TikTok without finishing it? Switched between YouTube videos halfway through one or the other? Pressed "fast forward" on a Netflix episode that just wasn't holding your interest? That habit is called "digital switching" — and it might be causing the exact thing you're trying to avoid: boredom. Emily and Regina break that and more of the week's news down with the help of All Things Considered's Ailsa Chang. Lees meer
Read this study on digital switching and boredom in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Interested in hearing more psychology news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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What COVID Going Endemic Means For You
21 augustus 2024 · 13 min
U.S. health officials now say COVID-19 is an endemic disease. That means it's here to stay – circulating fairly regularly like the flu. Even though that changes how public health officials think about managing the virus, they say it doesn't mean being less cautious or vigilant during surges, like the current one this summer. COVID still poses significant risks for older individuals and those with underlying conditions — and anyone who gets COVID is at risk of developing long COVID. Lees meer
NPR science correspondent Rob Stein reported this story. Read Rob's full story here.
Interested in hearing more COVID or health news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Solve A Moon Mystery! With Radiolab
20 augustus 2024 · 15 min
All summer long, we've been on a 10-episode odyssey through the changing universe (check out the series). But there was one big set of objects that we skipped over: moons. So now we're back, with special guest, Radiolab's Latif Nasser, to talk about yes, our moon — and the many moons and quasi-moons beyond it. Where did our Moon come from? How many moons are out there? What's this "quasi-moon" of which we speak and why is it "dancing" around space? Lees meer
Also, Latif tells us about Radiolab's contest to name a quasi-moon. Read all the details and submit a name here!
Lunar questions or otherwise celestial musings you think we should cover? We'd love to hear about it! You can reach us by emailing shortwave@npr.org.
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The Power Of Braille Literacy
19 augustus 2024 · 13 min
For blind and low vision adults, the ability to read braille can be life-changing. Braille literacy is directly linked to higher rates of academic success and better employment outcomes for them. But there's a problem. The U.S. is facing a national shortage of qualified braille teachers and there's a lack of scientific research around braille overall. An interdisciplinary team led by linguist Robert Englebretson wants to change that. Lees meer
Read some of the team's work here:
- Englebretson R, Holbrook MC, Fischer-Baum S. A position paper on researching braille in the cognitive sciences: decentering the sighted norm. Applied Psycholinguistics. 2023.
- Englebretson, R., Holbrook, M.C., Treiman, R. et al. The primacy of morphology in English braille spelling: an analysis of bridging contractions. Morphology. 2024.Interested in hearing more linguistics stories? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Firing A Weapon Might Hurt Your Brain
16 augustus 2024 · 13 min
Some weapons used by the United States military are so powerful, they can pose a threat to the people who fire them — even in training. When weapons are fired, an invisible blast wave travels through the brains of anyone nearby. Exposure to lots of these blasts over time — even low level ones — has been shown to cause brain health problems for service members. Lees meer
If you liked this episode, consider checking out some more episodes on the brain, including its waste system, face blindness and the neuroscience of loneliness.
Questions or ideas you want us to consider for a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org. We'd love to hear from you!
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How To Beat The Heat, Olympian-Style
14 augustus 2024 · 12 min
Over the next week, forecasts project extreme heat across much of the South, Midwest and parts of the West. So, this episode, health correspondent Pien Huang helps us take heat training cues from Olympians, many of whom spent weeks preparing for a sweltering Paris Olympics, by training in the heat to get their bodies used to hot, humid weather. But heat training is not just for competitive athletes. It's recommended for people in the military and those who work outdoors in hot weather — and it could even be useful for generally healthy members of the public. Plus, we get into some important caveats about who is best positioned to heat train — and why doing so doesn't minimize the problems of a warming climate. Lees meer
Check out more of Pien's reporting on heat training.
And, if you liked this episode, consider checking out our episodes on the dew point, the power of sweat and coping with extreme heat.
Questions or ideas you want us to consider for a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org. We'd love to hear from you!
