Podcasts · Science

Short Wave

NPR

300 episodes

New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — in just under 15 minutes. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber for science on a different wavelength. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for Short Wave.

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. You Can See Everything and the science of spotting liars

    · 14 min · Episode 1576

    It feels like everyone we know is talking about the new documentary You Can See Everything. It tracks the effort of comedian and documentarian Nathan Fielder to suss out how deceptive Elizabeth Holmes, disgraced…

  2. The battle between matter and antimatter

    · 11 min

    At the beginning of our universe, in addition to matter, there was also an equal amount of antimatter, matter's opposite. But today, there's lots more matter than antimatter. So how did that happen? Well, the answer…

  3. The dormant viruses in all of us may help explain long COVID

    · 14 min

    Virtually every human on Earth has a slew of different types of dormant viruses in our bodies. They are remnants of past infections and are—generally—harmless. Unless they wake up, which can be triggered by extreme…

  4. Can planting more trees make allergies worse?

    · 12 min

    Trees provide shade and clean air in congested cities, so planting more of them seems like a straightforward solution. But trees also produce a natural pollutant— pollen. In this episode, producer Juan Diego Ramirez…

  5. What are the odds we're not alone in the universe?

    · 15 min · Episode 1572

    There are hundreds of billions of stars in the galaxy we live in. Many of them have their own exoplanets. So why haven’t we found proof of alien life yet? And what’s the probability of us contacting or being contacted…

  6. What the world's leading researchers think about saunas

    · 14 min

    Saunas have gone from a Scandinavian tradition to a global wellness phenomenon. But how long should a person endure heat? Do saunas actually work? And if so, what are their benefits? NPR health reporter Will Stone goes…

  7. The terrifying physics of prehistoric sea monsters

    · 9:20

    While dinosaurs roamed the earth, giant monsters roamed the sea. Mosasaurs were like the deadly T-rexes of the ocean: They grew up to the size of a bus and chased down their smaller prey. A recent study in the journal…

  8. What's at stake if we can't regrow our forests

    · 14 min

    In 2022, parachutist Luigi Cani dropped 100 million seeds over the Amazon rainforest while skydiving. He did it to raise awareness about deforestation and help regrow the forest. But there has been little scientific…

  9. What Flock cameras really see – and how

    · 16 min · Episode 1569

    Police departments across the U.S. are installing Flock cameras, saying the surveillance devices help deter theft and solve crimes, like helping find stolen property and missing people. But as the technology and its…

  10. The sound of fear: Why so many animals scream

    · 13 min

    It's Halloween season — and what better way to celebrate October 13th than to explore the haunting sound of fear? That's exactly what we do in this episode, where host Regina G. Barber and NPR science correspondent…

  11. One of the toughest parts of ADHD is left out of the diagnosis

    · 12 min

    ADHD diagnoses are on the rise in the United States, but what if professionals are missing a key part of the disorder? In the 1970s, some clinicians recognized a lot of their ADHD patients had trouble with emotional…

  12. What's missing from the lethal injection conversation

    · 15 min · Episode 1565

    You might have seen the news that Christa Pike, a convicted murderer in Tennessee, did not die from the injections given to her as part of her death penalty sentence last week. After her failed execution, she was…

  13. Science-backed guidance for healthy screen time

    · 13 min

    We’re all aware – and wary – of doomscrolling. Lots of screen time can be bad for us. But what if that’s not always the case? We spoke with the author of a study that found a positive relationship between screen time…

  14. The genetic secret helping bats survive a deadly epidemic

    · 14 min · Episode 1563

    We’re easing you into Halloween season with an episode about bats. There’s a silent serial killer decimating little brown bats as they hibernate. White nose syndrome has driven populations across the U.S. to almost the…

  15. Eating alone may be secretly spiking your blood sugar

    · 9:59

    Being more social has a ton of benefits: lower stress, decreased inflammation – even living a longer life! Recently, some scientists have added lowering your blood sugar to the list. To figure it out, researchers had…

  16. How much of Earth's life is still undiscovered?

    · 14 min

    If you, like us, clicked on the cute cat photos posted everywhere recently, announcing the discovery of the first new cat species in more than a century, you might have wondered how rare it is to find a new species.…

  17. What social media gets wrong about inflammation

    · 15 min · Episode 1560

    Inflammation is all over our feeds. Influencers claim it’s the reason you're bloated or fatigued, the source of digestive problems and the cause of more serious illnesses like Alzheimer's or cardiovascular disease. But…

  18. A fall mystery: why do only certain leaves turn red?

    · 14 min

    Leaves turn yellow in the fall because Chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the yellow pigment that was there all along. But why red? Red is a different story altogether. Leaves have to make a new pigment to turn red.…

  19. 'Super' El Niño is coming. What should you expect?

