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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.If you"re hooked, try Short Wave Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/shortwave

science life sciences

All Episodes

12:55

Americans Are Not Going To The Dentist Enough

Short Wave ·

2025/12/05

An estimated 5-10% of the U.S. population experiences a disorder with their TMJ, the joint that connects their jaw to their skull. The good news? Relief is possible. The secret? Go see your dentist. Today on the show, Emily talks with Justin Richer, an oral surgeon, about the diagnosis and treatment of TMJ disorders.Got a question about your teeth or dentistry? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+

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13:47

What Are AI Data Centers Doing To Your Electric Bill?

Short Wave ·

2025/12/03

Electricity bills are on track to rise an average of 8 percent nationwide by 2030 according to a June analysis from Carnegie Mellon University and North Carolina State University. The culprits? Data centers and cryptocurrency mining. Bills could rise as much as 25 percent in places like Virginia. Science writer Dan Charles explains why electric utilities are adding the cost of data center buildings to their customers’ bills while the data companies pay nothing upfront. Read the full June analysis

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14:20

Why Experts Are Racing To Learn About This...

Short Wave ·

2025/12/02

The comet 3I/ATLAS is taking a long holiday journey this year. It’s visiting from another solar system altogether. Those interstellar origins have the Internet rumor mill questioning whether 3I/ATLAS came from aliens. Co-hosts Emily Kwong and Regina G. Barber dive into that, plus what it and other interstellar comets can tell us about planets beyond our solar system.Read more of NPR’s coverage of 3I/ATLAS. Also, if you liked this episode, check out our episodes on: - the physics in the film

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14:22

Who Should Track Their Blood Sugar?

Short Wave ·

2025/12/01

Prediabetes is common in the U.S. — around 1 in 3 people have it. And many people may not know they have it. But last year, the FDA approved the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor. Since then, more people without diabetes have started checking their blood glucose levels. Diabetologist and University of California, San Francisco professor of medicine Dr. Sarah Kim shares the science behind blood glucose with host Emily Kwong. Check out more of NPR’s coverage about continuous glucose

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8:41

What’s In A Kiss? 21 Million Years Of Evolution

Short Wave ·

2025/11/28

How far back in evolutionary history does kissing go? Through phylogenetic analysis, an international team of scientists found that kissing was likely present in the ancestor of all apes – which lived 21 million years ago. Not only that: They were definitely kissing Neanderthals. The study was published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. In this news roundup, we also talk about new clues about the collision that created our moon and a moss surviving the hardships of space.Interested in

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15:28

How To Disagree Better

Short Wave ·

2025/11/26

Many people are gearing up for holiday conversation with loved ones who may disagree with them -- on everything from politics to religion and lifestyle choices. These conversations can get personal and come to a halt quickly. But today on the show, we get into neuroscience and psychological research showing that as much as we disagree, there are ways to bridge these divides -- and people who are actively using these strategies well in their daily lives. (encore)Want to hear more neuroscience and

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14:35

Nature Quest: The Earthquake Prediction Problem

Short Wave ·

2025/11/25

Their whole life, producer Hannah Chinn has known about the Big One: a massive earthquake forecasted to hit the West Coast. Scientists say it’ll destroy buildings, collapse bridges, flood coastal towns and permanently shift the landscape. But how exactly do scientists know this much about the scope of earthquakes if they can’t even predict when those earthquakes are going to happen? Together with host Emily Kwong, Hannah goes on a quest for answers. Plus, they get into what a Cascadia earthquake has

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12:06

SNAP Delays: The Science Of Hunger And Food Insecurity

Short Wave ·

2025/11/24

One in every eight households in the U.S. isn’t always sure where the next meal will come from. Limited food access can spell hunger – and that can affect the body and mind. So can cheaper, less nutritious foods. Hunger has a huge impact on individuals – and whole societies. It can mean shorter term issues like trouble focusing, as well as longer term mental health and physical struggles like chronic disease and social isolation. Host Regina G Barber speaks with experts looking at the impacts of

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14:20

What's Up With Nightmares?

Short Wave ·

2025/11/21

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 much heard it all. In Michelle’s new book Nightmare Obscura, she explores the science of dreams, nightmares – and even something called dream engineering, where people influence their own dreams while they sleep. Today on Short Wave, co-host Regina G. Barber dives into the science of our sleeping life with Michelle Carr.Interested in any upcoming

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14:17

The Mystery Of Inner Monologues

Short Wave ·

2025/11/19

Emily Kwong is pretty sure she lacks an inner monologue, while the inner monologue of producer Rachel Carlson won’t stop chatting. But how well can a person know their inner self? And what does science have to say about it?To learn more about Charles Fernyhough’s research on voice hearing, visit the project website. Interested in more science inside your brain? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for

