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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

14:15

Synthetic Cells: The Next Bioengineering Frontier

Short Wave ·

2025/10/13

There are more human cells in your body than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy! Cells are the fundamental building blocks of life but that doesn’t mean they are simple – biology still doesn’t have a full picture of how exactly a living cell works. Host Regina G. Barber talks with bioengineers Kate Adamala and Drew Endy about why scientists are trying to build a cell from scratch, piece by piece. They dive into what it would look like to be inside of a cell, why scientists are bothering with

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14:07

Why The Tropics Have A Weather Forecasting Problem

Short Wave ·

2025/10/10

Weather in the tropics is decidedly different than it is in the middle latitudes. It turns out, so are the weather systems – the factors that create things like the daily temperature and humidity! Historically, most weather forecasting models have been based on data from high-income countries in the northern hemisphere. But different factors drive weather and climate near the equator – meaning that these weather forecast models are much less accurate at predicting weather in the tropics. This has

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13:15

Doing Science at the Edge of the Earth

Short Wave ·

2025/10/08

Some scientific discoveries take place in a lab. Others are made deep in the rainforest, along the ocean floor or on the dark side of the moon. And still others are made squelching through mud and ice on the northernmost island on Earth… at least, if you’re NPR climate correspondent Alejandra Borunda. Two summers ago, Alejandra followed an expedition of scientists to Greenland’s Inuit Qeqertaat, or Kaffeeklubben (“Coffee Club”) Island. The researchers with her were aiming to find what plants grew at

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12:27

Solved: The Potato Origin Mystery

Short Wave ·

2025/10/07

Usually, when two different species mate, it’s a disaster. At least, that’s what scientists had generally thought about hybrids, the offspring of these unions. But some researchers are starting to change their view as they learn of more beneficial hybrid events. The Atlantic science journalist Katie Wu details two of these hybridization examples: one in desert frogs and one in two ancient plants that <> led to the modern potato.Interested in more biology episodes? Email us your question at

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13:45

The Science Of Fear And Horror Movies

Short Wave ·

2025/10/06

Creepy crawly season is upon us, Short Wavers! We're welcoming fall with a contemplation of fear and anxiety. In human history, fear kept us safe. It helped us flee from predators. Anxiety made us wary of potential dangers — like venturing into a known lion-infested area. But what happens when these feelings get out of hand in humans today? And why do some of us crave that feeling from scary movies or haunted houses?For answers, we talk to Arash Javanbakht, a psychiatrist from Wayne State

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8:45

What Are Flies Doing In The Middle Of The Ocean?

Short Wave ·

2025/10/03

In the North Sea — between the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark — thousands of flies swarmed an oil rig. Engineer Craig Hannah noticed they’d stay still on the rig for hours, suddenly taking off all at once. He was seeing hoverflies. Often confused with bees, they’re unsung pollinators. And they migrate, often hundreds of miles – including, it seems, to the middle of the ocean. Today on the show: The mystery of why these insects are landing in the open ocean. Plus, a surprising finding in the

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9:44

Why Animal Scavengers Protect Your Health

Short Wave ·

2025/10/01

Worldwide, populations of scavenging animals that feed on rotting carcasses are declining. Scientists are finding that this can seriously hurt human health. NPR science reporter Jonathan Lambert has been looking into how human health is intertwined with scavenging animals and why these animals’ decline could lead to more human disease. Today, he brings all he learned, including how conservation could help, to your earholes.Check out more of Jon’s reporting on scavengers and human health.Interested

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12:01

Nature Quest: How High Will Sea Levels Rise?

Short Wave ·

2025/09/30

How high will the ocean rise under climate change? By 2050, scientists have a pretty good idea. But why does it matter where you live? And what can humans do to slow it down? This episode is part of Nature Quest, our monthly segment that brings you a question from a Short Waver who is noticing a change in the world around them. Our question comes from Peter Lansdale in Santa Cruz, Calif. To see what future sea levels will look like where you live, check out NOAA’s Sea Level Rise Viewer here.Noticed

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13:18

Why Do Some Hurricane Survivors Thrive After Disaster?

Short Wave ·

2025/09/29

You’ve probably heard of PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. But what about its counterpart, post-traumatic growth?The term was coined in the 90s to describe the positive psychological growth that researchers documented in people who had been through traumatic or highly stressful life events. Psychologists and sociologists conducting long-range studies on survivors of Hurricane Katrina – which hit 20 years ago and remains one of the most devastating natural disasters to hit the US – are continuing

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13:29

A Surprising Cause Of Endometriosis Could Lead To Cure

Short Wave ·

2025/09/26

Since the age of nine or ten, Katie Burns has had debilitating pain from endometriosis, a condition where tissue resembling the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. For years, Katie was in the dark about what was causing her pain. Even after a diagnosis at age 20 it was hard to find relief, or even answers about her condition. Her search for better care is part of what led her to a career studying the disease, which affects tens of millions of people worldwide. And in 2012, she discovered