    · 13 min

    The world is bracing for the worst effects of a Super El Niño. Or a Godzilla El Niño. But what does that really even mean? For millennia El Niño has shaped weather across the globe, fueling flooding in parts of the…

  20. Vaccinated or not, we’re on the brink of a measles epidemic

    · 14 min · Episode 1557

    Measles is making a comeback. Ongoing outbreaks in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah have documented hundreds of cases, mostly among unvaccinated people. And while local and federal politicians debate the…

  21. The science of self-worth (and how to boost yours)

    · 13 min · Episode 1556

    Your self-worth today can be affected by your memories. But you have power over those memories – when you re-experience them. By doing that, you can reshape your self-esteem for the better and change your perspective.…

  22. Why we should all be 'bookmaxxing'

    · 11 min

    Remember your mom, dad and teachers telling you to read because it’s good for you? Well, a compilation of the latest research shows they were right. “Reading is one of the simplest and most accessible activities for…

  23. The latest on AI panic — and whether it's justified

    · 15 min · Episode 1554

    AI is in the news again – for its potential to end civilization. A researcher at Anthropic resigned very publicly last week, citing concerns about the accelerating capabilities of AI and what he called “irresponsible”…

  24. When batteries get a facelift, so does renewable energy

    · 13 min

    For years, renewable energy companies have faced a problem: How to store the mass amounts of energy they produce for later use. Batteries may be just the solution. In California, there's now enough grid-scale battery…

  25. Why you'll probably be misdiagnosed in your lifetime

    · 13 min

    Nearly every person will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime. That means either a delayed diagnosis, a wrong diagnosis – or no diagnosis at all. That’s according to a report by the National…

  26. Should race affect BMI guidelines? Doctors are split

    · 14 min

    BMI is a quick, cheap way for doctors to estimate body fat and screen for conditions like heart disease and diabetes. But medicine has long known that BMI is problematic and unnuanced. By using it, groups of people…

  27. How scientists discovered that animals are doctors, too

    · 13 min · Episode 1550

    When people are sick, we seek out medications and treatments to help heal. For a long time, scientists thought that was a uniquely human ability. But it turns out, many other animals do a version of it too! And since…

  28. Lindsay Clancy and postpartum psychosis

    · 14 min

    The trial around Lindsay Clancy may be over for now, but it still leaves us with questions. On today’s episode, we talk to psychiatrists and patients to answer them: What is postpartum psychosis, exactly? Why don’t we…

  29. How hurricanes triggered lizard evolution

    · 11 min · Episode 1548

    Hurricane season is upon us and it turns out that these powerful storms can quickly affect the biology of animals. After hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the islands that make up Turks and Caicos about a decade ago, the…

  30. When is your brain actually 'adult'?

    · 14 min

    Summer is winding down and school is back. And all of that has us thinking about this idea that something happens in the human brain when we turn 25. Suddenly, we can rent a car without fees. Make rational decisions.…

  31. A new investigation shows heat is even deadlier than we thought

    · 15 min

    Hot weather isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s killing thousands more Americans than show up in official records. That’s the finding from a new NPR investigation, in partnership with Boston University. And the way they…

  32. The science of emotional regulation — and how to do it better

    · 12 min

    Do you ever feel like your emotions control you instead of you controlling them? Maybe you lash out at someone after a long day at work or indulge to avoid a stressful situation. It’s called emotional dysregulation and…

  33. What can seashells teach us about the health of our oceans?

    · 13 min

    Seashells: They're beautiful remnants to carry home from the beach—and so much more! According to environmental journalist Cynthia Barnett, seashells record history more accurately than the humans who first wrote it…