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14:55

An Apple Is An Ovary: The Science of Apple Breeding

Short Wave ·

2025/11/18

What's your favorite apple? Maybe it's the crowd-pleasing Honeycrisp, the tart Granny Smith or the infamous Red Delicious. Either way, before that apple made it to your local grocery store or orchard it had to be invented — by a scientist. So today, we're going straight to the source: Talking to an apple breeder. Producer Hannah Chinn reports how apples are selected, bred, grown ... and the discoveries that could change that process. Plus, what's a "spitter"?Read more of Hannah's apple

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11:27

Mental ‘Workouts’ Could Keep Your Brain Young

Short Wave ·

2025/11/17

Scientists have found the first compelling evidence that cognitive training can boost levels of a brain chemical that typically declines as people age. The results of this 10-week study back earlier animal research showing that environments that stimulate the brain can increase levels of certain neurotransmitters. And other studies of people have suggested that cognitive training can improve thinking and memory. So how does it all work? And by how much does it all work? Here to break everything down

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16:55

Are we cooked? How social media shapes your language...

Short Wave ·

2025/11/15

This week, we’re sharing a special episode from TED Tech exploring Gen Z slang words like "unalive," "skibidi" and "rizz." Where do these words come from — and how do they get popular so fast? Linguist Adam Aleksic explores how the forces of social media algorithms are reshaping the way people talk and view their very own identities. Technology’s role in our lives is evolving fast. TED Tech helps you explore the riveting questions and tough challenges we’re faced with that sit at the intersection of

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9:51

Data Centers, Icy Moons And Chameleons

Short Wave ·

2025/11/14

It’s another news roundup! This time, we cover how, using data analytics – and ironically, some AI – a team at Cornell University has mapped the environmental impact of AI by state. They determined that, by 2030, the rate of AI growth in the U.S. would put an additional 24 to 44 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The team further calculated that by 2030, AI could use as much water as 6 to 10 millions Americans do every year. All of this, they conclude, would put the tech

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12:20

The Future Of Immune Health Might Be Here

Short Wave ·

2025/11/12

David Ewing Duncan has spent the last 25 years being poked and prodded in the name of science. He’s signed up for hundreds of tests because, as a journalist, he writes about emerging health breakthroughs. He says one recent test contains more useful data than anything he’s seen to date. He talks to host Emily Kwong about his score on the Immune Health Metric, which was developed by immunologist John Tsang. Together, David and John explain why immune health is so central to overall health and how a

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13:48

What Space Dust Reveals About Earth's Ice Age

Short Wave ·

2025/11/11

Cosmic dust can tell scientists about how ice covered Earth during the last ice age. This dust is leftover debris from asteroids and comets colliding in space and this dust constantly rains down on our planet. Researcher Frankie Pavia from the University of Washington recently used a brand new method for estimating climate conditions 30,000 years ago, by looking at the cosmic dust amounts in ancient arctic ocean soil. He and a team found new clues to what melted arctic ice at the end of the ice age

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12:23

Do Birth Control Side Effects Make It Worth Skipping?

Short Wave ·

2025/11/10

Recently, health influencers on Instagram and TikTok have been vocal about the side effects of hormonal birth control. Check out the most popular videos on the subject, and you’ll hear horror stories about sex drive and skin texture, depression and weight fluctuation. But doctors say that while some side effects are possible, the most extreme stories are often the rarest cases. And one of the most common side effects of not taking birth control … is unplanned pregnancy. Interested in more health

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13:59

Fall foliage is still a mystery: Why do some leaves...

Short Wave ·

2025/11/07

Scientists know why leaves turn yellow in the fall: Chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the yellow pigment that was there all along. But red? Red is a different story altogether. Leaves have to make a new pigment to turn red. Why would a dying leaf do that? Scientists don’t really know. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce reports on the leading hypotheses out there.Read more of Nell's reporting on this topic. Interested in more seasonal science? Email us your ideas at

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11:35

Why Some Species Survive Mass Extinctions

Short Wave ·

2025/11/05

Around 250 million years ago, one of Earth’s largest known volcanic events set off The Great Dying: the planet’s worst mass extinction event. The eruptions spewed large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, temperatures rose globally and oxygen in the oceans dropped. And while the vast majority of species went extinct, some survived. Scientists like paleophysiology graduate student Kemi Ashing-Giwa want to know why, because lessons about the survivors of The Great Dying could inform

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12:59

The Secrets Everyday Rocks Keep

Short Wave ·

2025/11/04

Why does the New York City skyline look the way it does? In part, because of what happened there 500 million years ago, says geologist Anjana Khatwa, author of the new book Whispers of Rocks. In it, she traces how geology has had profound effects on human life, from magnetism of the ocean floor to voter trends in the Southern U.S.Interested in more geology episodes? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing

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1,414 results

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