Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Donate Your Body To Science?
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Halloween calls to mind graveyards and the walking dead, so, naturally, Short Wave wanted to know wh...
100 Years Of Box Turtles
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The common box turtle is found just about anywhere in the continental United States east of Colorado...
He Had His Father's Voice: Tracking A Rare Bird Hybrid
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Steve Gosser heard the song of a scarlet tanager in the woods, he knew to look for a bright-red...
The Tigray Medical System Collapse
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The civil war in Ethiopia is destroying the medical system in the northern Tigray region, which serv...
When Autumn Leaves Start To Fall
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Botanist and founder of #BlackBotanistsWeek Tanisha Williams explains why some leaves change color d...
New Discoveries In Underwater Plant Sex
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Plants living underwater can't count on pollinating insects to get it on. The prevailing theory has ...
Brain Cells In A Dish Play Pong And Other Brain Adventures
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world of brain research had two incredible developments last week. Researchers have taught a dis...
These Animals Will Mess You Up
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The natural world is filled with treats ... and tricks. Today, Internet zoologist and TikTok star Ma...
Beyond Condoms!
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Contraceptive research has historically prioritized women because they bear the burden of pregnancy ...
Choose Your Own (Math) Adventure
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever read those Choose Your Own Adventure books of the 80s and 90s? As a kid, Dr. Pamela Harris was ...
You're 50, And Your Body Is Changing: Time For The Talk
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Perimenopause, the period of transition to menopause, is still a largely misunderstood chapter of re...
Pop Quiz! Short Wave Birthday Edition
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Short Wave hosts Aaron Scott and Emily Kwong quiz All Things Considered hosts Mary Louise Kelly and ...
Why Do We Laugh?
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Laughter: We do it spontaneously, we do it forcefully, we do it with each other and by ourselves. Bu...
We Baked A Cake For Our 3rd Birthday!
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Of course we have to have cake for Short Wave's third birthday! Sugar-ologist and biochemist Adriana...
The Quest To Save The California Condor
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The California condor used to soar across the western skies of North America, but by the 1980s, the ...
IVF Has Come A Long Way, But Many Don't Have Access
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since the first successful in vitro fertilization pregnancy and live birth in 1978, nearly half a mi...
The Scorpion Renaissance Is Upon Us
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Scorpions: They're found pretty much everywhere, and new species are being identified all the time. ...
A New Drug For A Relentless Brain Disease
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
ALS is a disease that destroys the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord we need for voluntary mo...
Why Disaster Relief Underserves Those Who Need It Most
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When a disaster like Hurricane Ian destroys a house, the clock starts ticking. It gets harder for si...
Predicting Landslides: After Disaster, Alaska Town Turns To Science
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On August 18, 2015, in Sitka, Alaska, a slope above a subdivision of homes under construction gave w...
Sustainable Seafood? It's A Question Of Data
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The last several decades have taken a toll on the oceans: Some fish populations are collapsing, plas...
Why The Bladder Is Number One!
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When's the last time you thought about your bladder? We're going there today! In this Short Wave epi...
Grasslands: The Unsung Carbon Hero
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What's in a grassland? There are all sorts of wildflowers, many insects, animals like prairie dogs, ...
One Park. 24 Hours.
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's easy to take city parks for granted, or to think of them as separate from nature and from the E...
Asteroid Deflection Mission, Activate!
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In movies, asteroids careening towards Earth are confronted by determined humans with nuclear weapon...
Rise Of The Dinosaurs
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dinosaurs ruled the earth for many millions of years, but only after a mass extinction took out most...
Working With Tribes To Co-Steward National Parks
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of Short Wave's Summer Road Trip series exploring the science happening in nati...
Water Water Everywhere, But How Much Do You Really Need?
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The water advice is everywhere - how much to drink (8 cups a day - really?), what to drink, when to ...
Three Sisters And The Fight Against Alzheimer's Disease
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly a decade ago, Karen Douthitt and her sisters June Ward and Susie Gilliam set out to learn why...
How Muggy Is It? Check The Dew Point!
19 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, Lauren Sommer talked with Short Wave about the dangerous combination of heat and humidity...
How Freaked Out Should We Be About Ukraine's Nuclear Plant?
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world has been warily watching the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine. The nuclear complex is...
Heat Can Take A Deadly Toll On Humans
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Heat—it's common in summer in much of the world, but it's getting increasingly more lethal as clim...
What The Universe Is Doing RIGHT NOW
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A century ago, astronomers were locked in a debate about the scope of our universe. Were we it? The ...
When Should I Get My Omicron Booster Shot?
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Updated COVID boosters are now available that target the Omicron subvariant and many Americans 12 an...
