Short Wave
Episodes
Fulgurite: What A Lightning-Formed Rock May Have Contributed To Life On Earth
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When lightning strikes the ground, it can leave behind a root-like rock called a fulgurite. Host Maddie Sofia talks with NPR science correspondent Nel...
What We Can Learn From Microscopic Life In Antarctica
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our colleagues at the TED Radio Hour introduce us to wildlife filmmaker Ariel Waldman. She says the coldest continent is brimming with invisible life ...
Is The Future Quantum?
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel takes us to IonQ, one of the companies betting on a quantum computing future. Along the way, Geoff explains w...
The Purple Urchins Don't Die
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
NPR climate correspondent Lauren Sommer explains how scientists are getting creative to deal with the hordes of urchins overtaking kelp forests in the...
Brood X: The Rise Of The 17-Year Cicadas
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The cicadas are coming! After 17 years, Brood X is emerging this spring to mate. If you're in the eastern part of the United States, get ready to be s...
Meet The 'Glacier Mice'
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Encore episode.) In 2006, while hiking around the Root Glacier in Alaska, glaciologist Tim Bartholomaus encountered something strange and unexpected ...
A Look Inside The World's Biggest Vaccine Maker
23 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
NPR's international correspondent Lauren Frayer takes us on a tour of the factory of the world's largest vaccine maker: Serum Institute of India. The ...
How A New Deal Legacy Is Building Clean Energy In Rural North Carolina
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In North Carolina, a rural electric cooperative is reliving its New Deal history, bringing technologies like fast Internet and clean, low-carbon heati...
The U.S. Has A History Of Linking Disease With Race And Ethnicity
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Encore episode.) The coronavirus is all over the headlines these days. Accompanying those headlines? Suspicion and harassment of Asians and Asian Ame...
Reflections On Coronavirus A Year In
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's been about a year since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic. The world has learned a lot in that time — about how...
A Quick Dive Into How Submarines Work
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Submarines can descend thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean, but to do so, they have to deal with an enormous amount of pressure. In this ...
What Earth Looked Like 3.2 Billion Years Ago
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Encore episode. The surface of the Earth is constantly recycled through the motion of plate tectonics. So how do researchers study what it used to loo...
Our Pandemic Future
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's been about a year since the coronavirus pandemic started to take hold in the United States. Recently, NPR science correspondent Rob Stein has bee...
A Year Into The Pandemic, The Incarcerated Among The Most Vulnerable
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the year since the pandemic began, the coronavirus has severely impacted inmates and staff in U.S. jails and prisons. According to The Marshall Pr...
The Importance Of Diversifying Alzheimer's Research
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Alzheimer's disease affects more than 6 million Americans and a disproportionate number are Black. NPR science correspondent Jon Hamilton explains why...
CDC's Do's and Don'ts For Fully Vaccinated People
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The CDC released new guidance Monday, allowing people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to resume some pre-pandemic activities, including gathering in...
One Key To Healthy Oceans? Sharks
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Shark scientist Melissa Christina Marquez explains just how important sharks are to keeping the oceans healthy, including their role in mitigating cli...
Millions Of U.S. Homes Face An Expensive Flooding Threat
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
More than 4 million U.S. homes face substantial risk of expensive flood damage, according to new research. On top of that, NPR climate reporter Rebecc...
Is The Sperm Race A Fairy Tale?
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of us were taught that conception happens with a survivor-style sperm race — the fastest and strongest sperm fight to make it to the egg first...
The Fight Over The Future Of Natural Gas
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A growing number of cities are looking at restricting the use of gas in new buildings to reduce climate emissions. But some states are considering law...
Pandemic Dispatches From The ER, One Year Later
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The coronavirus has disrupted all of our lives, and that's especially true for healthcare workers. We hear reflections from Dr. Jamila Goldsmith and M...
Vaccine Distribution: An Equity Challenge
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Biden Administration has prioritized speed in its COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Also, a priority...distributing those doses to the populations most im...
Code Switch: A Shot In The Dark
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we present a special episode from our colleagues at Code Switch, NPR's podcast about race and identity. As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines unf...
Micro Wave: Let's Talk About Urine
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are lots of misconceptions around urine. Can urine cure athlete's foot? Or really treat a jellyfish sting? Today on the show — we'll talk abou...
The Legacy of Trauma: Can Experiences Leave A Biological Imprint?
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Descendants of trauma victims seem to have worse health outcomes. Could epigenetics help explain why? Bianca Jones Marlin and Brian Dias walk us throu...
