x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

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. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for Short Wave.

science life sciences

All Episodes

12:40

Fat Phobia And Its Racist Past And Present

Short Wave ·

2020/07/21

Where does our preference for thinness really come from? As Sabrina Strings explains in her book, Fearing the Black Body, the answer is much more complicated than health or aesthetics. She argues the origins of modern day fat phobia can be traced all the way back to slavery, and Black people are still dealing with the consequences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

11:33

The Troubling Link Between Deforestation and Disease

Short Wave ·

2020/07/20

There's evidence deforestation has gotten worse under the pandemic. It's especially troubling news. Scientists are discovering a strong correlation between deforestation and disease outbreaks. NPR correspondent Nathan Rott talks to Short Wave reporter Emily Kwong.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

8:58

Micro Wave: The Science Of Microwave Ovens + Listener...

Short Wave ·

2020/07/17

Introducing Micro Waves: low-calorie episodes featuring bite-sized science, mail from our listeners, and...maybe other stuff in the future? We'll figure it out. Write to us at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

13:52

Why The Pandemic Is Getting Worse... And How To Think...

Short Wave ·

2020/07/16

Rising cases, not enough testing, and not enough people taking the virus seriously. NPR science correspondent Richard Harris explains why the virus is surging again, what's causing lower fatality rates, and how to think about the future of the pandemic. For more on death rates in the latest surge, read: "COVID-19 Cases Are Rising, So Why Are Deaths Flatlining?"Follow Maddie at @maddie_sofia and Richard @rrichardh. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices:

en-us

12:40

Understanding Unconscious Bias

Short Wave ·

2020/07/15

The human brain can process 11 million bits of information every second. But our conscious minds can handle only 40 to 50 bits of information a second. So our brains sometimes take cognitive shortcuts that can lead to unconscious or implicit bias, with serious consequences for how we perceive and act toward other people. Where does unconscious bias come from? How does it work in the brain and ultimately impact society?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy

en-us

12:11

Why Do Flying Snakes Wiggle In The Air?

Short Wave ·

2020/07/14

Some snakes can fly, and we don't mean on a plane. Certain snakes that live in South and Southeast Asia can leap off branches, undulating through the air, onto another tree. But why do they wiggle? NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce shares one researcher's quest to find out.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

14:00

How Record Heat In Siberia Is Messing With...Everything

Short Wave ·

2020/07/13

Climate change and this year's weather patterns are behind the record-breaking heat in Siberia. NPR Climate Reporter Rebecca Hersher tells us how it's contributed to all sorts of problems there — mosquito swarms, buckling roads, wildfires. And we'll hear how these high temps are threatening the livelihoods of Indigenous Russians.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

12:56

Lightbulbs Strike Back

Short Wave ·

2020/07/10

Encore episode. Humans have a long history of inventions that shape the world around us: electricity, telephones, computers, music — the list goes on. But as Ainissa Ramirez explains in her new book, The Alchemy of Us, those inventions are shaping us, too.Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

14:11

The Congolese Doctor Who Discovered Ebola

Short Wave ·

2020/07/09

Encore episode. Jean-Jacques Muyembe is a Congolese doctor who headed up the response to the recent Ebola outbreak in Congo. Back in 1976, he was the first doctor to collect a sample of the virus. But his crucial role in discovering Ebola is often overlooked. NPR's East Africa correspondent Eyder Peralta helps us correct the record. Follow Eyder on Twitter — he's @eyderp and Maddie's @maddie_sofia. You can always reach the show by emailing shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices:

en-us

13:19

This NASA Engineer Is Bringing Math And Science To...

