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
- 1345
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
The Social Cost of Carbon Is An Ethics Nightmare
One of the most important tools the federal government has for cracking down on greenhouse gas emissions is a single number: the social cost of carbon. It represents all the damage from carbon emissi…
00:13:50 |
Thu 09 Feb 2023
Why Can't We Predict Earthquakes?
In the wake of the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria, many scientists have been saying this area was "overdue" for a major quake. But no one knew just when: No scientist has "ever predicted a ma…
00:12:19 |
Wed 08 Feb 2023
Who Gets The First Peek At The Secrets Of The Universe?
The James Webb Space Telescope is by far the most powerful space-based telescope ever deployed by the United States. But it is only one instrument, and scientists all over the world have to share. Th…
00:11:10 |
Tue 07 Feb 2023
Can You See What I See?
Everyone sees the world differently. Exactly which colors you see and which of your eyes is doing more work than the other as you read this text is different for everyone. Also different? Our blind s…
00:13:16 |
Mon 06 Feb 2023
A Dirty Snowball, Cancer-Sniffing Ants And A Stressed Out Moon
A green comet, cancer-sniffing ants, stealthy moons ... hang out with us as we dish on some of the coolest science stories in the news! Today, Short Wave co-hosts Emily Kwong and Aaron Scott are join…
00:13:37 |
Fri 03 Feb 2023
A Fatal Virus With Pandemic Potential
The Nipah virus is on the World Health Organization's short list of diseases that have pandemic potential and therefore pose the greatest public health risk. With a fatality rate at about 70%, it is …
00:11:48 |
Thu 02 Feb 2023
The Ancient Night Sky And The Earliest Astronomers
Moiya McTier says the night sky has been fueling humans' stories about the universe for a very long time, and informing how they explain the natural world. In fact, Moiya sees astronomy and folklore …
00:14:37 |
Wed 01 Feb 2023
Can you teach a computer common sense?
Over the past decade, AI has moved right into our houses - onto our phones and smart speakers - and grown in sophistication. But many AI systems lack something we humans take for granted: common sens…
00:13:11 |
Tue 31 Jan 2023
Gas Stoves: Sorting Fact From Fiction
Gas stoves are found in around 40% of homes in the United States, and they've been getting a lot of attention lately. A recent interview with Richard Trumka, the commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Pro…
00:13:07 |
Mon 30 Jan 2023
Meet The Bony-Eared Assfish And Its Deep Sea Friends
Yi-Kai Tea, a biodiversity research fellow at the Australian Museum in Sydney, has amassed a social media following as @KaiTheFishGuy for his sassy writing and gorgeous photos of fish and other wildl…
00:13:00 |
Fri 27 Jan 2023
6 Doctors Swallow Lego Heads ... What Comes Out?
As an emergency physician at Western Health, in Melbourne, Australia, Dr. Andy Tagg says he meets a lot of anxious parents whose children have swallowed Lego pieces. Much like Andy so many years ago,…
00:15:45 |
Thu 26 Jan 2023
The Math And Science Powering 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'
Film directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively: Daniels) reimagined the multiverse movie in their breakout film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Tuesday, the film received 11 Oscar n…
00:15:12 |
Wed 25 Jan 2023
Our Perception Of Time Shapes The Way We Think About Climate Change
Most people are focused on the present: today, tomorrow, maybe next year. Fixing your flat tire is more pressing than figuring out if you should buy an electric car. Living by the beach is a lot more…
00:10:17 |
Tue 24 Jan 2023
Fossil CSI: Cracking The Case Of An Ancient Reptile Graveyard
This mystery begins in 1952, in the Nevada desert, when a self-taught geologist came across the skeleton of a massive creature that looked like a cross between a whale and a crocodile. It turned out …
00:13:00 |
Mon 23 Jan 2023
New Tech Targets Epilepsy With Lasers, Robots
About three million people in the United States have epilepsy, including about a million who can't rely on medication to control their seizures. For years, those patients had very limited options. Bu…
00:13:45 |
Fri 20 Jan 2023
What Cities Should Learn From California's Flooding
Winter storms have flooded parts of California, broken levees and forced thousands to evacuate. Climate change is altering the historic weather patterns that infrastructure like reservoirs and waterw…
00:13:13 |
Thu 19 Jan 2023
Time Is So Much Weirder Than It Seems
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 |
Wed 18 Jan 2023
A Course Correction In Managing Drying Rivers
Historic drought in the west and water diversion for human use are causing stretches of the Colorado and Mississippi rivers to run dry. "The American West is going to have to need to learn how to do …
00:13:25 |
Tue 17 Jan 2023
How You Can Support Scientific Research
We're off today in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In the meantime, we want to share this episode from our friends at NPR's Life Kit podcast about how to become a community scientist — and…
00:21:11 |
Mon 16 Jan 2023
Things Could Be Better
Are humans ever satisfied? Two social psychologists, Ethan Ludwin-Peery and Adam Mastroianni, fell down a research rabbit hole accidentally answering a version of this very question. After conducting…
00:12:50 |
Fri 13 Jan 2023
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