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How Will the Universe End?
13 augustus 2024 · 13 min
Today, we're bringing you the final installment of our space summer series ... with the end ... of EVERYTHING. Will the universe end in a huge cosmic unraveling? A slow and lonely dissolution? Or a quantum-level transition that breaks the laws of physics? Theoretical astrophysicist Katie Mack breaks down three possible scenarios for how the universe as we know it will finally come to an end. Lees meer
To celebrate the end of our Space Camp series, we also made a QUIZ! Check it out at npr.org/spacecamp.
Questions? Comments? Existential dread or excitement? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
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To Save The Grizzly Bear, You Gotta Think Like One
12 augustus 2024 · 13 min
Grizzly bears in the contiguous United States have been taken off — then put back on — the endangered species list twice since they were first labeled as threatened almost 50 years ago. Now, the issue is on the table again. Today, we get into the complicated science behind grizzly recovery, how humans have sliced up their habitat and what it will take to stitch that habitat back together again. Lees meer
Interested in more charismatic megafauna? Email shortwave@npr.org. We've love to consider covering your favorite on a future episode!
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What Is An Unfair Advantage In Sports?
10 augustus 2024 · 14 min
We at Short Wave have been following all things Olympics, from the medals and new records to the ugly accusations that two women boxers aren't really women. Last year, the boxers failed gender tests, according to the International Boxing Association. The IBA claims the women have a "hormonal imbalance" that gives them women an unfair advantage. The International Olympic Committee has condemned these claims and defended the boxers' right to compete in the women's category. But this Olympics is far from the first time the gender of athletes has been questioned. Lees meer
NPR's Embedded podcast has a new series called Tested that gets into this history of sex testing in elite sports – in particular, track and field. In this excerpt, host Rose Eveleth digs deep on a big question: What constitutes an "unfair" advantage on the track?
Listen to the full Tested series now.
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These Sea Lions Are Basically Scientists
9 augustus 2024 · 9 min
How do you study unmapped areas of the ocean and identify critical habitat for an endangered species? You include the study animal in the scientific process! Researchers from the University of Adelaide fitted endangered Australian sea lions with cameras and tracking devices to better understand where they spent their time. The information could help scientists protect critical sea lion habitat and could give researchers a new tool for mapping the ocean. Lees meer
Interested in more underwater science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Was The Paris Olympic Pool Slow?
7 augustus 2024 · 12 min
In the last week, we've seen swimmers diving headfirst into the 2024 Paris Olympics pool, limbs gracefully slicing through the water. And yet, world and Olympic records weren't broken at quite the rate some expected, leading many on social media to speculate: Was the pool the culprit? With the help of NPR correspondents Bill Chappell and Brian Mann, we investigate. Lees meer
Read Bill Chappell's full story about this here.
Want us to cover the science behind more Olympic sports? Email us at shortwave@npr.org. We'd love to hear from you!
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We're All Swimming In Big Bang Juice
6 augustus 2024 · 14 min
The Big Bang: The moment when our universe — everything in existence — began....Right? Lees meer
Turns out, it's not quite that simple.
Today, when scientists talk about the Big Bang, they mean a period of time – closer to an era than to a specific moment. Host Regina Barber talks with two cosmologists about the cosmic microwave background, its implications for the universe's origins and the discovery that started it all.
