Short Wave

Is it getting windier?

26 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Is it getting windier? Long-time listener Barry Zalph thinks it is, at least in Louisville. And he’s not the only one. Redditors and local reporters...

The magic — and science — of synchronous fireflies

25 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 lig...

The supertree shielding coastlines and storing carbon

22 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Coastal fishing communities around the world are struggling with declining fish stocks. That’s because of climate change, environmental degradation ...

Why renaming this common hormonal disorder is a huge deal

20 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You probably know someone who has a condition that, until last week, was known as PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome. It affects one in eight reproduc...

A solution for California's water woes

19 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For years, farmers in California have been pumping huge amounts of water from their wells to irrigate their crops. The state’s Central Valley is the...

What's up with your nightmares?

18 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dreams of flying? Nightmares of teeth falling out? Falling off a cliff? As a sleep scientist at the University of Montreal, Michelle Carr has pretty...

A chemical found in fish could help reinvent your sunscreen

15 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been over 25 years since the FDA approved a new ingredient for sunscreen in the United States. But a molecule called gadusol found in fish and ...

Should you be fibermaxxing? Here's what the science says

13 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The average person eats 10-15 grams of fiber per day, according to the USDA. The problem? That’s WAY under the recommended daily amount. Fiber – a...

Why Swedish scientists gave salmon cocaine

12 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A recent study caught our eye: salmon on cocaine. Or really, researchers giving salmon cocaine…for science. See, scientists know human drugs pollute...

Without this pill, lots of people would be dead

11 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

25 years ago, the FDA approved a pill that would change the way scientists treat cancer … for good. The pill was called Gleevec; it was designed spe...

Hantavirus: the risks, the science and what you need to know

08 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On May 2, the World Health Organization got an alarming report: People aboard a ship in the Atlantic Ocean were falling ill. The culprit is now confir...

How science is taking tripping mainstream

06 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump recently signed an order to speed up the evaluation of psychedelics to treat the brain. That’s coming after decades of strict prohib...

This medical condition stumped doctors for years

05 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

One morning, Kyla Madonna Kenney woke up and her world was turned upside down: The room was spinning, she had a splitting migraine and one side of her...

The secret behind clownfish stripes and more fishy fascinations

04 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We reeled in science reporter Ari Daniel for this episode who grants us three wishes in the form of three fishes. He takes us on a trip around the wor...

Coffee is complex. Can science standardize it for the better?

01 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ask any coffee aficionado, and they’ll tell you: A good cup is about more than the beans. The flavor is affected by lots of things – the roast and...

NASA is practicing moonwalks. When are we going back?

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After the success of Artemis II, we at Short Wave definitely have moon fever. So, we brought NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce onto the s...

Set up solar, or save a tree? It’s complicated

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To solar or not to solar? That is the question for this latest episode of our monthly series Nature Quest. For listener Darcey Hughes, installing sola...

The mystery that led this family to get their stomachs removed

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When Karyn Paringatai learned about a pattern among her family members, it changed the course of her life: A lot of people died young. As Karyn dug in...

Why a chimp 'civil war' shows how societies collapse

24 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the mid-1970s, primatologist Jane Goodall witnessed something that changed her opinion of chimpanzees forever: A four-year conflict amongst the chi...

Where did our moon come from?

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Earth didn’t always have a moon. In the beginning of the solar system, when the planets were still forming, something happened that would change Ear...

Eating disorder recovery in a diet culture world

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Eating disorders are complicated illnesses that skyrocketed among teenagers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatrician Eva Trujillo says they "literal...

These voicemails save lives

20 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For residents of Prek Touch, Cambodia — right on the banks of the Mekong River — flooding is a regular part of life. But as those floods worsen du...

The psychology behind why you dread small talk

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Do you avoid small talk in the office, or with your neighbor in the elevator? If so, you might want to give it a chance. According to a study just pub...

A new approach to brain health, one neuron at a time

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Neuroscientist Paul Nuyujukian likens the brain to a stadium full of people. To eavesdrop on the crowd you could put a microphone in the middle of the...

Is there still a gender gap in medical research?

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When you go to the doctor’s office, your doctor has to figure out which treatment is best for you. Physicians rely on medical research and clinical ...

Are you pooping all wrong?

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Talking about poop can be taboo, and this social norm may be hurting our health. Dr. Trisha Pasricha says around 40% of people in the U.S. have bathro...

