Loading...

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

11:49

Should Bulldogs Exist?

Short Wave ·

2022/03/23

Cute, wrinkly faces aside, bulldogs have myriad health problems. Science points to purebred breeding practices as the reason. NPR Science correspondent Lauren Sommer talks to host Aaron Scott about how a bulldog breeding ban in Norway has fueled an ongoing debate on the practice of breeding dogs with low genetic diversity and, as a result, high instances of health problems.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

7:43

COVID-19 Cases Rise In The U.K., U.S. Watches For New...

Short Wave ·

2022/03/22

The omicron outbreak has slowed dramatically in the U.S. But cases are rising in Britain due to an omicron subvariant. There are signs the U.S. could also see a bump in cases in the coming weeks. Stay safe out there, fabulous listeners! Feel free to drop us a line at ShortWave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

15:48

Parents Of Transgender Youth Fear Texas' Anti-Trans...

Short Wave ·

2022/03/21

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed the state's Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate certain gender-affirming care as possible child abuse, leaving parents of transgender youth feeling caught between two choices: support their children or face a possible investigation. Annaliese and Rachel are mothers living in Texas and both have transgender children. They speak to NPR about the emotional and mental toll this order has had on their families. And while the order is

en-us

14:20

How Art Can Heal The Brain

Short Wave ·

2022/03/18

Arts therapies appear to ease a host of brain disorders from Parkinson's to PTSD. But these treatments that rely on music, poetry or visual arts haven't been backed by rigorous scientific testing. Now, artists and brain scientists have launched a program to change that. NPR's brain correspondent Jon Hamilton tells us about an initiative called the NeuroArts Blueprint.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

14:40

Fighting Misinformation With Science Journalism

Short Wave ·

2022/03/17

On December 31, 2021, The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Spotify posted an episode with an interview with physician Dr. Robert Malone full of misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine. This sparked outrage, a letter from a group of medical professionals, scientists and educators to Spotify and a series of creators pulling their content from the platform. Science Vs., a podcast produced by Gimlet Media which is owned by Spotify, decided to take a stand too.Listen to the episodes of Science Vs

en-us

12:58

What Mount Kilimanjaro Has To Do With The Search For...

Short Wave ·

2022/03/16

Understanding how life survives in extreme Earth environments could point to ways life can survive on other worlds. Astrobiologist Morgan Cable talks to host Emily Kwong about how her missions here on Earth have guided two upcoming NASA missions in search for alien life, not in a far off galaxy, but here in our solar system. The Titan Dragonfly and the Europa Clipper missions will each explore an ocean world in our solar system, where scientists believe we could find life--life that may be unlike

en-us

12:11

Humble Pi: Enjoying When Math Goes Awry

Short Wave ·

2022/03/15

Over the last 24 hours, some of us Short Wavers celebrated Pi Day the only way we know how: eating some yummy pie and thinking math thoughts. Here on the show, many of us are math enthusiasts. But none of us claims to be a math perfectionist. We think there's at least as much joy and insight in the mistakes as there is in what we get right. It's a lesson we discussed in today's episode about Matt Parker's book, Humble Pi. It's an oldie but a goodie from our archives.We hope it inspires you to

en-us

14:39

Genetic Fact Vs. Fiction And Everything In Between...

Short Wave ·

2022/03/14

Geneticist Janina Jeff is back on the show to talk with host Emily Kwong about season 2 of her podcast In Those Genes. They talk about rhythm, aging and navigating what can be ascribed to our genes and what is determined by society.Check out more of Janina's work on In Those Genes: inthosegenes.comEpisodes referenced in today's Short Wave include:- R&B: Rhythm & Blackness- Black Don't CrackAnd listen to our last episode with Janina: n.pr/35TPyWJEmail the show at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about

en-us

13:55

A Physics Legend Part Two: Chien-Shiung Wu's...

Short Wave ·

2022/03/11

Growing up, Jada Yuan didn't realize how famous her grandmother was in the world of physics. In this episode, we delve into the life of physicist Chien-Shiung Wu from her granddaughter's perspective. Jada talks to host Emily Kwong about writing the article Discovering Dr. Wu for the Washington Post, where she is a reporter covering culture and politics. Check out part one in which Emily talks to Short Wave's scientist-in-residence about how Chien-Shiung Wu altered physics. She made a landmark

en-us

12:24

A Physics Legend Part One: How Chien-Shiung Wu...

