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.
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- Update frequency
- every 2 days
- Average duration
- 12 minutes
- Episodes
- 1345
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Behold! The Mysterious Ice Worm
Inside the mountaintop glaciers of the Pacific Northwest lives a mysterious, and often, overlooked creature. They're small, black, thread-like worms that wiggle through snow and ice. That's right, ic…
00:13:36 |
Thu 12 Jan 2023
How Glaciers Move
There's always a moment of intense isolation when Jessica Mejía gets dropped off on the Greenland ice sheet for a multi-week research stint. "You know you're very much alone," said Jessica, a postdoc…
00:13:50 |
Wed 11 Jan 2023
Zircon: The Keeper Of Earth's Time
The mineral zircon is the oldest known piece of Earth existing on the surface today. The oldest bits date back as far as 4.37 billion years — not too far from the age of Earth itself at about 4.5 bil…
00:11:58 |
Tue 10 Jan 2023
Redlining's Ripple Effects Go Beyond Humans
When Dr. Chloé Schmidt was a PhD student in Winnepeg, Canada, she was studying wildlife in urban areas. She and her advisor Dr. Colin Garroway came across a 2020 paper that posed a hypothesis: If the…
00:13:58 |
Mon 09 Jan 2023
An Atmospheric River Runs Through It
From space, it looks almost elegant: a narrow plume cascading off the Pacific Ocean, spilling gently over the California coast. But from the ground, it looks like trouble: flash flooding, landslides …
00:12:15 |
Fri 06 Jan 2023
The Period Talk (For Adults)
Every month, 1.8 billion people menstruate globally. For those people, managing periods is essential for strong reproductive and emotional health, social wellbeing and bodily autonomy. But a lot of p…
00:13:11 |
Thu 05 Jan 2023
Houston, We Have Short Wave On The Line
Speaking to Short Wave from about 250 miles above the Earth, Josh Cassada outlined his typical day at work: "Today, I actually started out by taking my own blood," he said. The astronauts aboard the …
00:11:57 |
Wed 04 Jan 2023
Time Cells Don't Really Care About Time
Time is woven into our personal memories. If you recall a childhood fall from a bike, your brain replays the entire episode in excruciating detail: The glimpse of wet leaves on the road ahead, that m…
00:13:04 |
Tue 03 Jan 2023
A New Year's Mad Lib!
To ring in the new year, producer Berly McCoy brings host Emily Kwong this homemade science mad lib!
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00:07:24 |
Mon 02 Jan 2023
I'm Crying Cuz... I'm Human
From misty eyeballs to full-on waterworks, what are tears? Why do we shed them? And what makes humans' ability to cry emotional tears unique? Hosts Emily Kwong and Aaron Scott get into their feelings…
00:14:32 |
Fri 30 Dec 2022
The Woman Behind A Mystery That Changed Astronomy
In 1967, Jocelyn Bell Burnell made a discovery that revolutionized astronomy. She detected the radio signals emitted by certain dying stars called pulsars. Today, Jocelyn's story. Scientist-in-reside…
00:13:07 |
Thu 29 Dec 2022
Pumpkin Toadlet: Neither Pumpkin, Nor Toad
Being small has its advantages - and some limitations. One organism that intimately knows the pros and cons of being mini is the pumpkin toadlet.
As an adult, the animal reaches merely the size of a c…
As an adult, the animal reaches merely the size of a c…
00:13:57 |
Wed 28 Dec 2022
TikTok's favorite zoologist quizzes us on the most dangerous animals
Mamadou Ndiaye uses comedy to teach animal facts, but there's nothing funny about these deadly ones.
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00:14:07 |
Tue 27 Dec 2022
A Holiday Fact Exchange!
Host Emily Kwong and editor Gisele Grayson exchange the gift of facts - in this quick hello from us to you, our wonderful listeners!
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00:05:19 |
Mon 26 Dec 2022
Climate Change Stresses Out These Chipmunks. Why Are Their Cousins So Chill?
Kwasi Wrensford describes the subjects of his research as "elfin": skittish little squirrel-cousins with angular faces, pointy ears and narrow, furry tails. He studies two species in particular: the …
00:12:16 |
Fri 23 Dec 2022
Can COP 15 Save Our Planet's Biodiversity?
This week, the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) wrapped up in Montreal, Canada. Nations from around the world came together to establish a new set of goals to help preserve the planet's biodiversi…
00:14:41 |
Thu 22 Dec 2022
Brain Scientists Are Tripping Out Over Psychedelics
Psychedelic drugs – like LSD, salvia, ayahuasca, Ibogaine, MDMA (AKA ecstasy), or psilocybin (AKA 'magic mushrooms' or 'shrooms') – are experiencing a resurgence of interest in their potential medica…
00:11:05 |
Wed 21 Dec 2022
Confessions Of A Math Convert
Math is a complex, beautiful language that can help people understand the world. And sometimes math is hard! Science communicator Sadie Witkowski says the key to making math your friend is to foster …
00:12:55 |
Tue 20 Dec 2022
Your Multivitamin Won't Save You
Dietary supplements — the vitamins, herbs and botanicals that you'll find in most grocery stores — are everywhere. More than half of U.S. adults over 20 take them, spending almost $50 billion on vita…
00:10:20 |
Mon 19 Dec 2022
The Hope For Slowing Amazon Deforestation
Brazil's president-elect, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is renewing calls to protect the Amazon and rein in the deforestation. Climate scientists are encouraged but so far there aren't a lot of specific…
00:12:14 |
Fri 16 Dec 2022
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