Menu
Sign In Search Podcasts Charts People & Topics Add Podcast API Blog Pricing
Podcast Image

Short Wave

Could This Exoplanet Harbor Life?

12 Dec 2025

Transcription

What key requirements make an exoplanet suitable for life?

0.031 - 19.663 Dean Riegas

Dean Riegas here, astronomer and host of Looking Up. I journey to the far reaches of the universe, hearing from scientists, astronauts, and geeky celebs along the way. We cover everything from black holes to the latest in science fiction. Listen now to the Looking Up podcast from the NPR Network and Cincinnati Public Radio.

0

20.364 - 40.486 Emily Kwong

Hey, shortwavers, Emily Kwong here. Real quick before the show, let's talk about public media. Public media has been in the news a lot this year, and public media is what makes NPR shows like Shortwave special. It's made for you. When you listen to an NPR podcast, the people who make it aren't thinking about shareholders or advertisers.

0

40.906 - 61.645 Emily Kwong

We're thinking about you and delivering on a promise to help you understand the world a little better. From its very founding in the U.S., public media was also meant to tell stories from underrepresented communities, providing cultural insight that expands your perspective. At NPR, we still believe in all of that. We always will.

0

62.08 - 80.545 Emily Kwong

But as of this fall, federal funding for public media, including NPR and local NPR stations, has been eliminated. And now we're heading into an uncharted future. But we know you won't let public media go away. We rely on your support to bring you shortwave now more than ever.

0

80.525 - 99.765 Emily Kwong

This year, we have loved bringing you stories about, among many other things, what happens inside a top-secret nuclear facility, whether kids should be taking melatonin, why flowers are blooming early, how nightmares work, and what happens when AI cannibalizes its own data. And we cannot wait to bring you more episodes like that in 2026. So...

99.745 - 129.55 Emily Kwong

Thank you if you already go the extra mile as an NPR Plus supporter. If not, you can join the Plus community now. There has never been a better time. You get a bunch of perks like bonus episodes and more from across NPR's podcasts. Support public media by signing up for NPR Plus today at plus.npr.org. Thank you so much. You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

131.588 - 155.925 Regina Barber

Hey Shore Wavers, Regina Barber here. And Emily Kwong. With our bi-weekly science news roundup featuring the hosts of All Things Considered. And today we have the legendary Elsa Chang from LA. Thank you for having me yet again. So what are we learning about today? So Elsa, we're giving you an update on the chances of life on an Earth-sized planet that orbits another star.

156.091 - 162.606 Emily Kwong

will complicate the saga of the Black Death with a story of how it may have been driven by volcanoes. What?

163.207 - 173.391 Regina Barber

And why sick ants let nest mates destroy them. Dark. Okay. All of that on this episode of Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR.

Comments

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.