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
- Update frequency
- every 2 days
- Average duration
- 12 minutes
- Episodes
- 1344
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Elections Are One Big Math Problem
It's Election Day in the United States. Across the nation, millions of ballots are being cast. But what would happen if the rules of our electoral system were changed? Certain states are about to fin…
00:16:13 |
Tue 05 Nov 2024
Did Life Start In Hydrothermal Vents?
How did life start on Earth? The answer is a big scientific mystery scientists are actively investigating. After talking with many scientists, host Regina G. Barber found that an abundance of water o…
00:14:29 |
Mon 04 Nov 2024
The Best (And Oldest) Tadpole Ever Discovered
For years, we've been asking, "Which came first: the chicken or the egg?" Maybe what we should have been asking is, "Which came first: the frog or the tadpole?" A new paper in the journal Nature deta…
00:09:45 |
Fri 01 Nov 2024
The Sound Of Fear: Why Do Animals Scream?
NOTE: This episode contains multiple high-pitched noises (human and other animals) that some listeners might find startling or distressing.
In this episode, host Regina G. Barber and NPR correspondent…
In this episode, host Regina G. Barber and NPR correspondent…
00:14:28 |
Wed 30 Oct 2024
Embracing Death: Why We Age
Humans have seen a significant increase in life expectancy over the past 200 years — but not in overall lifespan. Nobody on record has lived past 122 years. So, for this early Halloween episode, host…
00:15:52 |
Tue 29 Oct 2024
Honey, They Cloned The Apples!
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…
00:16:01 |
Mon 28 Oct 2024
Saving The Hawaiian Tree Snails
More than a million species are at risk of extinction, many within decades, because of human actions. Among them? The kāhuli, Hawaii's native tree snails that are some of the most endangered animals …
00:15:42 |
Fri 25 Oct 2024
A Brand New Kind of Schizophrenia Treatment
For the past 70 years, schizophrenia treatments all targeted the same chemical: dopamine. While that works for some, it causes brutal side effects for others. An antipsychotic drug approved last mont…
00:11:55 |
Wed 23 Oct 2024
'Ghost Genes' Could Help Save The American Red Wolf
Every American red wolf alive right now is descended from only 14 canids. In the 1970s, humans drove the red wolf to the brink of extinction. Because of that, red wolves today have low genetic divers…
00:14:02 |
Tue 22 Oct 2024
Game Night With 'Shrooms
Calling all foragers! The new board game Undergrove, co-designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and Mark Wootton, is all about the symbiotic relationships between trees and fungi. Players assume the role of m…
00:13:07 |
Mon 21 Oct 2024
New Frogs Just Dropped
In the humid rainforests of northern and eastern Madagascar reside seven newly described frog species. They often hang out near fast, flowing rivers. These treefrogs' high-pitched, "futuristic" sound…
00:08:17 |
Fri 18 Oct 2024
Europa Clipper And The Search For Life In Space
NASA's Europa Clipper mission launched Monday, beginning its years-long journey to the distant icy moon it's named after. This mission is designed to tell scientists more about the structure, the int…
00:14:12 |
Wed 16 Oct 2024
5-Year-Olds Asked Us Science Questions. We Answer
In honor of our show turning 5 (!!) today...
5 Short Wave staffers
answer 5(x2) questions
from some of our 5-year-old listeners
and explain the science ... like they're 5.
SPOILER ALERT: The questions a…
5 Short Wave staffers
answer 5(x2) questions
from some of our 5-year-old listeners
and explain the science ... like they're 5.
SPOILER ALERT: The questions a…
00:17:55 |
Tue 15 Oct 2024
Why Traditional Plant Knowledge Is Not A Quick Fix
Host Regina G. Barber talks with Rosalyn LaPier about ethnobotany--what it is and how traditional plant knowledge is frequently misunderstood in the era of COVID and psychedelics. And, how it's relev…
00:14:41 |
Mon 14 Oct 2024
What The Heck Is A Rock Glacier?
Even though there are more than 10,000 rock glaciers in the western United States, most people would look at one without knowing it. Unlike the snowy glaciers we're more familiar with, rock glaciers …
00:12:55 |
Fri 11 Oct 2024
Anxious? Try Watching A Scary Movie
In human history, fear kept us safe when running from predators and anxiety kept us from going back to that lion-infested area. But what happens when these feelings get out of hand in humans today? A…
00:13:45 |
Wed 09 Oct 2024
How Do You Spot A Liar?
For over a century, we've been inventing technology to catch liars in the act. To this end, the polygraph was invented and became wildly popular in the mid-20th century. Then, there was an era of "mi…
00:14:54 |
Tue 08 Oct 2024
Mapping The Entire Fruit Fly Brain
Fruit fly brains are smaller than a poppy seed, but that doesn't mean they aren't complex. For the first time, researchers have published a complete diagram of 50 million connections in an adult frui…
00:12:23 |
Mon 07 Oct 2024
What Lightning And Black Holes Have In Common
Lightning: It happens all the time, and yet the exact details of how it's made has long eluded scientists. That is, until now. New research out this week in the journal Nature holds new insights into…
00:07:28 |
Fri 04 Oct 2024
Why Astronomers Are Teaching Climate Change
Years ago, astronomy professors started noticing something that troubled them: Many of their students didn't understand climate change and the science supporting it. So a small group of professors de…
00:13:58 |
Wed 02 Oct 2024
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