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Short Wave podcast

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Short Wave

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  NPR  

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

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

 

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Progress

Duration

Release Date

#1201

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 show, hosts [Emily Kwong] (https://www.npr.org/people/767284140/emily-kwong) and [Regina G. Barber] (https://www.npr.org/people/1082526815/regina-g-barber) learn how to build a better clock. In order to do that, they ask: How do atomic clocks really work, anyway? What makes a clock precise? And how could that process be improved for even greater accuracy?For more about Holly's Optical Atomic Strontium Ion Clock, check out the [OASIC project on NASA's website] (https://techport.nasa.gov/projects/146755) .For more about the Longitude Problem, check out Dava Sobel's book, [Longitude] (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4806.Longitude) . Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Have questions or story ideas? Let us know by emailing [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) !Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

15 hrs Ago

14 MINS

14:31

15 hrs Ago

#1200

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 like Guinea worm. With reporter Jason Beaubien, we look at that decades-long effort and how science was central to Carter's drive for a better world. Questions or comments for us at Short Wave? Let us know by emailing [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) — we'd love to hear from you! Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

04 Jan 2025

12 MINS

12:40

04 Jan 2025

#1199

The Dubious World's Largest Snowflake Record

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 snowflake] (https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/73325-largest-snowflake) " ever recorded was a whopping 15 inches in diameter. It was spotted near Missoula, Montana in 1887. But [Kenneth Libbrecht] (https://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/) , a physicist at Caltech, has long been skeptical of that record. So he set out to find what makes a snowflake a snowflake and whether that 1887 record is scientifically possible. You can read more about what he discovered [here] (https://www.npr.org/2023/12/25/1217356234/just-how-big-can-a-snowflake-get-it-depends-on-what-you-mean-by-snowflake) . (encore)Want to share the snowflakes you've spotted this winter? Email us a photo at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

03 Jan 2025

11 MINS

11:00

03 Jan 2025

#1198

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 number. It wasn't until around the 7th century that zero was being used as a number. That's when it showed up in the records of Indian mathematicians. Since then, zero has, at times, been met with some fear — at one point, the city of Florence, Italy banned the number.Today, scientists seek to understand how much humans truly comprehend zero — and why it seems to be different from other numbers. That's how we ended up talking to science writer [Yasemin Saplakoglu] (https://www.yaseminsaplakoglu.com/) about the neuroscience of this number that means nothing. [Read more] (https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-the-human-brain-contends-with-the-strangeness-of-zero-20241018/) of Yasemin's reporting on zero for Quanta Magazine. Plus, [check out] (https://www.npr.org/2024/01/03/1198909057/brain-struggles-big-numbers-neuroscience) our episode on why big numbers break our brains.Thirst for more math episodes? Let us know what kind of stories you want to hear from us in 2025 by emailing [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) ! Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

01 Jan 2025

12 MINS

12:19

01 Jan 2025

#1197

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 above all, it was a huge year in health. So, today, we're talking through some of 2024's biggest health stories — from what's in our drinking water supply, to bird flu, obesity drugs and this year's record heat. They're also the stories we think will continue to be big in 2025. See you in the new year, Short Wavers! <3 Questions or suggestions for what else we should cover? Email us at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) ! Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

31 Dec 2024

18 MINS

18:22

31 Dec 2024

#1196

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 today, the only wild population remaining lives high in the forests of Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains. For years, conservation organizations like OVIS ( [Organización Vida Silvestre] (#OrganizaciónVida Silvestre) ) and the [San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance] (https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/) have been working on a multi-faceted conservation project to save these birds. Host [Regina G. Barber] (https://www.npr.org/people/1082526815/regina-g-barber) and producer [Rachel Carlson] (https://www.npr.org/people/1112796909/rachel-carlson) dive into the details of that project — and how tiny "bird backpacks" are helping to make it all happen. Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

30 Dec 2024

13 MINS

13:44

30 Dec 2024

#1195

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 the California Bay Area. Their target: local voles. The entire process — from hunt to kill — was captured on video.Want to hear more biology stories? Let us know by emailing [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) ! Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

