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
- 1341
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
A Star In Orion Is Dimming. Is It About To Explode?
Okay, it wouldn't technically be an explosion. And if it's "about" to happen, it already happened. About 650 years ago. We'll explain, with astronomer Emily Levesque, who studies massive stars at the…
00:10:44 |
Mon 06 Jan 2020
Short Wave Presents: Life Kit Tips For Dealing With Anxious Kids
When is your kid just scared of the dark and when are they dealing with a larger anxiety disorder? On today's Short Wave, we're featuring our friends over at NPR's Life Kit. They'll teach you how to …
00:11:42 |
Fri 03 Jan 2020
Compost Your Loved Ones
There aren't that many options for putting your loved ones to rest. There's burial. There's cremation. Now, later this year in Washington state, it'll be legal to compost a human body. Soil scientist…
00:08:20 |
Thu 02 Jan 2020
Happy New Year!
We're back with a new episode tomorrow! Hope you had a safe and happy orbit around the sun.
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00:01:20 |
Wed 01 Jan 2020
Tennessine's Wild Ride To The Periodic Table
There are rare chemical elements, and then there is tennessine. Only a couple dozen atoms of the stuff have ever existed. For the 150th anniversary of the periodic table, NPR science correspondent Jo…
00:09:45 |
Tue 31 Dec 2019
The Decade In Science
As 2019 draws to a close, we enlisted the help of two NPR science correspondents — Nell Greenfieldboye and Joe Palca — to look back on some of the biggest science stories of the past 10 years. Follow…
00:11:01 |
Mon 30 Dec 2019
Sci-Fi Movies Of The Decade (Sort Of)
Astrophysicist Adam Frank is a big fan of science and movies. He's even been a science adviser to Marvel's "Doctor Strange." So we asked Adam to give us his sci-fi films of the decade - movies that t…
00:11:41 |
Fri 27 Dec 2019
One Of The Germiest Places In The Airport
Hint: it's not the bathroom. Niina Ikonen and Carita Savolainen-Kopra from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare studied high-traffic areas in the Helsinki airport to identify where germs were…
00:07:13 |
Thu 26 Dec 2019
Happy Holidays!
Maddie and Emily wish you Happy Holidays and share some science facts you can show off at your next holiday party. Plus, a little reminder of how you can show your support for the show. Find and dona…
00:02:48 |
Wed 25 Dec 2019
A Shortwave Christmas Carol
On Christmas Eve, scientists at field stations across Antarctica sing carols to one another...via shortwave. On today's episode, the Short Wave podcast explores shortwave radio. We speak with space p…
00:10:12 |
Tue 24 Dec 2019
Iridium's Pivotal Role In Our Past And ... Maybe Our Future?
The story of how a father and son team - one a physicist, one a geologist - helped solve a big scientific mystery. What brought the reign of dinosaurs to an end? NPR Science Correspondent Richard Har…
00:12:39 |
Mon 23 Dec 2019
What Happened To The American Chestnut Tree?
In the early 20th century, a blight fungus wiped out most of the 4 billion American chestnut trees on the eastern seaboard. The loss was ecologically devastating. Pod reporter Emily Kwong tells us ho…
00:12:48 |
Fri 20 Dec 2019
The First African American Face Transplant
In 2013, Robert Chelsea was hit by a drunk driver and sustained third-degree burns on more than half of his body. Nearly six years later, he became the first African American recipient of a full face…
00:11:31 |
Thu 19 Dec 2019
And The Winner Is...Science!
Camille Schrier, a 24-year-old pharmacy student, competed in the Miss Virginia pageant over the summer with a "talent" that caught our attention. It put her love of science center stage. On today's e…
00:09:50 |
Wed 18 Dec 2019
The Science Behind Whakaari/White Island's Eruption
The volcano of Whakaari or White Island in New Zealand erupted just over a week ago. More than a dozen people were killed, including tourists to the popular attraction. Volcanologist Alison Graetting…
00:10:39 |
Tue 17 Dec 2019
A Polar Expedition To The Top Of The World: Part 2
Our journey continues on MOSAiC: the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate. Physicists, chemists, and biologists are all working to understand more about why Arctic i…
00:12:19 |
Mon 16 Dec 2019
A Polar Expedition To The Top Of The World: Part 1
A massive scientific mission is underway in the Arctic. Physicists, chemists, and biologists are studying the changing region, so they can better predict what might be ahead for the Arctic...and the …
00:10:39 |
Fri 13 Dec 2019
Invasive Species: We Asked, You Answered
We couldn't stop at the spotted lanternfly! (We covered that invasive species in an earlier episode.) We wanted to hear about the invasives where you live. You wrote us about cane toads in Australia,…
00:12:08 |
Thu 12 Dec 2019
The Congolese Doctor Who Discovered Ebola
Jean-Jacques Muyembe is a Congolese doctor heading up the response to the current Ebola outbreak in Congo. Back in 1976, he was the first doctor to collect a sample of the virus. But his crucial rol…
00:13:19 |
Wed 11 Dec 2019
Aluminum's Journey From Precious Metal To Beer Can
We've been celebrating 150 years of the Periodic Table. This episode, the rise of aluminum! The element is incredibly common, but was once hard to extract. That made it more valuable than gold in the…
00:12:13 |
Tue 10 Dec 2019
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