Short Wave ·

2020/07/08

Encore episode. NASA engineer Dajae Williams is using hip hop to make math and science more accessible to young people of color. We talk with Dajae about her path to NASA, and how music helped her fall in love with math and science when she was a teenager.Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

12:00

Honeybees Need Your Help

Short Wave ·

2020/07/07

Encore episode. A deadly triangle of factors is killing off U.S. honeybees. Last year, forty percent of honeybee colonies died in the U.S., continuing an alarming trend. Entomologist Sammy Ramsey tells host Maddie Sofia about the "three P's" and what listeners can do to help our fuzzy-flighted friends.Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

14:31

The Importance Of Black Doctors

Short Wave ·

2020/07/06

Though Black Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, they represent only 5% of physicians. How does that lack of diversity in the physician workforce impact Black patients' health and well-being? Dr. Owen Garrick, the CEO and President of Bridge Clinical Research, wanted to know.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

43:30

Typhoid Mary: Lessons From An Infamous Quarantine

Short Wave ·

2020/07/03

A special episode from our colleagues at NPR's history podcast Throughline. When a cook who carried typhoid fever showed no symptoms and refused to stop working, authorities forcibly quarantined her for nearly three decades. Was she a perfect villain? Or a woman scapegoated because of her background? Throughline hosts Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei tell the story of Typhoid Mary — a story about journalism, the powers of the state, and the tension between personal freedom and public

en-us

9:51

Backyard Birding 101

Short Wave ·

2020/07/02

If you pay attention to what's going on in your own backyard, ornithologist Viviana Ruiz Gutierrez says the birds among us have been putting on a great show. Gutierrez explains migration, mating dances, nesting, and shares tips on how to be hospitable to the birds in your neighborhood.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

12:14

One Way To Slow Coronavirus Outbreaks At Meatpacking...

Short Wave ·

2020/07/01

Meatpacking plants have been some of the biggest COVID-19 hot spots in the country. Thousands of workers have been infected, dozens have died. As plants reopen, one strategy has helped slow the virus's spread: large-scale employee testing. NPR food and agriculture correspondent Dan Charles explains how this approach could be a lesson for other industries as well.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

12:59

Octocopter Set to Explore Titan, Saturn's Very Cool Moon

Short Wave ·

2020/06/30

NASA is on a mission to explore Titan — the largest moon of Saturn. To do that, scientists are building a nuclear-powered, self-driving drone (technically an octocopter) called Dragonfly. Scheduled to launch in 2026 and arrive on Titan in 2034, Dragonfly could provide clues about how the building blocks of life started here on Earth.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

11:56

Meet The Climate Scientist Trying to Fly Less for Work

Short Wave ·

2020/06/29

A few years ago, climate scientist Kim Cobb had a brutal realization about how much she was flying for conferences and meetings. Those flights were adding lots of climate-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Host Maddie Sofia talks with her about her push to get scientists to fly less for work, and what happened when the pandemic suddenly made that idea a reality.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

11:26

A COVID-19 Vaccine: What You Need To Know

Short Wave ·

2020/06/26

Approximately 200 COVID-19 vaccines are being actively developed, a process that health officials are expediting to help end the pandemic. Today on the show, NPR science correspondent Joe Palca walks us through the latest in vaccine development — from how a coronavirus vaccine would work to the challenges of distributing it to the world.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

12:43

Minneapolis' Bold Plan To Tackle Racial Inequity And...

Short Wave ·

2020/06/25

Racial discrimination shaped the map of Minneapolis. Then city zoning locked many of those patterns into place. Maddie talks with NPR climate reporter Lauren Sommer about Minneapolis' bold plan to tackle housing disparities — and climate change. The new rules went into effect earlier this year. Community groups are calling on the city to follow through.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

11:03

The Science Behind That Fresh Rain Smell

Short Wave ·

2020/06/24

Scientists have known for decades that one of the main causes of the smell of fresh rain is geosmin: a chemical compound produced by soil-dwelling bacteria. But why do the bacteria make it in the first place? It was a bacteria-based mystery... until now! Maddie gets some answers from reporter Emily Vaughn, former Short Wave intern.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

1,542 results

Similar Podcasts

Realitätstheorie

Benjamin Ewers, Raoul-Amadeus Lorbeer

Pioneer Sci-Fi Radio

solgoodmedia.com

The Thought Atlas Podcast

Blisado

Science News Daily

brief.news

The Science of Birds

Ivan Phillipsen