Who's to blame for all this plastic?

10 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How did plastic become so ubiquitous? The answer lies deep beneath the surface of the earth. In her new book Plastic Inc., environmental journalist Be...

Quantum physics is for everybody

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Subatomic particles, gravity wells and the beginning of the universe – these are difficult and mysterious concepts that are better understood with s...

Why are bees special? We get inside a hive to find out

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In a new National Geographic docuseries, viewers get a look inside a bee hive. The series is called Secrets of the Bees — and since there’s nobody...

The world is running out of helium — again

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Lots of people count on helium. From MRI machines and semiconductor manufacturing to pressurizing rockets and detecting leaks, helium is used globally...

Never had the flu? Scientists may know why

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists estimate somewhere between 5%-35% of people do not get sick from the flu despite being exposed to the virus that causes it. Now, researcher...

Why is NASA going to the moon again?

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

NASA’s Artemis II mission is set to launch this week, which could bring humanity close to the moon for the first time since 1972. It’s a mission t...

Predicting spring bloom is an art and a science

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever wish you could predict the future? The National Park Service in Washington D.C. does it every year when they forecast when the Capitol’s...

Space news: Project Hail Mary, Artemis, data centers

30 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Short Wavers, we hear your requests. You want MORE! SPACE! So this is the first installment of a new segment focusing only on space news. First, we ta...

What's up with recycled wastewater's PR problem?

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Would you drink recycled wastewater? It could be a solution to the global water crisis. But not everyone is ready to jump onboard. They say it’s not...

The world’s freshwater is getting saltier. Why?

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Around the world, the planet’s freshwater is getting saltier. And it’s because of people. For decades, salting roads, fertilizer run-off and evapo...

The world has a groundwater problem. Can we solve it?

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Groundwater is responsible for about half of the water people use globally. It’s drying up. Hayes Kelman started noticing the family farm in western...

Day Zero: When the wells run dry

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of World Water Day, Short Wave is exploring the ways water touches our lives. From increasing water shortages around the world, to how it’s...

How did these flowers evolve to survive a megadrought?

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A multi-year megadrought in the Western U.S. has claimed untold populations of wild plants. Amid the conditions, some have survived. Scientists have p...

A dietitian and doctor review RFK Jr's new food pyramid

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The new food pyramid was released earlier this year. It emphasizes protein, full-fat dairy and what Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Ke...

‘Black rain’ in Iran and the environmental cost of war

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

US-Israeli airstrikes on oil depots culminated in ‘black rain’ in Iran early last week – a phenomenon usually caused by large amounts of soot, c...

This is your brain on pleasure (even the guilty kind)

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s likely you have at least one “guilty pleasure.” Maybe it’s romance novels. Or reality TV… Playing video games… or getting swept into ...

An icy mystery: What are lake stars?

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When producer Berly McCoy was out on her local frozen lake, she saw something she'd never seen before. There were dark spidery, star-shaped patterns i...

We saved gray whales from extinction. Why are so many dying again?

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 1999 hundreds of gray whales washed up along the west coast of North America. More in 2000. They lost an estimated 25% of their population. But the...

Sibling order may affect sexuality and identity

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, guest host Selena Simmons-Duffin is exploring a detail very personal to her: How the number of older brothers a person has can influence the...

What crocodile bones teach us about dinosaurs

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Paleontologists have often determined how old a dinosaur was by counting the growth rings in its bones. Just like with trees, it was thought that each...

Teen sleep is getting wrecked by more than just phones

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Teens aren’t getting enough sleep! And a two-decade study suggests it’s getting worse. Scientists found that the number of high schoolers getting ...

The global fallout of RFK Jr's vaccine policies

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In his role as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is changing how the United States approaches vaccines. But those changes...

Will Punch the baby monkey be okay?

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve been on the internet in the past few weeks, chances are you’ve seen him: a tiny gray-brown monkey dragging a big, stuffed orangutan arou...

Spring ice is thawing earlier in lakes. What does that mean for life below the surface?

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Lakes are freezing later, thawing earlier and experiencing dramatic temperature swings in between. And all that throws off the delicate balance of lif...

The dangers of warming winter lakes

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Over half a billion people live by lakes that freeze over in the winter. But as the climate warms, those lakes are losing whole days of ice cover. Win...

