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 Complex Decisions Around Rebuilding After A Wildfire
The year 2020 saw a record-breaking wildfire season. With those wildfires came many destroyed homes. Rebuilding with fire-resistant materials reduces the risk of future fires burning down a house, bu…
00:11:31 |
Mon 01 Feb 2021
FACT SMACK: Spider Edition
With the help of spider scientist Sebastian Echeverri, Maddie presents the case for why spiders are the best and coolest animal. Spoiler alert: some travel thousands of kilometers by "ballooning," wh…
00:11:21 |
Fri 29 Jan 2021
How Bonobos Help Explain The Evolution Of Nice
How did humans evolve some key cooperative behaviors like sharing? NPR Science Correspondent Jon Hamilton reports back from a bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where scientists…
00:13:24 |
Thu 28 Jan 2021
What The Spread Of Coronavirus Variants Means For The U.S.
Different versions of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus are emerging. Some are spreading quickly around the world, others more slowly — but several have the public health community and researchers worried b…
00:15:43 |
Wed 27 Jan 2021
The Surprising History of Handwashing
Washing your hands. It's one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to protect yourself from the coronavirus, the flu, and other respiratory illnesses. But there was a time when that was…
00:10:50 |
Tue 26 Jan 2021
A Pesky Rumble: Pink Bollworms Vs. Cotton Farmers
The pink bollworm — an invasive species that plagues cotton farmers around the world — has been successfully eradicated from much of the U.S. and Mexico. Eradication campaigns rarely work, but this o…
00:13:23 |
Mon 25 Jan 2021
Our More-Than-Five Senses
You're familiar with touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. But your body moves through the world with more than five senses. NPR Short Wave reporter Emily Kwong speaks to neurobiologist André Whit…
00:10:38 |
Fri 22 Jan 2021
Baltimore Is Suing Big Oil Over Climate Change
The Supreme Court heard arguments this week in a case brought by the city of Baltimore against more than a dozen major oil and gas companies including BP, ExxonMobil and Shell. In the lawsuit, BP P.L…
00:14:27 |
Thu 21 Jan 2021
The Social Side of Stuttering
President-elect Joe Biden has spoken publicly about his childhood stutter. An estimated 1% of the world's adults stutter, yet the condition — which likely has a genetic component — remains misunderst…
00:15:32 |
Wed 20 Jan 2021
Let's Go Back To Venus!
In 1962, the first spacecraft humans ever sent to another planet — Mariner 2 — went to Venus. The first planet on which humans ever landed a probe — also Venus! But since then, Mars has been the focu…
00:13:22 |
Tue 19 Jan 2021
Micro Wave: How 'Bout Dem Apple...Seeds
Many folks eat an apple and then throw out the core. It turns out, the core is perfectly ok to eat - despite apple seeds' association with the poison cyanide. In today's episode, host Maddie Sofia ta…
00:10:34 |
Fri 15 Jan 2021
How COVID-19 Affects The Brain
Many patients who are hospitalized for COVID-19 continue to have symptoms of brain injury after they are discharged. For many, brain function improves as they recover, but some are likely to face lon…
00:13:43 |
Thu 14 Jan 2021
Should Black People Get Race Adjustments In Kidney Medicine?
As the U.S. continues to grapple with systemic racism, some in the medical community are questioning whether the diagnostic tools they use may be contributing to racial health disparities.
As NPR scie…
As NPR scie…
00:14:32 |
Wed 13 Jan 2021
CubeSat: Little Satellite, Big Deal
Meet the CubeSat: a miniaturized satellite that's been growing in sophistication. In the last 20 years, over 1,000 CubeSats have been launched into space for research and exploration. We talk about t…
00:10:56 |
Tue 12 Jan 2021
This Teen Scientist Is TIME's First-Ever 'Kid Of The Year'
Fifteen-year-old Gitanjali Rao is a scientist, inventor, and TIME Magazine's first-ever 'Kid Of The Year.' She shares why she didn't initially think science was for her, what motivates her now, and a…
00:11:13 |
Mon 11 Jan 2021
Micro Wave: What Makes Curly Hair Curl?
Hair scientist Crystal Porter explains the science behind curly hair (hint: It involves mushy cells in teeny-tiny tunnels). Plus, a bit of listener mail from you! Which you can always send by emailin…
00:09:50 |
Fri 08 Jan 2021
The Hunt For The World's Oldest Ice
Scientists think the world's oldest ice is hiding somewhere in Antarctica. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce tells us how researchers plan to find it — and why.
For more, you can also r…
For more, you can also r…
00:12:07 |
Thu 07 Jan 2021
One Page At A Time, Jess Wade Is Changing Wikipedia
By day, Jess Wade is an experimental physicist at Imperial College London. But at night, she's a contributor to Wikipedia — where she writes entries about women and POC scientists. She chats with Emi…
00:13:31 |
Wed 06 Jan 2021
How COVID-19 Has Changed Science
2020 was a year like no other, especially for science. The pandemic has caused massive shifts in scientific research – how it's being done, what's being focused on, and who's doing it. Ed Yong of The…
00:14:11 |
Tue 05 Jan 2021
Meet The Ko'Ko', The Comeback Bird
For nearly forty years, the Guam Rail bird (locally known as the Ko'Ko') has been extinct in the wild — decimated by the invasive brown tree snake. But the Ko'Ko' has been successfully re-introduced.…
00:11:01 |
Mon 04 Jan 2021
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