  34. Football is here – and so is a new study on CTE

    · 15 min · Episode 1543

    The NFL season begins this week, but America’s favorite sport has been on our minds for other reasons recently. New research released in the journal BMJ reveals that 1 in 4 former NFL players in this sample had CTE, a…

  35. NASA's newest telescope has a top secret past

    · 14 min

    The new Nancy Grace Roman space telescope is slated to launch this weekend. It was originally built for the National Reconnaissance Office as a spy satellite, but was never launched. Instead, NRO gave it to NASA about…

  36. How your metabolism could alter your mental health

    · 12 min

    In 2009, medical student Shebani Sethi watched a patient in a weight loss program make a remarkable recovery. The dietary intervention she underwent alleviated her schizophrenia symptoms, something the woman had tried…

  37. AI-made viruses could be the future of medicine

    · 12 min

    The era of AI-generated viruses is here. Some scientists are using AI to design viruses that can attack bacteria. The hope is that these tailor-made viruses can fight drug-resistant bacterial infections in people. And…

  38. How much has the U.S.’s wildlife changed since Lewis and Clark?

    · 14 min

    Ever wish you could have been part of the Lewis and Clark expedition? Us too. The Corps of Discovery came across scores of plants and animals that were new to Western science: Grizzly bears, ponderosa pines, a “barking…

  39. Why scientists are stoked about mysterious black hole stars

    · 12 min

    You've heard of black holes. You've heard of stars. But have you heard of the newly discovered black hole stars that may explain multiple mysteries of the universe? We just did and we're honestly freaking out about it.…

  40. More men are taking testosterone. What gives?

    · 15 min · Episode 1537

    If you’re a guy – or even just friends with a guy – and on the Internet, you may have noticed that testosterone discourse is everywhere. There’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announcing testosterone screenings for…

  41. A survivor's view from inside a tornado

    · 12 min · Episode 1536

    What’s the dumbest thing Perry Samson says he’s ever done? Getting caught inside a tornado. But when you’re an atmospheric scientist who studies supercell thunderstorms—with a special interest in the ones that cause…

  42. Could future wars be fought by AI?

    · 15 min

    This year, the Department of Defense announced that they’d entered agreements with eight artificial intelligence companies. It follows decades of popular media exploring the idea of artificial intelligence in war –…

  43. Inside Colombia's big quake – and why more could be coming

    · 12 min

    The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia was devastating. Host Regina Barber talks to earthquake geologist Rodrigo Alejandro Leon Loya about the tectonic plates that caused the quake and what it was like 150…

  44. How to see the year's best meteor shower tonight

    · 12 min

    Right now the best shooting star show of the year is happening: the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. People have been viewing this annual event pretty much as long as we’ve been recording history. But what are we…

  45. Can you spot AI-written stories? Listen and find out

    · 12 min · Episode 1533

    Can you tell the difference between a human-written short story and an AI-generated one? Most people can’t. In a series of experiments led by a team at Villanova University, researchers found two things: First, most…

  46. How to see this week's eclipse (and the next big one)

    · 12 min · Episode 1532

    During a total solar eclipse the world around you is very different. The sun gets totally blotted out and suddenly, it feels like night time. The temperature drops. Birds stop singing. These surreal celestial events…

  47. Mirror cells could threaten life on Earth. Why are we building them?

    · 14 min

    For people with two hands, one is usually dominant. On a molecular level, earthly life takes this to the extreme. All of the DNA in living things twists to the right, whereas the protein building blocks favor a kind of…

  48. The Midnight Rebellion: Almost Midnight

    · 17 min

    WBUR’s The Midnight Rebellion is a one-of-a-kind podcast: a “choose your own”-style show set 100 years in the future when the climate has gone haywire, and it’s up to you to save the planet. Rooted in science, this…

  49. The red flags that may be hiding in your poop

    · 13 min

    When’s the last time you looked at your poop? Dr. Trisha Pasricha says you should look every time because it could save your life. A change in bowel habits is the number one indicator someone might have colon cancer, a…

  50. Shooting stars are just pea-sized rocks... and other space wonders

    · 12 min

    Ahead of the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, we're re-airing our first episode with host Regina G. Barber. In it, Regina and planetary scientist Melissa Rice explore all things shooting stars. They talk about the…

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