Interested in more space science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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The Toll Of Social Media On Mental Health
5 augustus 2024 · 13 min
Rates of depression and anxiety have risen among teens over the last decade. Amid this ongoing mental health crisis, the American Psychological Association issued guidelines for parents to increase protection for teens online. In this encore episode, NPR science correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff looks into the data on how that change has impacted the mental health of teenagers. In her reporting, she found that the seismic shift of smartphones and social media has re-defined how teens socialize, communicate and even sleep. In 2009, about half of teens said they were using social media daily, reported psychologist Jean Twenge. And by 2022, 95% of teens said they used some social media, and about a third said they use it constantly. Lees meer
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What Makes Simone Biles The GOAT, Scientifically
2 augustus 2024 · 13 min
Another Olympics, another set of stellar performances by the U.S. women's artistic gymnastics team. Thursday, the team won two medals in the women's all-around final: a gold for Simone Biles and a bronze for Sunisa Lee. The medals add to the team's overall count, which also includes a gold for the women's team final. Simone and Suni are expected to lead the team to more medals in the coming days. Each day the gymnasts compete, we are left to pick our jaws off the floor and wonder: How do they do that? So we called up one of our favorite science communicators, Frederic Bertley, to explain just that. He's the CEO of the Center of Science and Industry and our gymnastics physics guide for the day. Lees meer
Follow NPR's 2024 Paris Olympics coverage.
Want us to cover the science powering other Olympians? Email us at shortwave@npr.org. We'd love to hear from you!
A previous version of this episode suggested that at the top of a gymnast's jump, they are moving with zero acceleration. In fact, there they have zero velocity, but still have the same acceleration. Also, gravity is constant as a person performs gymnastics tricks on Earth. A previous version of this episode also did not make clear that conservation of angular momentum happens as gymnasts move through the air in uneven bars — as opposed to when the gymnasts are on the bars themselves and the gymnasts are subject to additional forces.
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The Mathematical Marvel Of The Rubik's Cube
31 juli 2024 · 14 min
The Rubik's Cube was created 50 years ago by Hungarian inventor Ernő Rubik. Since then, over 500 million of them have been sold. We dive into this global phenomenon that's captured the imagination of countless people around the world and inspired all kinds of competitions — even solving with your feet! But no matter the cube, the process of solving one involves math — specifically, algorithms. Roman Chavez loved Rubik's Cubes so much, he founded the Jr. Oakland Cubers in high school. Now a mathematics student at Cornell University, Roman talks to host Emily Kwong about how to solve the cube and what life lessons he's learned from the cube. Lees meer
Interested in more math episodes? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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The Curious Case Of The Supermassive Black Hole
30 juli 2024 · 14 min
Black holes are one of the most mysterious cosmological phenomena out there. Astrophysicist Priya Natarajan calls them "the point where all known laws of physics break down." Lees meer
On the list of perplexing qualities: The origins of supermassive black holes. That story was only confirmed within the last year.
Check out more of our series Space Camp on the weird and mysterious in space at npr.org/spacecamp.
Interested in more space science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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We Hate To Tell You This, But Some Leeches Can Jump
29 juli 2024 · 13 min
Generally, we at Short Wave are open-minded to the creepies and the crawlies, but even we must admit that leeches are already the stuff of nightmares. They lurk in water. They drink blood. There are over 800 different species of them. And now, as scientists have confirmed ... at least some of them can jump! Lees meer
Interested in more critter science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to consider your animal of choice for a future episode!
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What Chimpanzee Gestures Reveal About Human Communication
26 juli 2024 · 9 min
Chimpanzees are humans' closest living relatives. But does much of their communication resembles ours? According to a new study published earlier this week in the journal Current Biology, chimpanzees gesture back-and-forth in a similar way to how humans take turns speaking. The research presents an intriguing possibility that this style of communication may have evolved before humans split off from great apes, and tells researchers more about how turn-taking evolved. Lees meer
Interested in more science news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Dancing Yeti Crabs, Morphing Cuttlefish, Other Stories From The Deep Sea
24 juli 2024 · 13 min
As a kid, Sabrina Imbler loved the ocean. They'd swim and snorkel, following around parrotfish in the water. Later, they tried to learn everything they could about the brightly-colored tropical fish – how some create a mucus cocoon at night to protect it from parasites, or how they help keep coral reefs healthy. Lees meer
As they got older, their fascination with sea creatures only grew. Imbler released a collection of essays in 2022 called How Far The Light Reaches: A Life In Ten Sea Creatures. Each chapter focuses on a different marine species – from yeti crabs near hydrothermal vents in the deep sea to the morphing abilities of cuttlefish. Often, these creatures act as a mirror for Imbler to explore parts of their own identity.