Screen time is up for grandma and grandpa

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Folks over 65 are putting in a lot of screen time. In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that people 60 years and older spend more than half their d...

Could our trash become local fishes’ treasure?

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Helicopters. Cargo containers. Old washing machines. For years, fishermen dumped this waste into the Gulf of Mexico. But they weren’t just trying to...

The serious hunt for alien life

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Bring up aliens and a lot of people will scoff. But not everyone is laughing. Around the turn of the century, 3.8 million people banded together in a ...

The noise that isn't there

21 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Almost 15% of adults suffer from a persistent, often intolerable sound... that is literally just in their heads. Why does the brain do this to us? We ...

The truth about intermittent fasting

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From TikTok and Instagram influencers to celebrities like Hugh Jackman and Kourtney Kardashian, intermittent fasting has gotten a lot of hype. The die...

The neuroscience of cracking under pressure

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The 2026 Winter Olympics are unfolding in Milan and Cortina, and we can’t look away: We’re watching athletes fly down mountains on skis and glide ...

Tea time... with an ape?

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Picture this: You’re at a pretend tea party, but instead of sitting across from toddlers in tiaras, you’re clinking cups with Kanzi—an ape with ...

Could this vaccine trial mean a future without HIV?

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Early last year, a hundred researchers, clinicians and other experts on HIV discussed the development of an innovative vaccine that could prevent the ...

Why do we kiss? It's an evolutionary conundrum

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The evolutionary purpose of kissing has long eluded scientists. Smooching is risky, given things like pointy teeth, and inherently gross, given an est...

AI is great at predicting text. Can it guide robots?

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It seems like artificial intelligence is everywhere in our virtual lives. It's in our search results and our phones. But what happens when AI moves ou...

The physics of the Winter Olympics

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Watching a ski jumper fly through the air might get you wondering, “How do they do that?” The answer is – physics!That’s why this episode, we ...

These bacteria may be key to the fight against antibiotic resistance

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 1928, a chance contaminant in Scottish physician Alexander Fleming’s lab experiment led to a discovery that would change the field of medicine fo...

Babies got beat: Why rhythm might be innate

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Rhythm is everywhere. Even if you don’t think you have it, it’s fundamental to humans’ biological systems. Our heartbeat is rhythmic. Speech is ...

How do extreme G-forces affect Olympic bobsledders?

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Olympic sliding sports – bobsled, luge and skeleton – are known for their speed. Athletes chase medals down a track of ice at up to 80 or 90 mph. ...

Autism: debunking Trump claims, and what scientists still don't know

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Autism has a long history of misinformation that continues to today. The Trump administration has perpetuated some of this misinformation in the last ...

Why research into ‘forever chemicals’ includes firefighters

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

PFAS make pans nonstick, clothes waterproof and furniture stain resistant. They're so ubiquitous, they're even inside of us. Now, researchers are look...

Lessons and failures from the Challenger space shuttle explosion

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On Jan. 28, 1986, NASA’s 25th space shuttle mission, Challenger, left the launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Seventy-three seconds into flight, C...

How scientists predict big winter storms

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This past weekend, Winter Storm Fern struck the States. Sleet, snow and ice battered Americans all the way from New Mexico to New York. Scientists pre...

What drives animals to your yard? It's complicated

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Shabnam Khan has a problem: Every time she works in her garden, she’s visited by lizards and frogs. Shabnam has lived in the metro Atlanta ...

Iran offline: How a government can turn off the internet

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

There’s an ongoing, near-total blackout of the internet in Iran. The shutdown is part of a response by the government to ongoing protests against ri...

The plight of penguins in Antarctica

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A new study shows penguins are breeding earlier than ever in the Antarctic Peninsula. This region is one of the fastest-warming areas of the world due...

A failed galaxy could solve the dark matter mystery

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Cloud 9 is a failed galaxy. It’s a clump of dark matter, called a dark matter halo, that never formed stars. But this failure could be the key to a ...

Is ‘The Pitt’ accurate? Medical experts weigh in

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Medical drama The Pitt is winning Golden Globes… and health care workers’ hearts. Medical experts say the show, which chronicles a fictional Pitts...

Come critter spotting with us on a cold winter's night

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, host Emily Kwong leads us on a night hike in Patuxent River State Park in Maryland. Alongside a group of naturalists led by Serene...

10 breakthrough technologies to expect in 2026

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Wanna know where tech is headed this year? MIT Technology Review has answers. They compile an annual list called "10 Breakthrough Technologies". Today...

