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
Getting Closer To The Sun Than Ever Before
An ambitious mission to get a spacecraft close to the sun has revealed a strange region of space filled with rapidly flipping magnetic fields and rogue plasma waves. Science correspondent Nell Greenf…
00:09:46 |
Mon 09 Dec 2019
If You Give An Orangutan A Kazoo...
If you give an orangutan a kazoo, will it produce a sound? Researchers discovered that this simple instrument could offer insights into the vocal abilities of orangutans — and the evolution of human …
00:12:00 |
Fri 06 Dec 2019
Is CBD Safe? The FDA Can't Say
Use of CBD — cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive component in cannabis — has exploded in the last few years. But while it's marketed as a solution for stress, anxiety, insomnia, and pain, the Food and …
00:11:13 |
Thu 05 Dec 2019
The Evolution Of HIV Treatment
A lot has changed since the first cases of AIDS were reported in 1981. Globally, AIDS-related deaths have dropped by more than 55% since 2004, the deadliest year on record. But, the road to effective…
00:12:20 |
Wed 04 Dec 2019
An Interstellar Wanderer Is Coming Our Way
Comet 2I/Borisov will reach its closest approach to the sun on December 8, 2019. We talk to planetary astronomer Michele Bannister about where the heck this comet came from, and what it tells us abou…
00:10:55 |
Tue 03 Dec 2019
Does Your Dog REALLY Love You?
Clive Wynne, founding director of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University, draws on studies from his lab and others around the world to explain what biology, neuroscience, and ge…
00:11:02 |
Mon 02 Dec 2019
The Science Of Smell And Memory
Why can a smell trigger such a powerful memory? Biological anthropologist Kara Hoover explains what's going on in the brain when we smell, how smell interacts with taste, and why our sense of smell i…
00:11:02 |
Fri 29 Nov 2019
Happy Thanksgiving!
Maddie and Emily wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, and explain how you can support the show. Find and donate to your local public radio station at donate.npr.org/short. Follow Maddie and Emily on Twitte…
00:01:40 |
Thu 28 Nov 2019
One Small Step For Cookie Baking
Imagine having your Thanksgiving meal in microgravity? That's the reality for the six astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Today, we look at the evolution of astronaut food and a planne…
00:10:53 |
Wed 27 Nov 2019
The Nightmare Of Sleep Paralysis
As a teenager, Josh Smith was plagued by sleep paralysis. Now he's afraid his kid might be experiencing it too. In this listener questions episode, Josh asks what the science says about this sleep di…
00:11:11 |
Tue 26 Nov 2019
Uganda's Solution For Treating Extreme Pain
Uganda has come up with a low-tech solution to treat patients in a lot of pain: drinkable liquid morphine. Nurith Aizenman tell us how this model works and how other African countries are taking insp…
00:10:33 |
Mon 25 Nov 2019
The CDC, Its 'F-Word' (Firearms) & Suicide Prevention
Congress prohibits the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using any of its funding to promote or advocate for gun control. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce looked into how …
00:09:59 |
Fri 22 Nov 2019
Solving The Sleep & Alzheimer's Puzzle
We know that people with Alzheimer's often have sleep problems. But does it work the other way? Do problems with sleep set the stage for this degenerative brain disease? Jon Hamilton introduces us to…
00:08:20 |
Thu 21 Nov 2019
That Revolutionary Gene-Editing Experiment? So Far So Good.
Earlier this month NPR health correspondent Rob Stein introduced us to Victoria Gray, the woman at the center of a groundbreaking medical treatment using CRISPR, the gene-editing technique. This week…
00:12:40 |
Wed 20 Nov 2019
Saving Water One Flush At A Time
Happy World Toilet Day! Flushing toilets can consume a lot of water, so Tak-Sing Wong, a biomedical engineer at Penn State University, is trying to minimize how much is needed. Wong developed a slipp…
00:10:17 |
Tue 19 Nov 2019
Bye Bye, Bei Bei: Giant Panda Heads to China
The Smithsonian's National Zoo is bidding farewell to Bei Bei. The 4-year-old giant panda will be sent to China on Tuesday, Nov. 19. While born in captivity at the zoo, Bei Bei is the property of Chi…
00:10:30 |
Mon 18 Nov 2019
An Eyewitness to Extinction
While doing field work in Central America in the 1990's, biologist Karen Lips noticed the frogs she was studying were disappearing. Scientists in other parts of the world had documented the same thin…
00:09:03 |
Fri 15 Nov 2019
You Asked About The Flu
How can you tell if you have the flu, or the common cold? Why does your arm hurt after you get the flu shot? And can getting the flu shot actually give you the flu? This episode, we answer your flu-r…
00:10:55 |
Thu 14 Nov 2019
SpaceX's Satellite Swarm: Could It Hurt Astronomy?
The private space company run by Elon Musk launched 60 satellites into orbit this week. Science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel explains why astronomers worry that kind of traffic — if it continues unab…
00:11:52 |
Wed 13 Nov 2019
Most U.S. Dairy Cows Come From 2 Bulls. That's Not Good.
NPR science correspondent Dan Charles explains why most of the dairy cows in America are descended from just two bulls, creating a lack of genetic diversity that can lead to health problems. He also …
00:09:29 |
Tue 12 Nov 2019
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