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
- 1344
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
What We Will — And Won't — Remember About The Pandemic
There's no doubt we're living through a Big Historic Event, but that doesn't necessarily mean we'll remember it all that well. Shayla Love, a senior staff writer for VICE, explains what memory resear…
00:12:27 |
Fri 29 May 2020
The Pandemic Cut Down Car Traffic. Why Not Air Pollution?
An NPR analysis of a key air pollutant showed levels have not changed dramatically since the pandemic curbed car traffic in the U.S. NPR science reporter Rebecca Hersher and NPR climate correspondent…
00:14:38 |
Thu 28 May 2020
What Would It Be Like To Fall Into A Black Hole?
Black holes are one of the most beguiling objects in our universe. What are they exactly? How do they affect the universe? And what would it be like to fall into one? We venture beyond the point of n…
00:14:25 |
Wed 27 May 2020
Space Launch! (It's Tomorrow And It's Historic.)
Tomorrow, two NASA astronauts are set to head up into space on a brand new spacecraft, built by the company SpaceX. The last time NASA sent a crew up in an entirely new vehicle was in 1981 with the l…
00:13:22 |
Tue 26 May 2020
A Short Wave Mad Lib
We're off for Memorial Day, so Maddie and Emily have a special Short Wave mad lib for you. Back with a new episode tomorrow.
Email the show at [email protected].
Learn more about sponsor message choic…
Email the show at [email protected].
Learn more about sponsor message choic…
00:02:57 |
Mon 25 May 2020
How to Correct Misinformation, According to Science.
The World Health Organization has called the spread of misinformation around the coronavirus an "infodemic." So what do you do when it's somebody you love spreading the misinformation? In this episod…
00:14:00 |
Fri 22 May 2020
Science Movie Club: 'Contact'
Yes, there actually are astronomers looking for intelligent life in space. The 1997 film adaptation of Carl Sagan's 'Contact' got a lot of things right ... and a few things wrong. Radio astronomer Su…
00:12:53 |
Thu 21 May 2020
What You Flush Is Helping Track The Coronavirus
More than 100 cities are monitoring sewage for the presence of the coronavirus, and public health officials think wastewater could provide an early warning system to help detect future spikes. NPR sc…
00:12:14 |
Wed 20 May 2020
The Squishy, Slimey Science Of ASMR
Encore episode. The science is nascent and a little squishy, but researchers like Giulia Poerio are trying to better understand ASMR — a feeling triggered in the brains of some people by whispering, …
00:11:10 |
Tue 19 May 2020
The Pandemic Time Warp
The pandemic has upended every aspect of our lives, including the disorienting way many of us have been perceiving time. It might feel like a day drags on, while a week (or month!) just flies by. We …
00:11:07 |
Mon 18 May 2020
What Did Earth Look Like 3.2 Billion Years Ago?
The surface of the Earth is constantly recycled through the motion of plate tectonics. So how do researchers study what it used to look like? Planetary scientist Roger Fu talks to host Maddie Sofia a…
00:11:38 |
Fri 15 May 2020
The Coronavirus Is Mutating. Here's What That Means.
Ed Yong of The Atlantic explains how a viral article led to headlines about a possible coronavirus mutation. All viruses mutate — it doesn't necessarily mean the virus has developed into a more dange…
00:13:12 |
Thu 14 May 2020
Kids' Books Where Science Is The Adventure
Maddie talks with author and neuroscientist Theanne Griffith about her new children's book series, The Magnificent Makers, which follows two intrepid third graders as they race to complete science-ba…
00:11:09 |
Wed 13 May 2020
Making Music Out Of The Coronavirus
When Markus Buehler heard about the coronavirus, he wanted to know what it sounded like. Today on the show, Maddie speaks with Short Wave reporter Emily Kwong about how Markus Buehler, a composer and…
00:13:21 |
Tue 12 May 2020
We Need More Coronavirus Testing. Are Antigen Tests The Answer?
There's a difference between diagnostic, antibody, and antigen tests. All provide different levels of reliability and speed.
NPR health correspondent Rob Stein breaks down the differences and explains…
NPR health correspondent Rob Stein breaks down the differences and explains…
00:10:36 |
Mon 11 May 2020
Here's The Deal With 'Murder Hornets'
Reports of so-called 'murder hornets' have been all over the news this week. (Even though they were first spotted in the United States late last year.) We talk with entomologist Samuel Ramsey who exp…
00:11:58 |
Fri 08 May 2020
What We're Missing, By Missing Strangers Now
With a lot of us stuck at home, trying to physically distance from each other, one part of daily life has largely disappeared: bumping into strangers. On today's show, Maddie talks with Yowei Shaw, a…
00:11:48 |
Thu 07 May 2020
Scientists Think The Coronavirus Transmitted Naturally, Not In A Lab. Here's Why.
The Trump administration has advanced the theory the coronavirus began as a lab accident, but scientists who research bat-borne coronaviruses disagree. Speaking with NPR, ten virologists and epidemio…
00:13:37 |
Wed 06 May 2020
What Is Dark Energy? Physicists Aren't Even Sure
Dark energy makes up almost 70% of our universe and is believed to be the reason the universe is expanding. Yet very, very little is known about it. To figure out what we do know — and what it could …
00:15:02 |
Tue 05 May 2020
Letters From The 1918 Pandemic
The 1918 flu outbreak was one of the most devastating pandemics in world history, infecting one third of the world's population and killing an estimated 50 million people. While our understanding of …
00:12:47 |
Mon 04 May 2020
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