Short Wave
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Short Wave
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.If you're hooked, try Short Wave Plus. Your su...
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An Apple Is An Ovary: The Science of Apple Breeding
What's your favorite apple? Maybe it's the crowd-pleasing Honeycrisp, the tart Granny Smith or the infamous Red Delicious. Either way, before that app...
Mental ‘Workouts’ Could Keep Your Brain Young
Scientists have found the first compelling evidence that cognitive training can boost levels of a brain chemical that typically declines as people age...
Are we cooked? How social media shapes your language w/ Adam Aleksic (from TED Tech)
This week, we’re sharing a special episode from TED Tech exploring Gen Z slang words like "unalive," "skibidi" and "rizz." Where do these words come f...
Data Centers, Icy Moons And Chameleons
It’s another news roundup! This time, we cover how, using data analytics – and ironically, some AI – a team at Cornell University has mapped the envir...
The Future Of Immune Health Might Be Here
David Ewing Duncan has spent the last 25 years being poked and prodded in the name of science. He’s signed up for hundreds of tests because, as a jour...
What Space Dust Reveals About Earth's Ice Age
Cosmic dust can tell scientists about how ice covered Earth during the last ice age. This dust is leftover debris from asteroids and comets colliding...
Do Birth Control Side Effects Make It Worth Skipping?
Recently, health influencers on Instagram and TikTok have been vocal about the side effects of hormonal birth control. Check out the most popular vide...
Fall foliage is still a mystery: Why do some leaves turn red?
Scientists know why leaves turn yellow in the fall: Chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the yellow pigment that was there all along. But red? Red is a...
Why Some Species Survive Mass Extinctions
Around 250 million years ago, one of Earth’s largest known volcanic events set off The Great Dying: the planet’s worst mass extinction event. The erup...
The Secrets Everyday Rocks Keep
Why does the New York City skyline look the way it does? In part, because of what happened there 500 million years ago, says geologist Anjana Khatwa,...
Elections: A Big Math Problem
Ahead of Election Day tomorrow, millions of ballots are being cast in statewide, local and special elections. So, today, we're revisiting an episode a...
This Week In Science: Spiders, TV Pixels And Storytelling
Happy Halloween, Short Wavers! In today’s news round-up, we’ve got only treats. Hosts Regina Barber and Emily Kwong fill in NPR’s Ailsa Chang on a deb...
Like Being Scared? Here’s Why
Like haunted houses? Scientists do! That’s because they’re an excellent place to study how humans respond to – and even actively seek out – fear. In a...
Nature Quest: Rebuild Or Relocate Post-Disaster?
In the face of floods, wildfires and other natural disasters, when should a community relocate to avoid potential harm? Listener Molly Magid asks that...
What Works – And Doesn’t – For Hair Loss?
People may think of hair loss as a guy thing. But by some estimates, half of all women experience hair loss in their lifetime. And when your social me...
Parasites Have Haunted Us For Millions Of Years
Parasites have roamed the Earth for a long time. They were here before the dinosaurs: The oldest fossils are more than 500 million years old. Today on...
Migrating Birds Have a Big, Clear Problem
Around this time of year, every night, a quiet exodus is occurring. Hundreds of millions of birds are migrating thousands of miles south for the winte...
We Have the Cure. Why is Tuberculosis Still Around?
Tuberculosis – the world’s deadliest infectious disease – could be dormant in your system for years before you realize you have it. In the U.S., it’s...
Should Scientists Genetically Engineer Wild Species?
Some scientists looking to preserve vulnerable species have turned to a controversial technique: synthetic biology. This catchall term often means gen...
Science Says Quitting Smoking At Any Age Is Good For The Brain
The rate of smoking cigarettes has steadily declined since the 1960s – when Congress required warnings on cigarette boxes. Research shows that people...
What Happens When You're Under Anesthesia?
It's World Anesthesia Day tomorrow! So, we invite you to take a deep breathe. Picture a relaxing scene. Maybe a beach in Tahiti, your toes in the sand...
Why Legal Weed Isn’t Always Safe
Marijuana is decriminalized or legal in some form in multiple states. But, because it’s illegal on the federal level, states have had to build their o...
Synthetic Cells: The Next Bioengineering Frontier
There are more human cells in your body than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy! Cells are the fundamental building blocks of life but that doesn...
Why The Tropics Have A Weather Forecasting Problem
Weather in the tropics is decidedly different than it is in the middle latitudes. It turns out, so are the weather systems – the factors that create t...
Doing Science at the Edge of the Earth
Some scientific discoveries take place in a lab. Others are made deep in the rainforest, along the ocean floor or on the dark side of the moon. And st...
Solved: The Potato Origin Mystery
Usually, when two different species mate, it’s a disaster. At least, that’s what scientists had generally thought about hybrids, the offspring of thes...
The Science Of Fear And Horror Movies
Creepy crawly season is upon us, Short Wavers! We're welcoming fall with a contemplation of fear and anxiety. In human history, fear kept us safe. It...
What Are Flies Doing In The Middle Of The Ocean?
In the North Sea — between the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark — thousands of flies swarmed an oil rig. Engineer Craig Hannah noticed they’d stay s...
Why Animal Scavengers Protect Your Health
Worldwide, populations of scavenging animals that feed on rotting carcasses are declining. Scientists are finding that this can seriously hurt human h...
Nature Quest: How High Will Sea Levels Rise?
How high will the ocean rise under climate change? By 2050, scientists have a pretty good idea. But why does it matter where you live? And what can hu...
Why Do Some Hurricane Survivors Thrive After Disaster?
You’ve probably heard of PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. But what about its counterpart, post-traumatic growth?
The term was coined in the...
A Surprising Cause Of Endometriosis Could Lead To Cure
Since the age of nine or ten, Katie Burns has had debilitating pain from endometriosis, a condition where tissue resembling the uterine lining grows o...
Tylenol and Autism: What’s True and What Isn’t
On Monday, the Trump administration linked the use of Tylenol with rising autism rates, but science doesn’t support that claim. Guest host Sydney Lupk...
A Surprising Culprit of Food Allergies
Food allergies have risen in the United States over the last few decades. Research suggests that 40 years ago the prevalence of food allergies was les...
Should You Try Red-Light Therapy?
The anti-aging product market was worth roughly 53 BILLION dollars in 2024. One of the latest big trends: red light therapy. Social media is rampant w...
Untangling The Science of Octopus Arms
Octopuses and their arms are a bit of a mystery. Not because scientists don’t know how they work; they’re boneless hydrostats, made up of groups of m...
What Does a Black Hole Collision Sound Like?
For centuries, the primary way that astronomers studied outer space was through sight. But just ten years ago, scientists successfully established a w...
What Do Stem Cells Mean For The Future Of Parkinson's?
Parkinson’s Disease affects around a million people in the United States. And that number is on the rise, in part because our population is getting ol...
The Surprisingly Long History Of Nose Jobs
Rhinoplasty is one of the most common facial plastic surgeries performed today. And it turns out, the ability to reconstruct a nose with living tissue...
The Most Convincing Evidence Yet Of Life On Mars
Was there ever life on Mars? Planetary scientists think there could have been but there hasn’t been any direct evidence. After years of roaming Mars,...