When is your brain actually an "adult"?

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

There’s this idea that something happens in the human brain when we turn 25. Suddenly, we can rent a car without fees. Make rational decisions. We m...

The ozone layer is still healing…thanks to science

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the mid-1980s, scientists published a startling finding–a giant hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. That’s the protective shield that bloc...

These little microbes may help solve our big problems

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Microbes are little alchemists that perform all manner of chemical reactions. A team of microbiologists co-founded a non-profit to try to harness thos...

Hot galaxies alert!

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most astronomers agree that young galaxy clusters should be relatively cool compared to older ones. But researchers recently found a very young cluste...

Micro Forests: An Emerging Climate Hero?

07 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Healthy forests help combat climate change, provide humans with drinking water and even improve mental and physical health. But it’s hard to imagine...

Behold a T-Rex holotype, paleontology's "gold standard"

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What happens behind the scenes of a dinosaur exhibit? Short Wave host Regina Barber got to find out … by taking a trip to the Carnegie Museum of Nat...

Did Earth’s Water Come From Space?

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Choose your fighter for the origin of water on Earth! Was it always here or did it come to this planet from somewhere else in space? And, either way, ...

The trouble of zero

02 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What better time to contemplate the conundrum that is zero than the start of a new year? Zero is a fairly new concept in human history and even more ...

Science In 2025 Took A Hit. What Does It Mean?

31 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Science in the United States took some big hits this year. The Trump Administration disrupted federal funding for all kinds of scientific pursuits. Ad...

Climate Anxiety Is Altering Family Planning

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gen Z and younger millennials are generally the most climate literate generations. As an age cohort that started learning about climate change in scho...

Why Kratom Is At The Heart Of A Big Public Health Debate

29 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kratom and 7-OH products are available in many smoke shops. But earlier this year, the FDA recommended certain 7-OH products be scheduled alongside op...

Why Drones Are Catching Whale Breaths

26 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists in the Arctic are catching the exhaled breaths of whales to better understand their health. How? Drones. Whales breathe through their blowh...

Drinking Turns Some Red With Asian Glow—And May Fight Tuberculosis

24 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ever gotten a scarlet, hot face after drinking alcohol or know someone who has? Many people felt it as they celebrate the holidays with loved ones, si...

Why Suicide Prevention is 'Everyone's Business'

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Written by Jo Lambert, ‘Hold The Hope’ is now being used as suicide prevention training material by the UK’s National Health Service Mental Heal...

No, Raccoons Aren’t Pet-Ready (Yet)

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dogs are man’s best friend. And it’s no secret that we at Short Wave love cats (Regina has four)! Both of these iconic pets have been domesticated...

GLP-1 Pills Are On The Way. Here's What To Know

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may have heard of Ozempic, and other GLP-1 drugs. They’re everywhere. And they typically involve weekly injections — which can have a sticker ...

The Indicator: Take A Penny, Leave A Penny, Get Rid Of The Penny

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In November, the U.S. stopped production of the humble penny after 232 years in circulation. On today’s show, Darian Woods and Wailin Wong from NPR'...

"A Very, Very Big Deal." Countries Take On Fossil Fuels

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many countries are frustrated with U.N. climate conferences. While some countries urgently want to transition away from fossil fuels — the main driv...

Could Architecture In Space Make A Greener Earth?

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Humankind has the technology to go to space. Space architect Ariel Ekblaw says the bottleneck now is real estate: getting larger volumes of space stat...

Is The Quantum Future Here?

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This year, quantum science and computing came up a lot. There have been broad claims that quantum science and engineering could one day help cure dis...

Could This Exoplanet Harbor Life?

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Want to be a top notch candidate for hosting alien life? Then there's a few key requirements you should be aware of: Ideally, you're a large object li...

How Replaceable Are You?

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1970’s TV show called Six Million Dollar Man, a test pilot is in a horrible accident. The show’s famous line goes, “We can rebuild him. W...

The Closest Thing To A Cure For Allergies

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More than 100 million people in the U.S. have some allergy each year. That’s about every 1 in 3 adults. For many, the fix is a bandaid: over-the-cou...

Controversy In Yellowstone

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thirty years ago, park rangers reintroduced grey wolves into Yellowstone National Park. They wanted to restore the ecosystem and get the elk populatio...