Magnets: The Hidden Objects Powering Your Life
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's likely there's a magnet wherever you're looking right now. In fact, the device you're using to listen to this episode? Also uses a magnet. Which ...
James West On Invention And Inclusion In Science
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
James West has been a curious tinkerer since he was a child, always wondering how things worked. Throughout his long career in STEM, he's also been an...
Coronavirus Vaccine Q&A: Variants, Side Effects, And More
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Can people who are vaccinated still carry and transmit the coronavirus to other people? How effective are the vaccines against coronavirus variants? A...
BONUS: Throughline — Octavia Butler: Visionary Fiction
20 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
To round out our celebration of Black History Month, we're bringing you a special episode featuring acclaimed science fiction writer Octavia Butler fr...
Micro Wave: I'll Peanut Jam Your Brain
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, what happens in your brain when you notice a semantic or grammatical mistake, according to neuroscience. Sarah Phillips, a neurolinguist, tells...
Why Tech Companies Are Limiting Police Use of Facial Recognition
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In June 2020, Amazon, Microsoft and IBM announced that they were limiting some uses of their facial recognition technology. In this encore episode, Ma...
Anti-Racist Science Education
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the most prestigious scientists in history advanced racist and eugenicist views, but that is rarely mentioned in textbooks. Maddie and Emily s...
The Creation Of The Magnificent Makers
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and neuroscientist Theanne Griffith talks with Maddie about her children's book series, The Magnificent Makers, which follows two intrepid thir...
A Week Of Black Excellence
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In honor of Black History Month, Short Wave is focusing on Black scientists and educators — people doing incredible work and pushing for a world whe...
Bring Me Chocolate Or Bring Me Dead Stuff
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Valentine's Day from Short Wave! We've got something special for the holiday, Maddie and Emily exchange the gift of science facts - from the pro...
Saving Sea Level Records: What Historical Records Tell Us About The Rising Ocean
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Archival records may help researchers figure out how fast the sea level is rising in certain places. Millions of people in coastal cities are vulnerab...
When Defending The Land Puts Your Own Life At Risk
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Global Witness documented that 212 environmental and land activists were murdered in 2019. Over half of those documented murders took place in Colombi...
Why 500,000 COVID-19 Deaths May Not Feel Any Different
09 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why is it so hard to feel the difference between 400,000 and 500,000 COVID-19 deaths—and how might that impact our decision making during the pandem...
What's In A Tattoo? Scientists Are Looking For Answers
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Three in 10 people in America have a tattoo, and those in the 18 - 34 age bracket, it's almost 40 percent. But what's in those inks, exactly? NPR scie...
When Life Gives You Lemons...Make A Battery
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're going "Back To School" today, revisiting a classic at-home experiment that turns lemons into batteries — powerful enough to turn on a clock or...
Biden Promises To Grapple With Environmental Racism
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
People of color experience more air and water pollution than white people and suffer the health impacts. The federal government helped create the prob...
Opioids, COVID-19 And Racism: A Deadly Trifecta
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Drug overdose deaths are on the rise all around the country, including in Chicago, Illinois. ProPublica Illinois reporter Duaa Eldeib explains how the...
The Lost Joys Of Talking To Strangers
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With a lot of us stuck at home, trying to physically distance from each other, one part of daily life has largely disappeared: bumping into strangers....
The Complex Decisions Around Rebuilding After A Wildfire
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The year 2020 saw a record-breaking wildfire season. With those wildfires came many destroyed homes. Rebuilding with fire-resistant materials reduces ...
FACT SMACK: Spider Edition
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With the help of spider scientist Sebastian Echeverri, Maddie presents the case for why spiders are the best and coolest animal. Spoiler alert: some t...
How Bonobos Help Explain The Evolution Of Nice
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How did humans evolve some key cooperative behaviors like sharing? NPR Science Correspondent Jon Hamilton reports back from a bonobo sanctuary in the ...
What The Spread Of Coronavirus Variants Means For The U.S.
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Different versions of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus are emerging. Some are spreading quickly around the world, others more slowly — but several have th...
The Surprising History of Handwashing
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Washing your hands. It's one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to protect yourself from the coronavirus, the flu, and other respirat...
A Pesky Rumble: Pink Bollworms Vs. Cotton Farmers
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The pink bollworm — an invasive species that plagues cotton farmers around the world — has been successfully eradicated from much of the U.S. and ...
Our More-Than-Five Senses
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You're familiar with touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. But your body moves through the world with more than five senses. NPR Short Wave reporte...