Name That Tune! Why The Brain Remembers Songs
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some songs can stick with us for a long time, even when other memories start to fade? Science...
The Race To Rescue The Guadalupe Fescue
09 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Big Bend National Park in Texas is home to the only remaining Guadalupe fescue in the United States....
Short Wave Goes To The Circus
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Julia Ruth has a pretty cool job: it takes a lot of strength, a lot of balance, and a surprising amo...
'Scallop Discos': How Some Glitzy Lights Could Lead To A Low-Impact Fishery
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists in the UK have discovered that if they take a pot meant for catching crabs and just add s...
Surf's Always Up — In Waco, Texas
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the world's best artificial waves are happening hundreds of miles from the ocean—in Waco, ...
Happy Labor Day!
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking the day off for the Labor Day holiday! We hope you're also able to get some rest. We'll...
Worm Blobs From The Bowels Of The Earth
02 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the toxic waters of Sulphur Cave in Steamboat Springs, Colo. lives blood-red worm blobs that have...
The Stars That Settled The Great Debate
01 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It may seem obvious now that other galaxies lie beyond the Milky Way, but less than 100 years ago, s...
Quiz Bowl! How Animals Sense The World
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do worms feel pain? How do otters experience the world? What are those pink appendages on the face o...
The Man Who Shot The Moon
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
NASA's Artemis Moon mission was supposed to launch Monday. But it was delayed due to a problem one o...
988: An Alternative To 911 For Mental Health
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
People experiencing a mental health crisis have a new way to reach out for help in the U.S. — call...
Experience The Quietest Place On Earth
26 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In a crater at the top of a dormant volcano lies a place so quiet, the ambient sound is right near t...
Artemis: NASA's New Chapter In Space
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Humans haven't set foot on the moon in 50 years, but NASA hopes to take one step closer with the lau...
Searching The Ocean's Depths For Future Medicines
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Plunge into the ocean off the west coast of Ireland...and then keep plunging, down to where there's ...
Sweating Buckets... of SCIENCE!
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sweating can be unpleasant, but consider the alternatives: You could roll around in mud. You could s...
Micro Wave: How to Build a Sandcastle Dreamhouse!
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Grab your towels and flip flops, because we're heading to the beach. Whether you love playing in the...
Eavesdropping On A Volcano
19 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Volcanoes are "talking" to us all the time. Scientists say the sooner we learn to interpret their no...
A Rising Demand for Coal Amidst War in Ukraine
18 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Demand for coal in Europe is rising as Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens the country's vast nat...
Ode To The Manta Ray
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On a trip to Hawaii, Short Wave host Emily Kwong encountered manta rays for the first time. The expe...
How To Brew Amazing Coffee With Science
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The perfect cup of joe might be a matter of taste, but knowing the science behind the coffee-making ...
The Radio Wave Mystery That Changed Astronomy
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1967 Jocelyn Bell Burnell made a discovery that revolutionized the field of astronomy. She detect...
Tick Check! The Tiny Bloodsuckers In Our Backyards
12 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Short Wave is going outside every Friday this summer! In this second episode of our series on the Na...
The Brazilian Scientists Inventing An mRNA Vaccine — And Sharing The Recipe
11 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Moderna and Pfizer first came out with their mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, supply was limited to ...
Twinkle, Twinkle, Shooting Star
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, we're re-airing our first episode with Scientist in ...
How Monkeypox Became A Public Health Emergency
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The White House officially declared monkeypox a public health emergency in the United States last we...
Carry The Two: Making Audio Magic With Math
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Math is a complex, beautiful language that can help us understand the world. And sometimes ... math ...
A Tale Of Two Parks And The Bats Within Them
05 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Buckle up! Short Wave is going on a road trip every Friday this summer. In this first episode of our...
Abortion Laws in Texas are Disrupting Maternal Care
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
New abortion bans have made some doctors hesitant to provide care for pregnancy complications. That'...
The Secret History of DNA
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's been over 150 years since the first article was published about the molecular key to life as we...
Wild Horses Could Keep Wildfire At Bay
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Under a 1971 Congressional Act, the Bureau of Land Management has the right to round up wild horses ...
TASTE BUDDIES: The Controversial World Of Taste Science
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Not much is known about why people experience tastes differently and why some people can detect cert...
Spice, Spice, Baby! Why Some Of Us Enjoy The Pain Of Spicy Foods
29 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we talk about spicy food and its intersection with pleasure and pain as part of our "Taste Bu...
TASTE BUDDIES: No Sugarcoating How Sweet Affects The Brain
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our ancestors evolved the ability to taste the sweet goodness of foods like pastries and creamy choc...
TASTE BUDDIES: Feeling Salty?
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we're getting salty as we continue our series "Taste Buddies" — Short Wave's ode to taste b...
