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
Celebrate Valentine's Day With These Queer Animals
In a Valentine's Day exclusive report, NPR has learned there is currently a gay anteater couple at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington D.C.But this couple is j…
00:11:55 |
Wed 14 Feb 2024
The Shared History Of The Chinese And Gregorian Calendars
Happy Lunar New Year! According to the Chinese lunisolar calendar, the new year began Saturday. For many, like our host Regina G. Barber, this calendar and its cultural holidays can feel completely d…
00:12:36 |
Mon 12 Feb 2024
Clownfish Might Be Counting Their Potential Enemies' Stripes
At least, that's what a group of researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University thinks. The team recently published a study in the journal Experimental Biology sug…
00:09:15 |
Fri 09 Feb 2024
After 20 Years, This Scientist Uncovered The Physics Behind The Spiral Pass
If you've ever watched part of a professional football game, you've probably seen a tight spiral pass. Those perfect throws where the football leaves the player's hand and neatly spins as it arcs thr…
00:12:25 |
Wed 07 Feb 2024
Wolves Are Thriving In The Radioactive Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
In 1986 the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, releasing radioactive material into northern Ukraine and Belarus. It was the most serious nuclear accident in history. Over one hundred thousand pe…
00:14:07 |
Mon 05 Feb 2024
This Scientist Figured Out Why Your Appendix Isn't Useless
Back in the day, many of us heard that the appendix is a vestigial organ — at best, a body part that lost its purpose all those many years ago. At worst, an unnecessary clinger-on to the human body t…
00:12:40 |
Fri 02 Feb 2024
Murder, Mayhem At The Zoo: A Naked Mole Rat Succession War
An all-out "naked mole rat war" has broken out at Smithsonian's National Zoo, after the queen of the colony was mortally wounded by one of her own children. Short Wave's Pien Huang and Margaret Cirin…
00:15:06 |
Wed 31 Jan 2024
Choose Your Lightning Protection: Lasers, Rockets or Rods?
Every year, lightning is estimated to cause up to 24,000 deaths globally. It starts forest fires, burns buildings and crops, and causes disruptive power outages. The best, most practical technology a…
00:12:21 |
Mon 29 Jan 2024
Lessons on the limits of ecosystem restoration from the Everglades
When the U.S. government and state of Florida unveiled a new plan to save the Everglades in 2000, the sprawling blueprint to restore the wetlands became the largest hydrological restoration effort in…
00:16:00 |
Sat 27 Jan 2024
When Tiny, Invasive Ants Go Marching In...And Alter An Ecosystem
At the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a wildlife preserve in central Kenya, lions and cheetahs mingle with zebras and elephants across many miles of savannah – grasslands with "whistling thorn" acacia trees …
00:09:15 |
Fri 26 Jan 2024
Experiencing Racism May Physically Change Your Brain
Scientists know that Black people are at a greater risk for health problems like heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease than white people. A growing body of research shows that racism–in hea…
00:14:21 |
Wed 24 Jan 2024
This Wild Bird Will Lead You To Honey On Command
Honeyguides are wild birds that team up with humans and then lead them to honey. Researchers recently found that the calls these birds respond to are unique and tied to their location. NPR science co…
00:13:03 |
Mon 22 Jan 2024
After Domestic Abuse Ends, the Effects of Brain Injuries Can Persist
At least one in four women — and a much smaller proportion of men — experiences intimate partner violence in their lifetime. For people in violent relationships, brain injuries are unfortunately comm…
00:11:27 |
Fri 19 Jan 2024
What You Need To Know About The Current Tripledemic
Winter is upon us – and with the holiday travel and time spent indoors comes a triple threat of respiratory diseases: RSV, flu and COVID-19. Most of the country has been experiencing high or very hig…
00:10:59 |
Wed 17 Jan 2024
Our Lives Are Ruled By The Illusion Of Time
Time is a concept so central to our daily lives. Yet, the closer scientists look at it, the more it seems to fall apart. Time ticks by differently at sea level than it does on a mountaintop. The univ…
00:13:45 |
Mon 15 Jan 2024
Body Electric: The Body Across The Ages
If you work at home or in an office, you might spend a lot of your day sitting down and staring at a computer screen. That can have lots of negative effects – but it's hard to carve out significant t…
00:12:05 |
Sat 13 Jan 2024
Odd Radio Circles Are glowing Around Some Galaxies. Now We Know Why
Since they were discovered in 2019, strange, glowing circles of light in space have mystified researchers. Now called odd radio circles, or ORCs, these rings of light sit in the radio portion of the …
00:09:20 |
Fri 12 Jan 2024
Preserving Our Humanity In The Age Of Robots
Human beings are hardwired for social connection – so much so that we think of even the most basic objects as having feelings or experiences. (Yup, we're talking to you, Roomba owners!) Social robots…
00:14:21 |
Wed 10 Jan 2024
The Record For World's Largest Snowflake Might Not Count
A winter storm brought heavy rain and snow to parts of the East Coast this weekend, which got us thinking about snowflakes. Those intricate, whimsical crystals are a staple of magical wintry scenes, …
00:11:00 |
Mon 08 Jan 2024
Snow Flies Pay An Arm And A Leg For Love
The winter is usually when insects die or go into a state of paused development, but for tiny specks on the white snow called snow flies, it's time to run around, find a lover and make baby snow flie…
00:13:16 |
Fri 05 Jan 2024
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