Baltimore Is Suing Big Oil Over Climate Change
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court heard arguments this week in a case brought by the city of Baltimore against more than a dozen major oil and gas companies including...
The Social Side of Stuttering
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
President-elect Joe Biden has spoken publicly about his childhood stutter. An estimated 1% of the world's adults stutter, yet the condition — which ...
Let's Go Back To Venus!
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 1962, the first spacecraft humans ever sent to another planet — Mariner 2 — went to Venus. The first planet on which humans ever landed a probe...
Micro Wave: How 'Bout Dem Apple...Seeds
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many folks eat an apple and then throw out the core. It turns out, the core is perfectly ok to eat - despite apple seeds' association with the poison ...
How COVID-19 Affects The Brain
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many patients who are hospitalized for COVID-19 continue to have symptoms of brain injury after they are discharged. For many, brain function improves...
Should Black People Get Race Adjustments In Kidney Medicine?
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the U.S. continues to grapple with systemic racism, some in the medical community are questioning whether the diagnostic tools they use may be cont...
CubeSat: Little Satellite, Big Deal
12 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet the CubeSat: a miniaturized satellite that's been growing in sophistication. In the last 20 years, over 1,000 CubeSats have been launched into sp...
This Teen Scientist Is TIME's First-Ever 'Kid Of The Year'
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fifteen-year-old Gitanjali Rao is a scientist, inventor, and TIME Magazine's first-ever 'Kid Of The Year.' She shares why she didn't initially think s...
Micro Wave: What Makes Curly Hair Curl?
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hair scientist Crystal Porter explains the science behind curly hair (hint: It involves mushy cells in teeny-tiny tunnels). Plus, a bit of listener ma...
The Hunt For The World's Oldest Ice
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists think the world's oldest ice is hiding somewhere in Antarctica. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce tells us how researchers pla...
One Page At A Time, Jess Wade Is Changing Wikipedia
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
By day, Jess Wade is an experimental physicist at Imperial College London. But at night, she's a contributor to Wikipedia — where she writes entries...
How COVID-19 Has Changed Science
05 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
2020 was a year like no other, especially for science. The pandemic has caused massive shifts in scientific research – how it's being done, what's b...
Meet The Ko'Ko', The Comeback Bird
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For nearly forty years, the Guam Rail bird (locally known as the Ko'Ko') has been extinct in the wild — decimated by the invasive brown tree snake. ...
Happy New Year from Short Wave!
01 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
To kick off the new year right, Maddie fills out a Short Wave mad lib crafted by Emily. It's a little tribute to you, our awesome listeners. We're ba...
How Will Climate And Health Policy Look Under Biden?
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, something special...an episode of The NPR Politics Podcast we think you might appreciate. Our colleagues take a look at Joe Biden's approach to...
It's Okay To Sleep Late (Do It For Your Immune System)
29 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Syed Moin Hassan was riled up. "I don't know who needs to hear this," he posted on Twitter, "BUT YOU ARE NOT LAZY IF YOU ARE WAKING UP AT NOON." H...
2020: At Least It Was Good For Space Exploration?
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Between the pandemic, protests, the recession — the list goes on — there was big space news in 2020. And there was a lot of it! To round it up, M...
Happy Holidays from Short Wave!
25 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Maddie and Emily play a quick game of "Fact or Fiction?" with help from Ariela Zebede, our resident fact-checker. Plus, a little reminder that you can...
Seeing Monsters? It Could Be Sleep Paralysis
24 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's a listener questions episode! Josh Smith wrote in to tell us that as a teenager, he was plagued by sleep paralysis. Now he's afraid his kid might...
Oof! 2020: A Hot Year For The Record Books
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly tied with 2016 for the hottest year on record, 2020 was hot, hot, hot! NPR climate reporters Rebecca Hersher and Lauren Sommer explain why more...
Antimatter: Matter's "Evil Twin"
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Physicists have done the math and there should be as much antimatter as matter in the universe — but that hasn't been the case so far. NPR correspon...
Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall: Can You Reveal An Animal's Inner World At All?
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The mirror self-recognition test has been around for decades. Only a few species have what it takes to recognize themselves, while others learn to use...
The Science Behind The Historic mRNA Vaccine
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, just days ago granted emergency use authorization by the FDA, are being distributed across the count...
How A 100-Year-Old Treatment Could Help Save Us From Superbugs
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 2015, Steffanie Strathdee's husband nearly died from a superbug, an antibiotic resistant bacteria he contracted in Egypt. Desperate to save him, sh...
