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Apr 23, 2024
NPR's Juana Summers talks with biologist Adam Hartstone-Rose about his study into why animals are so stressed out during an eclipse.
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Apr 22, 2024
Drug company reps commonly visit doctors to talk about new medications. A team of economists wanted to know if that helps patients live longer. They found that for cancer patients, the answer is no.
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Apr 21, 2024
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Clyde Francks, a geneticist in the Netherlands, about the latest research into what makes people left or right-handed.
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Apr 19, 2024
A new study finds that in news stories about scientific research, U.S. media were less likely to mention a scientist if they had an East Asian or African name, as compared to one with an Anglo name.
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Apr 19, 2024
When the dinosaurs walked the Earth, massive marine reptiles swam. Among them, a species of Ichthyosaur that measured over 80 feet long. Today, we look into how a chance discovery by a father-daughter duo of fossil hunters furthered paleontologist's understanding of the "giant fish lizard of the Severn." Currently, it is the largest marine reptile known to scientists.
Read more about this specimen in the study published in the journal PLOS One.
Have another ancient animal or scientific revelation you want us to cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might talk about it on a future episode!
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Apr 18, 2024
Your coffee beans may have roots that stretch back 600,000 years — according to a new study.
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Apr 18, 2024
Our sun was born in a cosmic cradle with thousands of other stars. Astrophysicists say they want to find these siblings in order to help answer the question: Are we alone out there?
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Apr 12, 2024
Artificial wombs could someday save babies born very prematurely. Even though the experimental technology is still in animal tests, there are mounting questions about its eventual use with humans.
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Apr 09, 2024
When siblings share a womb, sex hormones from a male fetus can cause lasting changes in a female littermate. This effect exists for all kinds of mammals — perhaps humans too.
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Apr 05, 2024
Tiny, black-capped chickadees have big memories. They stash food in hundreds to thousands of locations in the wild - and then come back to these stashes when other food sources are low. Now, researchers at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute think neural activity that works like a barcode may be to thank for this impressive feat — and that it might be a clue for how memories work across species.
Curious about other animal behavior mysteries? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Apr 04, 2024
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Regina Barber and Rachel Carlson of Short Wave about chickadees with awesome memories, grinning robots, and the bugs most commonly found in haiku.
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Apr 03, 2024
For our series The Science of Siblings, we hear how researchers have found out that caring for siblings can make people happier.
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Mar 30, 2024
We're nearing a year when a negative leap second could be needed to shave time — an unprecedented step that would have unpredictable effects, a new study says.
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Mar 30, 2024
We're nearing a year when a negative leap second could be needed to shave time — an unprecedented step that would have unpredictable effects, a new study says.
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Mar 29, 2024
Last spring, some elementary school students in Santa Cruz found an exposed bone in a creek bed, which turned out to be an ancient fossil - it just went on display.
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Mar 29, 2024
Historic numbers of animals across the globe have become endangered or pushed to extinction. But some of these species sit in limbo — not definitively extinct yet missing from the scientific record. Rediscovering a "lost" species is not easy. It can require trips to remote areas and canvassing a large area in search of only a handful of animals. But new technology and stronger partnerships with local communities have helped these hidden, "uncharismatic" creatures come to light.
Have other scientific gray areas you want us to cover in a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org!
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Mar 28, 2024
More than half of the Colorado River's water is used to grow crops, primarily livestock feed, a new study finds. The river and its users are facing tough decisions as the climate warms.
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Mar 23, 2024
NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Oxford University scientist Alexandra Morton-Hayward about how some brains are preserved thousands of years after a person's death.
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Mar 22, 2024
Across the animal kingdom, menopause is something of an evolutionary blip. We humans are one of the few animals to experience it. But Sam Ellis, a researcher in animal behavior, argues that this isn't so surprising. "The best way to propagate your genes is to get as many offspring as possible into the next generation," says Ellis. "The best way to do that is almost always to reproduce your whole life."
So how did menopause evolve? The answer may lie in whales. Ellis and his team at the University of Exeter recently published a study in the journal Nature that studies the evolution of menopause in the undersea animals most known for it. What they uncovered may even help explain menopause in humans.
Curious about other animal behavior mysteries? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Mar 21, 2024
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Emily Kwong and Margaret Cirino about whale menopause, songbird rest stops along migratory routes, and a device that allows people with voice disorders to speak.
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Mar 20, 2024
Cicadas, and the way they urinate, offer a 'perfect' lab for understanding fluid dynamics at very small scales, researchers say
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Mar 18, 2024
Two new government studies found no unusual pattern of injury or illness in people with the mysterious cluster of symptoms known as Havana syndrome.
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Mar 18, 2024
The mysterious ailments that became known as Havana syndrome left no physical evidence of injury or disease, according to two government studies.
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Mar 16, 2024
This discovery sheds new light on the rich history of scholarship and intellectual exchange between Muslims, Jews and Christians during a time of Muslim rule in medieval Spain.
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Mar 13, 2024
Oil and gas drillers are releasing more climate-warming methane than the government estimates, a new study shows.
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Mar 13, 2024
The pickle-shaped bottom feeders may reduce the amount of microbes on the seafloor that could potentially sicken coral, scientists suggest
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Mar 13, 2024
The pickle-shaped bottom feeders may reduce the amount of microbes on the seafloor that could potentially sicken coral, scientists suggest
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Mar 13, 2024
"Long COVID has affected every part of my life," said Virginia resident Rachel Beale said at a recent Senate hearing. "I wake up every day feeling tired, nauseous and dizzy. I immediately start planning when I can lay down again."