Want more on the wonders of the deep sea? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Outer Space Changes You, Literally. Here's What It Does To The Human Body
23 juli 2024 · 14 min
Lower gravity. Higher radiation. No ER access. These are just a few of the challenges that humans face in outer space. Emily and Regina talk to a NASA astronaut (and astronaut scientist) about the impact of spaceflight on the human body. Plus, we learn about telomeres (hint: They change in space)! Lees meer
Check out more of our series on space: https://www.npr.org/spacecamp
Interested in more space science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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The Brain Makes A Lot Of Waste. Here's How It Cleans Itself Up
22 juli 2024 · 13 min
Scientists have long studied the relationship between sleep and the brain, and why poor sleep is linked to neurological diseases like Alzheimer's. NPR science correspondent Jon Hamilton talks to host Regina G. Barber about the brain's washing system and the particular sound researchers have found that seems to turn it on in mice. Lees meer
Read Jon's full piece here.
Interested in more science about the brain? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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How An Ambitious River Rerouting Plan Could Change India's Weather
19 juli 2024 · 14 min
More than a hundred years ago, a British engineer proposed linking two rivers in India to better irrigate the area and cheaply move goods. The link never happened, but the idea survived. Today, due to extreme flooding in some parts of the country mirrored by debilitating drought in others, India's National Water Development Agency plans to dig thirty links between rivers across the country. It's the largest project of its kind and will take decades to complete. But scientists are worried what moving that much water could do to the land, the people — and even the weather. Host Emily Kwong talks to journalist Sushmita Pathak about her recent story on the project. Lees meer
Read Sushmita's full story here.
Interested in more science stories like this? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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The Magic — And Science — Of Synchronous Firefly Displays
17 juli 2024 · 14 min
Every year for two weeks between mid-May and mid-June, Congaree National Park in South Carolina is home to a fairy-tale-like display of flashing lights. These rhythmic performances happen all because of thousands of fireflies, flashing their belly lanterns at exactly the same time. According to the National Park Service, there are just three types of these synchronous fireflies in North America, making the experience all the more magical for the lucky visitors who get the chance to see them. Lees meer
Firefly scientists and enthusiasts hope these displays in places like Congaree will inspire people to care about other kinds of fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, in the U.S., which are not as well-studied – or well-protected – as synchronous ones. Some community scientists are already taking on this mission with projects like the Firefly Atlas, where volunteers can help survey for fireflies and report sightings.
This story was originally reported for NPR by science correspondent Pien Huang. Read Pien's full story here.
Want more of the science behind wildlife wonders? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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This Mysterious Energy Is Everywhere. Scientists Still Don't Know What It Is
16 juli 2024 · 15 min
The universe — everything in existence — is expanding every second! It's only been about a hundred years that humanity has known this, too — that most galaxies are traveling away from us and the universe is expanding. Just a few decades ago, in the late 1990s, scientists started to notice another peculiar thing: The expansion of the universe is speeding up over time. It's like an explosion where the debris gets faster instead of slowing down. The mysterious force pushing the universe outward faster and faster was named dark energy. Cosmologist Brian Nord joins host Regina G. Barber in a conversation that talks about what dark energy could be and what it implies about the end of our universe. Lees meer
Check out more of our series on space at https://www.npr.org/spacecamp.
Curious about other happenings in our universe? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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The Dubious Consent Question At The Heart Of The Human Genome Project
15 juli 2024 · 14 min
The Human Genome Project was a massive undertaking that took more than a decade and billions of dollars to complete. For it, scientists collected DNA samples from anonymous volunteers who were told the final project would be a mosaic of DNA. Instead, over two-thirds of the DNA comes from one person: RP11. No one ever told him. Science journalist Ashley Smart talks to host Emily Kwong about his recent investigation into the decision to make RP11 the major donor — and why unearthing this history matters to genetics today. Lees meer
Read Ashley's full article in Undark Magazine here.