To Unlock Sublime Flavor, Cook Like A Scientist
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is flavor? Is it merely what your nose and tongue tell you? For cookbook author and recipe developer Nik Sharma, flavor is a full-body experience...
Chang'e-5: To The Moon And Back
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's been more than 40 years since rocks from the moon have come back to Earth. But in late November, a Chinese craft landed on the moon's surface--it...
Climate Change And 2020's Record-Breaking Hurricane Season
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season broke records and caused enormous damage. NPR climate reporter Rebecca Hersher talks us through the 2020 season--wh...
Science From Curiosity And A Little Paper
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Manu Prakash is the co-inventor of the Foldscope, a low-cost microscope aimed at making scientific tools more accessible. We chat with him about why h...
How Effective Are Antibody Treatments For COVID-19?
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The FDA has issued emergency use authorizations for two monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 – one produced by Eli Lilly and another by Regen...
Why We See Rainbows
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's another "Back To School" episode where we take a concept you were maybe taught in school as a kid, but didn't really learn or just forgot. Short ...
Nebraska Doctor: 'Don't Call Us Heroes.' Dig Deep And Do Your Part
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Like many states in the Midwest, Nebraska was somewhat spared during the early days of the pandemic. But now, the state has more cases per capita than...
Too Much Of A Good Thing: The Cautionary Tale of Biotech Crops
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the most popular agricultural biotech products are running into problems. These plants have been genetically modified to fend off insects, and...
The Long Legacy Of The Arecibo Telescope
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The National Science Foundation recently announced it plans to decommission the Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico. The world-renowned telescope has suf...
How Tall Is Mount Everest REALLY?
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We talk about the ridiculously complicated science involved in measuring Mount Everest with NPR international correspondent Lauren Frayer. And we'll h...
The Special Connection Between Smell and Memory
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why can a smell trigger such a powerful memory? Biological anthropologist Kara Hoover explains what's going on in the brain when we smell, how smell i...
When Critters Bleed ... On Purpose!
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Some insects and reptiles have a strange self-preservation characteristic — they suddenly start bleeding from places like their eyes or knees. NPR s...
Ultracold Soup: Meet The 'Superfluid' States Of Matter
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sharpen your pencils. Get out your notebook. Today, we are unveiling a new series called "Back To School." In these episodes, we take a concept you we...
Measuring Sea Level Rise From Space
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A new satellite, scheduled to launch this weekend, is the latest in a parade of missions to measure sea level rise. As climate reporter Rebecca Hershe...
Happy (Harm Reduction) Thanksgiving!
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The safest way to have Thanksgiving this year is to stay at home. But realistically, we know many people will still be traveling to gather with loved ...
Trump Administration Lifts Protections For Largest National Forest In US
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump administration has officially eliminated federal protections for Alaska's Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest i...
Who Gets The Vaccine First? And How Will They Get It?
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Developing a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine will be crucial to getting the pandemic under control. Also important, distributing it throughout ...
The COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Results: What They Mean, What Comes Next
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Interim results are in from a large trial of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine. Drug maker Pfizer, working with German company BioNTech, says its vacci...
A Call For Equity In Genomics Research
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the future, genomic research could lead to new treatments for human disease. It turns the data in our DNA into a global commodity. But historically...
Undisclosed: Fire And Flood Risk In The United States
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There have been many climate-related disasters this year, and along with those events come a heavy emotional and financial toll for residents. But wha...
What's It Like To Be A COVID-19 'Long Hauler'
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
That's what they call themselves: long-haulers. They've been sick for months. Many have never had a positive test. Doctors cannot explain their illnes...
The US And The Paris Climate Agreement: 5 Things To Know
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement in 2017 and formally notified the United Nations last ye...
Pandemic Reality Check - Where We Are. Where We're Headed.
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout the U.S., the pandemic is still raging. And with cooler weather and the height of flu season ahead, an already dire situation could get muc...
Touch And Go: NASA Samples An Asteroid
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A NASA spacecraft sent out to collect a sample of rock and dust from an asteroid has nabbed so much that it's created an unexpected problem. NPR scien...
Welcome To The World Of Whale Falls
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What happens after a whale dies? Their carcasses, known as "whale falls," provide a sudden, concentrated food source for organisms in the deep sea. Bi...
Micro Wave: "Once In A Blue Moon" Is Happening Again This Halloween
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This year, there will be a "blue moon" for Halloween. So for today's show, we're asking: What IS a blue moon? Is the moon ever blue? And are they as r...