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13:29

Tylenol and Autism: What’s True and What Isn’t

Short Wave ·

2025/09/24

On Monday, the Trump administration linked the use of Tylenol with rising autism rates, but science doesn’t support that claim. Guest host Sydney Lupkin talks to autism researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg about how autism is studied, the findings from decades of research, and what people–especially those who are pregnant–should do when they experience pain or fever. Plus, we dig into guidance behind using leucovorin to treat autism.Interested in more science behind the headlines? Email us your question

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11:26

A Surprising Culprit of Food Allergies

Short Wave ·

2025/09/23

Food allergies have risen in the United States over the last few decades. Research suggests that 40 years ago the prevalence of food allergies was less than 1%. But today that number is closer to 6%. But this trend is not present in all countries — and what people are allergic to varies globally. Today, we dive into the complex world of food allergies with Dr. Waheeda Samady. She's the director of clinical research at Northwestern University's Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research.Have a food

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13:15

Should You Try Red-Light Therapy?

Short Wave ·

2025/09/22

The anti-aging product market was worth roughly 53 BILLION dollars in 2024. One of the latest big trends: red light therapy. Social media is rampant with claims about all sorts of purported health benefits to using directed red light regularly … but does the research really live up to all the hype?For answers, we turn to cosmetic chemist and science communicator Michelle Wong. Together, she and host Regina G. Barber sift through the thin (albeit growing) research on red light therapy to find out

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8:04

Untangling The Science of Octopus Arms

Short Wave ·

2025/09/19

Octopuses and their arms are a bit of a mystery. Not because scientists don’t know how they work; they’re boneless hydrostats, made up of groups of muscles working together and capable of bending, twisting, elongating or shortening — like a frog’s tongue, or an elephant’s trunk. But because scientists are still figuring out how most octopuses use those arms in the wild. Scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole and the marine lab at Florida Atlantic University wanted to answer

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12:04

What Does a Black Hole Collision Sound Like?

Short Wave ·

2025/09/17

For centuries, the primary way that astronomers studied outer space was through sight. But just ten years ago, scientists successfully established a way to ‘listen’ to our cosmos – detecting gravitational waves created by huge cosmic events that took place billions of light years away. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce explains how scientists detect those gravitational waves, what kind of cosmic events we’re detecting now, and what they could tell us about our universe.Interested in

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15:06

What Do Stem Cells Mean For The Future Of Parkinson's?

Short Wave ·

2025/09/16

Parkinson’s Disease affects around a million people in the United States. And that number is on the rise, in part because our population is getting older. Dr. Claire Henchcliffe, chair of neurology at the University of California, Irvine, is one of the scientists at the forefront of Parkinson’s research. She's working toward new treatment options for Parkinson’s, including recent discoveries about the potential use of stem cells. Science correspondent Jon Hamilton dives into this research — and even

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14:22

The Surprisingly Long History Of Nose Jobs

Short Wave ·

2025/09/15

Rhinoplasty is one of the most common facial plastic surgeries performed today. And it turns out, the ability to reconstruct a nose with living tissue has been known for a very long time – over 2500 years! But what spurred our ancestors to master this reconstructive technique? Well, there’s quite a range of answers – everything from adultery to duels and syphilis. Short Wave host Regina G. Barber speaks with bioengineer and Princeton University professor Daniel Cohen about the surprisingly long

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13:03

The Most Convincing Evidence Yet Of Life On Mars

Short Wave ·

2025/09/12

Was there ever life on Mars? Planetary scientists think there could have been but there hasn’t been any direct evidence. After years of roaming Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover saw spots on Mars rocks. These spots could be the most likely clue that Mars had organic life millions of years ago. Host Regina G. Barber speaks with recent PhD graduate and planetary scientist Hemani Kalucha. She explains why the size, shape and color of these spots – as well as the location of these rocks on Mars – point to

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12:53

Brain Implants Are Here — And Getting Better

Short Wave ·

2025/09/10

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are surgically implanted devices that link the brain to a computer. They can be helpful for people who’ve lost the ability to move or speak. And they’re making progress. New generations of BCIs could go as far as to detect a person’s inner monologue.But that progress is raising questions about the future privacy of our brains, and has some scientists asking, “What happens when you want to keep some things to yourself?”NPR brain correspondent Jon Hamilton talks to

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14:39

'Interstellar': Time Dilation And Wormholes Explained

Short Wave ·

2025/09/09

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar was a phenomenon in 2014. Set in the future, Earth has been struck by a global crop blight. Former NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is pulled into a NASA mission to transport the human race to a new planet, via wormhole. Back on Earth, Cooper’s daughter, Murph (Jessica Chastain), attempts to complete an equation that will allow this mass-transport of humanity from Earth. Many scientists praised the film, particularly for its depiction of black holes. In this

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1,382 results

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