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Teens Are Following Skincare Trends On TikTok. Some Dermatologists Are Wary
12 juli 2024 · 9 min
TikTok is fuel for many trends, including a skin care craze among teens, pre-teens — okay, and us. The "glass skin" trend calls for a multi-step routine, often involving pricey products. It's all in pursuit of dewy, seemingly poreless, glowing complexion – like glass. But some dermatologists say these attempts can backfire, irritating, burning and even peeling sensitive pre-teen skin. As teens and tweens have become major consumers of skin care products, dermatologists are seeing more of these cases and are cautioning against these elaborate routines. Lees meer
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Like Humans, These Ants Can Perform Leg Amputations To Save Lives
10 juli 2024 · 14 min
Some ants herd aphids. Some farm fungi. And now, scientists have realized that when an ant injures its leg, it sometimes will turn to a buddy to perform a lifesaving limb amputation. Not only that — some ants have probably been amputating limbs longer than humans! Today, thanks to the reporting of ant enthusiast and science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce, we behold the medical prowess of the ant. Lees meer
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The Invisible Substance That Structures Our Universe
9 juli 2024 · 14 min
The universe is so much bigger than what people can see. Visible matter — the ground, the Sun, the screen you're reading this on — makes up only about 4 or 5 percent of our known universe. Dark matter makes up much more of the universe. It's all around us even though we can't see it. So what is it? What's it made out of? How do we even know it exists? Host Emily Kwong and Rebecca Ramirez try to find out with the help of astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan. Lees meer
This episode is part of our series Space Camp, all about the weird and mysterious depths of our universe. Check out the full series: https://www.npr.org/spacecamp.
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Sharks Often Get A Bad Rap, But Oceans Need Them
8 juli 2024 · 11 min
It's that time of the year again: Shark Week. The TV program is so long-running that if you're under 37, you've never known a life without it. In honor of this oft misunderstood critter, we revisit our conversation with shark scientist Melissa Christina Marquez. She explains just how important sharks are to keeping the oceans healthy, including their role in mitigating climate change. Plus, there may be some talk about shark poop. Lees meer
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From Cars To Leaf Blowers: Noise Pollution's Toll On Human Health
5 juli 2024 · 13 min
When's the last time you were in a place that was quiet — really quiet? No roadway noise, construction work or even the hum of a refrigerator. Our world is full of sounds, some of which are harming our health. The World Health Organization says "noise is an underestimated threat." Today, host Emily Kwong talks to health reporter Joanne Silberner about those health costs, what is too loud and some of the history of legislation to limit noise pollution in the United States. Lees meer
Read Joanne's full article in Undark Magazine here.
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Researchers Are Figuring Out How African Ancestry Can Affect Certain Brain Disorders
3 juli 2024 · 13 min
Black Americans have been underrepresented in most genomic studies of neurological disorders. As a result, scientists don't know much about whether African ancestry affects a person's risk for these disorders or their response to a particular treatment. To help close this gap, the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, African American community leaders in Baltimore, and researchers from Duke University and Morgan State University created the African Ancestry Neuroscience Research Initiative in 2019. The team found that genes associated with African ancestry appear to affect certain brain cells in ways that could increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and stroke. Lees meer
Read science correspondent Jon Hamilton's full story here.
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Could '3 Body Problem's Aliens Exist? The Science Behind Netflix's New Hit
2 juli 2024 · 14 min
Before the '3 Body Problem' became a bestselling book and a smash TV show ... it was a physics concept, with big implications for how we understand planetary orbits. In this episode, we learn about the science behind the screen. Plus, why it's plausible a nearby, mysterious planet could hold life. Lees meer
This story is part of Short Wave's Space Camp series about all the weird, wonderful things happening in the universe —check out the full series.