TASTE BUDDIES: Umami And The Redemption Of MSG
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're continuing our celebration of taste with another episode in our "Taste Buddies" series. Today:...
TASTE BUDDIES: Pucker Up! It's The Science Of Sour
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Short Wave is celebrating our sense of taste with an entire week of themed episodes, cover...
The Accelerated Approvals Process: Are Drugmakers Fulfilling Their Promises?
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Food and Drug Administration allows faster drug approvals based on preliminary study data if the...
Russia's War In Ukraine Is Hurting Nature
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The war in Ukraine is devastating that nation's rich, natural environment - from chemical leaks pois...
Keeping Score On Climate: How We Measure Greenhouse Gases
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Host Emily Kwong wants to keep an eye on her carbon footprint. Most of it consists of greenhouse gas...
Venus And The 18th Century Space Race
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the 18th century the world was focused on Venus. Expeditions were launched in pursuit of exact me...
How Clarice Phelps Put Her Mark On The Periodic Table
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As a kid, Clarice Phelps dreamed of being an astronaut, or maybe an explorer like the characters on ...
The Universe's Baby Pictures (Squee!) From The James Webb Space Telescope
15 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this week we got a look at one of the highest-profile scientific photo dumps of all time. Th...
Making Space Travel Accessible For People With Disabilities
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week NASA released some of the sharpest images of space ever from the James Webb Space Telescop...
Real Life 'Goonies'? A Mysterious Shipwreck Found Off the Oregon Coast
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For centuries, mysterious blocks of beeswax and Chinese porcelain have washed up on the Oregon coast...
BA.5: The Omicron Subvariant Driving Up Cases — And Reinfections
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
BA.5 is now the dominant SARS-CoV-2 subvariant in the United States. It's driving up COVID cases and...
Everything On A Bagel: A Conversation With Daniels
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Directing Duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, (collectively: Daniels) are known for their first fe...
Tiny Critter Week Finale: Nudibranchs Do It Better
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're wrapping up Tiny Critter Week with a reprise of one of our favorite episodes — nudibranchs. ...
Liquid Gold: The Wonder Of Honey
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Honey bees know a lot about honey, and humans are starting to catch up. Scientists are now looking a...
Spiders Can Fear Other Spiders
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you're not so fond of spiders, you may find kindred spirits in other spiders! Researcher Daniela ...
Against All Odds, The Pumpkin Toadlet Is
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Being small has its advantages ... and some limitations. One organism that intimately knows the pros...
Tiny Critters On The Way This Week
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hey, Short Wavers!We're off today, but wanted to give you a sneak peek into this week's episodes. To...
If Monkeys Could Talk...
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
... Could a monkey host this podcast?Aaron Scott and Resident Neuroscience Nerd Jon Hamilton discuss...
Micro Wave: Scientists Discover GINORMOUS Bacteria
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Caribbean is home to gorgeous beaches, mangroves and ... the biggest bacteria known to humankind...
Climate Change Is Tough On Personal Finances
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A majority of people say they have experienced extreme weather in the last five years, according to ...
The Quest To Save The California Condor
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Historically, the California condor soared across the western skies of North America. But by the 198...
The Public Health Implications Of Overturning Roe V. Wade
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday. We're revisiting an episode that may give us ins...
Let's Get Crafty With Agar Art!
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Pull out your art supplies because it's time to get crafty--with agar! At the intersection of biolog...
Dino-mite! Meet The Real Stars of 'Jurassic World: Dominion'
23 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Move over, T-Rex. There are new, (mostly) more accurate dinosaurs to squeal over in 'Jurassic World:...
'Smell Ya Later, COVID!' How Dogs Are Helping Schools Stay COVID-free
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A Massachusetts elementary school welcomes "Huntah," the COVID-sniffing dog. Scientist-in-residence ...
Good Things Come In Trees
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever feel better after walking down a street that's lined with lush, green trees? You're not ...
Honoring Juneteenth
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hi Short Wavers, The team is off today in continued commemoration of Juneteenth, a holiday honoring ...
Science In The City: Cylita Guy Talks Chasing Bats And Tracking Rats
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cylita Guy was a curious child who enjoyed exploring the beaches, parks and animals that shared her ...
Can The Next School Shooting Be Prevented With Compassion?
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Uvalde school shooting has renewed questions of how to prevent the next shooting. For many who'v...
War On Earth, Cooperation In Space
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonauts have lived side-by-side aboard the International...
How Politics And Health Are Intertwined
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Political polarization is affecting Americans' health, according to a new study. Researchers find hi...
Wok This Way: A Science Cooking Show
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What's the most versatile pan in the kitchen? According to chef and cookbook author J. Kenji López-...