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 Are California's Santa Ana Winds?
Over 29,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area are on fire right now. The fires emerged after the Santa Ana winds swept into the Los Angeles area Tuesday. The largest is the Palisades fire, which …
00:10:07 |
Fri 10 Jan 2025
Fluoride: Fact vs. Fiction
Fluoridating the public water supply has been common practice for nearly 80 years in the U.S. It's an acclaimed public health intervention that helps prevent cavities. For just as long, some have rai…
00:12:27 |
Wed 08 Jan 2025
How Two Veterans Developed The Same Rare Brain Condition
Some weapons used by the U.S. military are so powerful they can pose a threat to the people who fire them. Today, we meet two Marines, William Wilcox and Michael Lozano, who spent years firing missil…
00:11:34 |
Tue 07 Jan 2025
The Great Space (Clock) Race
There are hundreds of atomic clocks in orbit right now, perched on satellites all over Earth. We depend on them for GPS location, Internet timing, stock trading ... and space navigation?
Today on the …
Today on the …
00:14:31 |
Mon 06 Jan 2025
Jimmy Carter's Triumph Over The Guinea Worm
Funeral services begin today for former President Jimmy Carter. He died Sunday, at 100-years-old. Carter brought attention to global health challenges, particularly "neglected" tropical diseases li…
00:12:40 |
Sat 04 Jan 2025
The Dubious World's Largest Snowflake Record
(encore) Snowflakes. These intricate, whimsical crystals are a staple of magical wintry scenes, but how big can they really get? Well, according to the Guinness World Record keepers, the "largest sno…
00:11:00 |
Fri 03 Jan 2025
The Trouble With Zero
Happy New Year, Short Wavers! What better time to contemplate the conundrum that is zero than this, the reset of the year? Zero is a fairly new concept in human history and even more recent as a numb…
00:12:19 |
Wed 01 Jan 2025
The Biggest Health Stories of 2024
2024 was full of science news. There was a total solar eclipse, the Paris Olympics, elections in the United States and elsewhere, technological breakthroughs and many space launches. But perhaps abov…
00:18:22 |
Tue 31 Dec 2024
Bird Backpacks Could Help This Parrot Bounce Back
The thick-billed parrot is the only surviving parrot species native to the United States. These brightly colored birds once roamed across the American Southwest and as far south as Venezuela — but to…
00:13:44 |
Mon 30 Dec 2024
Why These Squirrels Are Eating Meat
In pop culture, squirrels are often seen as jerky, excited critters on the hunt for nuts to stuff themselves with and tuck away for later. But squirrels are on the hunt for something a bit meatier in…
00:10:16 |
Fri 27 Dec 2024
Will GMOs Bring Back 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. Short Wave host Emily Kwong dives de…
00:14:13 |
Wed 25 Dec 2024
Hear Christmas Carols And Talk To Santa On Ham Radio
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…
00:10:07 |
Tue 24 Dec 2024
How Does An Airplane Stay In The Air?
There are many statistics out there that prove that flying on a commercial airplane is safe, that plane crashes are overall pretty unlikely. Still, up to an estimated 40% of Americans feel some fear …
00:15:10 |
Mon 23 Dec 2024
The First Woman To Get A New Kind Of Kidney Transplant
Towana Looney became the first living person in the world to get a kidney from a new kind of genetically modified pig last month. Health correspondent Rob Stein got exclusive access to be in the oper…
00:14:22 |
Fri 20 Dec 2024
This Huge Mining Pit Is About To Be A Lake
Old mines leave behind a a pressing problem: Huge holes that make the landscape look like a chunk of swiss cheese. But in Germany, some scientists and city planners are turning these into lakes.
The …
The …
00:13:47 |
Wed 18 Dec 2024
Why Big Tech Wants Nuclear Power
AI uses a lot of power. Some of the next generation data centers may use as much power as one million U.S. households. Technology companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta hope nuclear power …
00:14:27 |
Tue 17 Dec 2024
How Racism – And Silence – Could Hurt Your Health
Racism is often covered as a political, cultural, or news story. But how is it affecting people's health? That's the question Cara Anthony, a KFF News reporter, wanted to answer: not just on an indiv…
00:14:23 |
Mon 16 Dec 2024
What's A Weather Forecast Worth?
The federal government has been tracking the weather for more than 150 years. Yet over the last few decades, the rise of the Internet and big tech have made weather forecasting a more crowded space. …
00:09:18 |
Sat 14 Dec 2024
Conan The Bacterium's Superpower: Resisting Radiation
In the 1950s, scientists exposed a tin of meat to a dose of radiation that they expected would kill all forms of life. But one organism defied the odds and lived: Conan The Bacterium. Turns out this …
00:08:49 |
Fri 13 Dec 2024
In The Club, We All ... Archaea?
Thor. Loki. Heimdall. They're not just Norse gods or Marvel characters. They're also the names of various Asgard archaea. These microscopic organisms are found all over the world, from marine sedimen…
00:13:34 |
Wed 11 Dec 2024
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