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Want Juicy Barbecue This Fourth Of July? Cook Low And Slow
1 juli 2024 · 12 min
Perfecting your grilling technique ahead of the Fourth of July? Chefs will tell you that cooking is not just an art — it's a science. And the spirit of summer barbecues, NPR science correspondent Sydney Lupkin brings us this encore piece about how understanding the chemistry of cooking meat can help you perfect your barbeque. It's all about low and slow cooking. Lees meer
This story was originally reported for NPR by Gisele Grayson. Read her reporting.
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Move Over Norse Mythology, There's A New Loki In Town — A Dinosaur
28 juni 2024 · 9 min
A brand new species of ceratops, or horned dinosaur, was recently discovered in northern Montana. The dinosaur is called Lokiceratops rangiformis, after the Norse god Loki, and is believed to have lived roughly eighty million years ago. The bones of the plant-eating dinosaur were found on private land in an area well known for its large amount of fossils, and at first, researchers thought the bones belonged to another species of dinosaur! Lees meer
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The Human Brain Is Hardwired To Recognize Faces. But What If You Can't?
26 juni 2024 · 13 min
Humans are hardwired to see faces — even in inanimate objects. We have a lima bean-shaped part of our brains dedicated to facial recognition. But this process isn't always straightforward. Science journalist Sadie Dingfelder is one of 10 million Americans who are face blind, or struggle to recognize the faces of people they know. In her new book, Do I Know You? she dives into this, as well as the science of memory and imagination. Lees meer
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Some Stars Explode As They Die. We Look At Their Life Cycle
25 juni 2024 · 15 min
This summer, scientists have their eyes and telescopes trained on the small constellation system T Coronae Borealis. They think it will explode as part of a periodic nova — a once-in-a-lifetime event according to NASA scientists. And so, with the help of astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance, we continue our journey farther and deeper into spacetime with a look at the stars: How they're born and how they die. Sarafina has always been drawn to one particular star: Betelgeuse, a red supergiant in the shoulder of the constellation Orion that is nearing the end of its life. What stages of life did Betelgeuse — or any star — go through before it reached this moment? Lees meer
This episode is part of our series Space Camp — all abut the weird, wonderful phenomena in our universe. Check it out here: https://npr.org/spacecamp
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Earth Is More Than A Planet With Life On It. It's A "Living Planet"
24 juni 2024 · 14 min
About ten years ago, science writer Ferris Jabr started contemplating Earth as a living planet rather than a planet with life on it. It began when he learned that the Amazon rainforest doesn't simply receive the rain that defines it; rather, it helps generate that rain. The Amazon does that by launching bits of biological confetti into the atmosphere that, in turn, seed clouds. After learning this, he began looking for other ways life changes its environment. That led to his new book Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life. He talks to host Regina G. Barber about examples of life transforming the planet — from changing the color of the sky to altering the weather. Lees meer
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We're In For A Brutal Hurricane Season, According To Predictions
21 juni 2024 · 12 min
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a record number of hurricanes this season, which began on June 1 and runs through Nov. They're forecasting anywhere from 17 to 25 storms in the Atlantic basin, including at least four major hurricanes. Scientists think this storm activity could be due to strong winds, warmer ocean temperatures and a scientific mystery unfolding in the Atlantic. Lees meer
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What 'Inside Out 2' Got Right About Anxiety, Per A Psychologist
19 juni 2024 · 14 min
Pixar's new movie, Inside Out 2 came out Friday. It's the sequel to the 2015 movie Inside Out, which follows the life of 11-year-old Riley and her family as they move to San Francisco. In Inside Out 2, Riley is 13 and thriving in her new city. She has friends and is a star on her hockey team. But when puberty hits one night, four new emotions come into play: Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment and most of all, Anxiety. Lees meer
Clinical psychologist and Inside Out 2 consultant Lisa Damour says the movie is surprisingly accurate when it comes to experiencing anxiety and puberty. Plus, she offers some guidance to help make the most of our anxiety.
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