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
- 1342
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Nature Quest: The Climate-Kid Question
Gen Z and younger millennials are the most climate literate generations the world has ever seen. They learned about climate change in school; now, it's part of how they plan for the future, including…
00:13:55 |
Tue 27 May 2025
The Great Space Race ... With Clocks
It's Memorial Day, Short Wavers. This holiday, we bring you a meditation on time ... and clocks. There are hundreds of atomic clocks in orbit right now, perched on satellites all over Earth. We depen…
00:14:31 |
Mon 26 May 2025
Flamingos: The Water-Bending Physics Masters
Riddle us this: Which animal is pink, curved beaked and a master of the physics required to create water tornadoes? If you guessed flamingos, you're right. New research out this month in the journal …
00:12:23 |
Fri 23 May 2025
New Antivenom, Thanks To 200 Intentional Snake Bites
What's it like to get bit by a venomous snake? "It's like a bee sting times a thousand," Tim Friede says. Tim would know. Over the past few decades, he's let himself be bitten over 200 times by all k…
00:11:01 |
Wed 21 May 2025
Will Trump Unleash Energy Dominance Or Damage?
The Trump administration is rewriting policies and reducing funding for multiple agencies that handle climate change, including NOAA, EPA and FEMA. We asked NPR reporters Lauren Sommer and Alejandra …
00:13:53 |
Tue 20 May 2025
Could Wormholes Exist?
In science fiction, wormholes are hyperspace subway tubes linking one part of a galaxy directly to another, distant point. But could they actually exist? To find out, we talk to theoretical physicist…
00:14:18 |
Mon 19 May 2025
Orange Cat Lovers, Rise Up!
Approximately 80% of orange cats are males, including the four orange cats owned by the Short Wave team. Scientists have long suspected that orange color was a sex-linked trait — hiding somewhere on …
00:08:45 |
Fri 16 May 2025
How Baby Bats Learn To Eavesdrop On Dinner
Most bats use echolocation to navigate and hunt, but some use their ears for another trick: eavesdropping.
"And then these frog-eating bats, for example, they are actually listening in on the mating …
"And then these frog-eating bats, for example, they are actually listening in on the mating …
00:13:49 |
Wed 14 May 2025
Learning A Second Language As An Adult
Becoming fluent in a second language is difficult. But for adults, is it impossible? Science says no. In this encore episode, Short Wave host Emily Kwong dissects the "critical period hypothesis," a …
00:13:48 |
Tue 13 May 2025
The Indicator: American Science Brain Drain
Today, we're airing an episode of NPR's daily economics podcast, The Indicator from Planet Money. It's about a group of people we know well: scientists.
President Trump's federal cuts and scrutiny of…
President Trump's federal cuts and scrutiny of…
00:10:42 |
Mon 12 May 2025
Could AI Go Green?
Google, Microsoft and Meta have all pledged to reach at least net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. Amazon set their net-zero deadline for 2040. To understand how these four tech companies could possibl…
00:15:56 |
Fri 09 May 2025
What's The Environmental Cost Of AI?
By 2028, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory forecasts that U.S. data centers could use as much as 12% of the nation's electricity. The reason: generative AI. Since 2022, AI innovation by four lead…
00:15:17 |
Wed 07 May 2025
Science Can Make You More Creative!
Do you consider yourself a creative person? If not, you may be holding yourself back. Psychologist Zorana Ivcevic Pringle says creativity isn't a trait. Creativity is a choice. After studying creativ…
00:13:52 |
Tue 06 May 2025
Did Scientists Find Alien Life Or Just Controversy?
Recently, a group of scientists claimed they found possible signs of life on a planet called K2-18b. The news made headlines. Researchers said they'd detected sulphur-based gases that, on Earth, are …
00:11:19 |
Mon 05 May 2025
What Can Minecraft Teach Us About Learning?
Minecraft is a movie and a very popular video game with iconic block graphics that characters can "mine" for building material and gems. It's also what cognitive scientist Charley Wu and his team uti…
00:08:35 |
Fri 02 May 2025
Are DOGE Cuts Making America Healthy?
In its first 100 days, the Trump administration — specifically, the Department of Government Efficiency — shuttered agencies and slashed budgets pertaining to foreign aid, scientific research, food s…
00:13:51 |
Wed 30 Apr 2025
Should Kids Be Taking Melatonin?
A good night's sleep makes a big difference to our mental and physical health. Without quality sleep, we're less productive. Grumpy. It can even affect our hearts. Meanwhile, more and more people are…
00:13:02 |
Tue 29 Apr 2025
Harnessing Spineless Sea Creatures' Superpowers
From starfish and sea slugs to jellyfish and sponges, the ocean's invertebrates are some of the most ancient and diverse critters on Earth. And so are their superpowers, as marine biologist Drew Harv…
00:12:15 |
Mon 28 Apr 2025
This Telescope Could Find "Planet 9"
Some scientists are convinced that beyond Neptune, there's a planet they've yet to see. This so-called "Planet 9" is so far away, it would be a faint object. The stretch of sky researchers would have…
00:12:36 |
Fri 25 Apr 2025
Why These Salmon Are On Anxiety Meds
A fish walks into a pharmacy ... well, not exactly. Fish aren't being prescribed anti-anxiety drugs. But they are experiencing the effects. Researchers have found more than 900 different pharmaceutic…
00:10:52 |
Wed 23 Apr 2025
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