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
- 1341
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Climate Change Is Here For Your Chocolate
Last year, we reported how extreme weather events may be dwindling the future of chocolate. Just last week, we saw an inkling of that: The Hershey Company announced it would significantly raise the c…
00:13:27 |
Fri 01 Aug 2025
Why Illusions Are A Brain Feature, Not A Bug
A grayscale ballerina who appears to be moving. A human who can fit in a doll box. A black-and-white prism that appears to change shape when viewed from three different directions. Those are the top …
00:11:36 |
Wed 30 Jul 2025
Nature Quest: Are Summers Getting Hotter?
Much of the country is deep in the middle of a heat wave right now. And every summer, Duane Stilwell's town in Arizona seems to get hotter. It has him worried — and he's not the only one. Since 1980,…
00:13:47 |
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Sea Camp: The Largest Daily Migration On Earth
The twilight zone of the ocean is a mysterious place. At 200-1000 meters below the surface, it's a tough place to study. That's why, during World War II, people reading sonograms from this zone were …
00:12:47 |
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Did Spiders' Ancestors Come From The Ocean?
Whether you love spiders or can't be within 10 feet of them, you probably think of them crawling around on land. Historically, most researchers would probably say the same thing: Based on the fossil …
00:08:51 |
Fri 25 Jul 2025
Eating Disorder Recovery In A Diet Culture World
Eating disorders are complicated illnesses that skyrocketed among teenagers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatrician Eva Trujillo says they "literally rewire the brain," decrease brain size, and ma…
00:13:45 |
Wed 23 Jul 2025
Will Federal Budget Cuts Affect Space Science?
Earlier this year, the White House proposed a nearly 24% cut to NASA's 2026 fiscal year budget — the largest in the agency's history. The trims are largely aimed at the NASA's fundamental science res…
00:13:05 |
Tue 22 Jul 2025
Sea Camp: Is Better Human Health Hidden In The Sea?
For this week's Sea Camp, we're diving below the ocean's surface to explore the sunlight zone, the portion of ocean that's 0-200 meters deep. Here, we zoom in on some spineless inhabitants envied for…
00:13:00 |
Mon 21 Jul 2025
Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media
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Learn more about sponsor messag…
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00:02:01 |
Fri 18 Jul 2025
These Scientists Are Using AI To Listen To Frogs
If you were a miner in California during the Gold Rush, you might have dined on a California red-legged frog. The largest native frog in the western United States, this Golden State denizen used to b…
00:13:33 |
Fri 18 Jul 2025
Who Is Using The 988 Crisis Line?
The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — 988 — launched on this day exactly three years ago. People who call the line seeking support are connected to a local network of crisis centers and a traine…
00:12:36 |
Wed 16 Jul 2025
How Realistic Are Movie Dinosaurs?
Jurassic Park: Rebirth is the latest installment in the Jurassic World series. And while dinosaur paleontologist Matt Lamanna has loved dinos — and the Jurassic Park franchise — his whole life, he sa…
00:12:31 |
Tue 15 Jul 2025
Sea Camp: These Critters Call The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Home
For this second installment of the Sea Camp series, we explore the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It's the largest of five gigantic garbage patches in the sea. These patches hang out at the nexus of th…
00:14:35 |
Mon 14 Jul 2025
Meet The Third Ever (!!) Interstellar Comet
A rare visitor from another star system has been spotted: the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS! It was detected July 1 by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS. Most know…
00:08:43 |
Fri 11 Jul 2025
Evolution Went On Trial 100 Years Ago. Where Are We Now?
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes "Monkey Trial" — where a teacher was charged with the crime of teaching Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. At the time, it was ille…
00:12:37 |
Wed 09 Jul 2025
Itchy? Air Pollution May Be Making It Worse
Short Wave producer Hannah Chinn has adult-onset eczema. They're not the only one. Up to ten percent of people in the United States have it, according to the National Eczema Association — and its pre…
00:13:11 |
Tue 08 Jul 2025
Sea Camp: Why Are Ocean Currents Shifting?
A warming climate doesn't just affect dry land — it affects the ocean, too. For years, Earth's ocean has acted as a heat sink for climate change: A large part of the heat generated by human use of fo…
00:12:06 |
Mon 07 Jul 2025
Why Dew Point Is This Summer's 'It Girl'
Happy Independence Day, Short Wavers! Do you have plans outdoors this weekend and want to figure out just how swampy it's gonna feel? For that kind of mental preparation, we're revisiting an episode …
00:09:54 |
Fri 04 Jul 2025
Is The Milky Way On A Collision Course?
The Andromeda galaxy lies just beyond (...OK, about 2.5 million light-years beyond) our galaxy, the Milky Way. For the past hundred years or so, scientists thought these galaxies existed in a long-te…
00:12:44 |
Wed 02 Jul 2025
On July 4th, Are You A Thrill- Or Chill-Seeker?
Independence Day is approaching! Imagine in a few days, someone has procured illegal fireworks from a couple of states over. Are you:
A) first in line to light them
B) content to watch while others set…
A) first in line to light them
B) content to watch while others set…
00:13:15 |
Tue 01 Jul 2025
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