27 Dec 2024

10 MINS

10:16

27 Dec 2024

#1194

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] (https://www.npr.org/people/767284140/emily-kwong) dives deep into how scientists are trying to resurrect the American chestnut tree — and recent controversy over a plan to plant genetically modified chestnuts in the wild. Want to hear about more efforts to recover endangered or lost species? Let us know by emailing [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) !Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

25 Dec 2024

14 MINS

14:13

25 Dec 2024

#1193

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 physicist and electrical engineer Nathaniel Frissell about this Antarctic Christmas Carol tradition and his use of shortwave radio for community science. [Read more] (https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/2024/12/11/from-nepa-to-the-north-pole-ham-radio-lets-kids-talk-to-santa/) about Santa Net, which connects children (known in the shortwave radio community as "little harmonics") with Santa.Want more tech stories? Let us know by emailing [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) !Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

24 Dec 2024

10 MINS

10:07

24 Dec 2024

#1192

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 at the thought of flying. So, amid the travel rush of the holiday season, we ask MIT aeronautical engineer [Mark Drela] (https://aeroastro.mit.edu/people/mark-drela/) : How does a plane lift off and stay up in the air? Interested in more stories on physics? Email us at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) . We'd love to hear from you!Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

23 Dec 2024

15 MINS

15:10

23 Dec 2024

#1191

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] (https://www.npr.org/people/146944972/rob-stein) got exclusive access to be in the operating room.Towana is a 53-year-old grandmother from Gadsden, Ala. She's been on dialysis for four hours a day, three days a week since 2016. Her immune system would reject a human kidney. So the Food and Drug Administration made an exception to its usual clinical study requirements to allow Looney this new kind of pig kidney. But the procedure is controversial. Interested in more environmental stories? Email us at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) . We'd love to hear from you!Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

20 Dec 2024

14 MINS

14:22

20 Dec 2024

#1190

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 largest one will be the biggest artificial lake in Germany when it's done, with a shoreline of 26 kilometers or about 16 miles all around. But it's not as easy as simply filling the holes with water. It takes a LOT of research to get this science right. Interested in more environmental stories? Email us at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) . We'd love to hear from you!Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

18 Dec 2024

13 MINS

13:47

18 Dec 2024

#1189

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 will offer a climate solution for this energy use. Nuclear power plants can deliver hundreds of megawatts of power without producing greenhouse gas emissions. But some long-time watchers of the nuclear industry are skeptical that it's the right investment for big tech companies to make. Read more of science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel's reporting [here] (https://www.npr.org/2024/12/09/nx-s1-5171063/artificial-intelligence-wants-to-go-nuclear-will-it-work) . Interested in more stories about the future of energy? Email us at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) . We'd love to hear from you!Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

17 Dec 2024

14 MINS

14:27

17 Dec 2024

#1188

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] (https://www.kff.org/person/cara-anthony/) , a KFF News reporter, wanted to answer: not just on an individual scale, but on a community-wide one. So for the past few years, she's been reporting on a small town in the Midwest that illustrates that health issue: Sikeston, Missouri. Today on the show, Cara walks host [Emily Kwong] (https://www.npr.org/people/767284140/emily-kwong) through Sikeston's history — and what locals and medical experts have to say about how that history continues to shape the present. For more of Cara's reporting, you can check out KFF Health News' documentary and four-part podcast series, [Silence in Sikeston] (https://kffhealthnews.org/silence-in-sikeston/) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

16 Dec 2024

14 MINS

14:23

16 Dec 2024

#1187

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. Today, our colleagues at NPR's daily economics podcast [The Indicator] (https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510325/the-indicator-from-planet-money) report on the value of an accurate forecast and the debate over who should control weather data. Follow The Indicator on [Apple Podcasts] (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593) or [Spotify] (https://open.spotify.com/show/4X3yDKgVTWRjSd6r0vhgo4?si=4b9b822a46094943) . Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [ plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