Short Wave ·

2022/03/10

In the 1950's, a particle physicist made a landmark discovery that changed what we thought we knew about how our universe operates. And Chien-Shiung Wu did it while raising a family and an ocean away from her relatives in China. Short Wave's Scientist-In-Residence Regina Barber joins host Emily Kwong to talk about that landmark discovery--what it meant for the physics world, and what it means to Regina personally as a woman and a Chinese and Mexican American in physics.Learn more about sponsor

en-us

15:19

TASTE BUDDIES: Science of Sour

Short Wave ·

2022/03/09

Pucker up, duderinos! Short Wave's kicking off a series on taste we're calling, "Taste Buddies." In today's episode, we meet Atlantic science writer Katherine Wu and together, we take a tour through the mysteries of sourness — complete with a fun taste test. Along the way, Katie serves up some hypotheses for the evolution of sour taste because, as Katie explains in her article, "The Paradox of Sour," researchers still have a lot to learn about this weird taste.Baffled by another mundane aspect of

en-us

10:38

Checking In On Our Pandemic Habits: What To Lose And...

Short Wave ·

2022/03/08

Over the last few years, we've all found different ways to cope with the pandemic. Some people started drinking more, moving less, maybe eating more. Now that the pandemic is at a lull, health experts say it's time to take stock of these habits. Short Wave host Aaron Scott chats with health correspondent Allison Aubrey about how our daily habits have been affected and changed — for better or worse — and how one might start to change ones they want to change.You can follow Aaron on Twitter

en-us

12:48

Dr. Thomas Insel On Why The U.S Mental Health System...

Short Wave ·

2022/03/07

For over a decade, Dr. Thomas Insel headed the National Institute of Mental Health and directed billions of dollars into research on neuroscience and the genetic underpinnings of mental illnesses. Health correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee talks with Dr. Thomas Insel about his new book, Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health and how he came to realize where the U.S's mental health care system had failed, despite scientific advances in the field.Learn more about sponsor message choices:

en-us

23:10

Emily Runs A Marathon

Short Wave ·

2022/03/04

In 2021, Short Wave host Emily Kwong ran her first marathon. In collaboration with our colleagues at Life Kit, Emily talks about her experience and discusses keys to training with running coach Laura Norris.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

10:06

Silver Linings From The UN's Dire Climate Change Report

Short Wave ·

2022/03/03

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) just released the second of three reports on climate change. Nearly 300 scientists from all over the world worked together to create this account of how global warming is affecting our society. NPR climate reporter Rebecca Hersher fills us in on this major climate science report and actually brings three empowering takeaways hidden within it. Read the report here: https://bit.ly/3hzWNFvAnd listen to Rebecca Hersher's hopeful

en-us

13:35

How A Collection Of Threatened Bird Calls Swept The...

Short Wave ·

2022/03/02

What bird has a ten-foot wingspan and breeds almost exclusively on a single island in the Pacific Ocean? Find out in this special quiz episode of Short Wave. Host Emily Kwong tests the bird knowledge of musician and nature enthusiast Anthony Albrecht. He recently produced an album of 53 calls from threatened Australian birds to bring awareness to their vulnerable status.Listen to the album, titled Songs of Disappearance, released by the Bowerbird Collective and BirdLife Australia, here.Learn more

en-us

13:55

Orcas: Apex Predators Or Marine Park Stars?

Short Wave ·

2022/03/01

NPR science correspondent Lauren Sommer joins Short Wave host Emily Kwong to talk about a team of researchers who were the first to document a pack of orcas attacking a blue whale. Their work shows that killer whales, while stars in marine parks and movies, are also the ocean's top-- and often vicious-- predators. Humans' complex relationship with them may say more about humans than about the orcas.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

14:58

What Led To The Massive Volcanic Eruption In Tonga

Short Wave ·

2022/02/28

Scientists are piecing together what led up to a massive volcanic eruption in Tonga last month. NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel joins the show to talk about the likely sequence of events— and what it can teach us about future eruptions like this one.Email the show at ShortWave@NPR.orgLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

en-us

11:25

Twinkle, Twinkle, Shooting Star . . .

Short Wave ·

2022/02/25

One of the video games that Short Wave's Scientist in Residence has been playing a lot in the pandemic is Animal Crossing, in which bits of stars fall along the beach. It got Regina thinking — what ARE shooting stars? For answers on all things asteroid, meteoroid and comet, she turns to planetary scientist Melissa Rice. Haven't had any luck Googling to learning more about a cool phenomenon? Shoot us an email shortwave@npr.org, and we'll dig up some answers.Learn more about sponsor message choices:

en-us

12:47

Schedule Those Doctor's Appointments!

Short Wave ·

2022/02/24

The pandemic is at a turning point. Hospitalizations in this country are down. Deaths are starting to decline. Some of the states that have had the strictest COVID restrictions are starting to dial back. With fewer cases, and more tools to manage COVID, we can start putting more focus on other diseases again. Doctors are encouraging patients to get the checkups they've been holding off on. NPR science correspondent Allison Aubrey talks about the future of masking, virus detection and routine

en-us

1,577 results

Similar Podcasts

NÖÖRDS - Der Podcast

NÖÖRDS

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

The Planetary Society

John Michael Godier"s Event Horizon

John Michael Godier

A Moment of Science

Indiana Public Media

Science News Daily

brief.news