14 Dec 2024

09 MINS

09:18

14 Dec 2024

#1186

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 microorganism, known to science as Deinococcus radiodurans, is capable of surviving extreme levels of radiation — thousands of times the amount that would kill a human. So what's Conan's secret?Want more stories about the microbial world? Let us know by emailing us at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) !Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

13 Dec 2024

08 MINS

08:49

13 Dec 2024

#1185

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 sediment to mud volcanoes to hydrothermal vents. A growing body of research suggests we owe them an evolutionary debt. This episode, Emily and guest host Jon Hamilton explore the wild world of archaea: Where are they from? What do they do? And what can they tell us about the origins of life on earth? Interested in more stories about life's origins? Email us at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) . We'd love to hear from you!Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

11 Dec 2024

13 MINS

13:34

11 Dec 2024

#1184

Grape Growers' Next Collaborators? Robots

If you crossed WALL-E with a floor lamp, it might look a little like the PhytoPatholoBot. These robots aren't roving through space or decorating a living room — they're monitoring the stems, leaves and fruit of Cornell AgriTech's vineyards, rolling down each row and scanning for mildew.In this episode, host Emily Kwong and producer Hannah Chinn take a trip to Cornell to check out these new robots. How do they work? How effective are they? And what do local grape farmers – and neighbors – think about them? Interested in more robotics stories? Email us at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) . We'd love to hear from you!Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

10 Dec 2024

13 MINS

13:39

10 Dec 2024

#1183

Who Does Science? Under Trump, That Could Change

The next four years may be challenging for foreign-born scientists who want to work in the United States. Foreign-born workers account for about half of the doctoral-level scientists and engineers working in the U.S., but the incoming Trump administration wants to make it harder for them to get H-1B visas. Some scientists worry a scarcity of H-1B visas may prompt top foreign researchers to work in other countries. If you liked this episode, consider checking out some more episodes on the brain, including the neuroscience of [disagreements] (https://www.npr.org/2024/11/18/1257825199/family-thanksgiving-holidays-politics-disagreements) , [fear ] (https://www.npr.org/2024/10/09/1210938257/fear-anxiety-scary-movie-horror) and [fruit flies] (https://www.npr.org/2024/10/07/1210935851/ai-brain-fruit-fly-map-connectome) . Questions or ideas you want us to consider for a future episode? Email us at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) . We'd love to hear from you!Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

09 Dec 2024

12 MINS

12:12

09 Dec 2024

#1182

The Comeback Of The Southwest Peach

Centuries ago, Southwest tribal nations tended vast orchards of peach trees. But in 1863, thousands of those trees were cut down by the United States government when it ordered the Diné to leave their land as part of the Long Walk. Horticulturalist Reagan Wtysalucy wants to bring that those Southwest peaches back. Want to hear more Indigenous science? Email us at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) to let us know!Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [ plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

06 Dec 2024

14 MINS

14:56

06 Dec 2024

#1181

The Ambitious Quest To Genetically Map All Known Vertebrates

The Vertebrate Genomes Project: It's an ambitious effort by an international group of scientists to create a "Genome Ark" by sequencing the genomes of about 70,000 animal species. The hope is that through all of this gene sequencing, scientists will be able to answer some basic but important questions like: What makes a bird, well, a bird? What makes a mammal a mammal? Plus, with so many species on the verge of extinction, can scientists record their genetic information before they go extinct – or better yet, maybe help save the population from going extinct? Guest host [ Jon Hamilton] (https://www.npr.org/people/2100615/jon-hamilton) , one of our favorite science correspondents, talks to [Erich Jarvis] (https://www.rockefeller.edu/our-scientists/heads-of-laboratories/1159-erich-d-jarvis/) , the chair of this project, to learn what this ark of animal genomes could mean for our future – and why a platypus qualified for early boarding. Want to hear more animal stories? Let us know at [shortwave@npr.org] (mailto:shortwave@npr.org) — we read every email.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at [ plus.npr.org/shortwave] (http://plus.npr.org/shortwave) .Learn more about sponsor message choices: [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) [NPR Privacy Policy] (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) ... Read more

04 Dec 2024

14 MINS

14:30

04 Dec 2024