Beale is far from alone. Many of her experiences have been echoed by others dealing with long COVID. It's a constellation of debilitating symptoms that range from brain fog and intense physical fatigue to depression and anxiety.
But there's new, promising research that sheds light onto some symptoms. NPR health correspondent Will Stone talks with Short Wave host Regina G. Barber about the state of long COVID research — what we know, what we don't and when we can expect treatments or even cures for it.
Have more COVID questions you want us to cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you.
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Mar 08, 2024
Traumatic brain injuries from intimate partner violence are common, and potentially more severe than those seen in sports.
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Mar 08, 2024
Neuroscientist Nathan Sawtell has spent a lot of time studying the electric elephantnose fish. These fish send and decipher weak electric signals, which Sawtell hopes will eventually help neuroscientists better understand how the brain filters sensory information about the outside world. As Sawtell has studied these electric critters, he's had a lingering question: why do they always seem to organize themselves in a particular orientation. At first, he couldn't figure out why, but a new study released this week in Nature may have an answer: the fish are creating an electrical network larger than any field a single fish can muster alone, and providing collective knowledge about potential dangers in the surrounding water.
Want to hear us cover more animal news? Email the show at shortwave@npr.org to let us know!
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
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Mar 06, 2024
After the 1996 Dickey Amendment halted federal spending on gun violence research, a small group of academics pressed on, with little money or support. Now a new generation is taking up the charge.
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Mar 06, 2024
The Voyager 1 space probe is the farthest human-made object in space. It launched in 1977 with a golden record on board that carried assorted sounds of our home planet: greetings in many different languages, dogs barking, and the sound of two people kissing, to name but a few examples. The idea with this record was that someday, Voyager 1 might be our emissary to alien life - an audible time capsule of Earth's beings. Since its launch, it also managed to complete missions to Jupiter and Saturn. In 2012, it crossed into interstellar space.
But a few months ago, the probe encountered a problem. "It's an elderly spacecraft," says NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce, "and it had some kind of electronic stroke." Greenfieldboyce talks to Short Wave Host Regina G. Barber about the precarious status of Voyager 1 - the glitch threatening its mission, and the increasingly risky measures NASA is taking to try and restore it.
What interstellar adventure should we cover next? Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.
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Mar 05, 2024
Researchers may one day be able to identify biomarkers that could indicate when a patient's brain is showing signs of assault, even when they themselves are unable or too afraid to report it.
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Mar 05, 2024
Science magazine's annual contest "Dance Your PhD" invites grad students to present their research through dance. This year's winner, Weliton Menário Costa, showcased his work on kangaroo behavior.
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Mar 01, 2024
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with glaciologist Ted Scambos about the conclusion of a multi-year study of Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, the "plug" holding back a formidable amount of ice.
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Feb 25, 2024
Scientists have found what they say could be one of the oldest Stone Age megastructures in Europe: a giant stone wall on the floor of the Baltic Sea. They've dubbed it the "Blinkerwall."
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Feb 24, 2024
NPR's Scott Simon talks to math historian Glen Van Brummelen about his finding that the decimal point appeared in the 1440s, earlier than thought.
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Feb 23, 2024
Scientists have long struggled to study how whales produce sound. A new paper in the journal Nature paints the most complete picture yet of how baleen whales produce their iconic, haunting calls.
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Feb 23, 2024
After seven years of research, the findings shed light on the long-neglected illness. Scientists say the results could lead to future trials for potential treatments.
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Feb 23, 2024
After seven years of research, the findings shed light on the long-neglected illness. Scientists say the results could lead to future trials for potential treatments.
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Feb 22, 2024
The more than half mile long wall, called the Blinkerwall, was likely used by Stone Age hunter-gatherers to herd reindeer toward a shooting blind.
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Feb 21, 2024
Long COVID has brought new attention to how complex chronic illnesses can develop in the aftermath of a viral infection. Prior research may help forward clinical trials to test possible treatments.
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Feb 21, 2024
We are at the height of the Sun's activity in its eleven year cycle, known to astronomers as the solar maximum. This means that over the next several months there's going to be a lot of solar activity. It's got us thinking back to 1859. That's when astronomer Richard Carrington was studying the Sun when he witnessed the most intense geomagnetic storm recorded in history. The storm, triggered by a giant solar flare, sent brilliant auroral displays across the globe causing electrical sparking and fires in telegraph stations. This encore episode, Regina talks to solar physicist Dr. Samaiyah Farid about what's now known as the Carrington event and about what may happen the next time a massive solar storm hits Earth.
Want to hear us cover other parts of the solar system? Email the show at shortwave@npr.org to let us know!
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Feb 19, 2024
Lately, paleoecologist Audrey Rowe has been a bit preoccupied with a girl named Elma. That's because Elma is ... a woolly mammoth. And 14,000 years ago, when Elma was alive, her habitat in interior Alaska was rapidly changing. The Ice Age was coming to a close and human hunters were starting early settlements. Which leads to an intriguing question: Who, or what, killed her? In the search for answers, Audrey traces Elma's life and journey through — get this — a single tusk. Today, she shares her insights on what the mammoth extinction from thousands of years ago can teach us about megafauna extinctions today with guest host Nate Rott.
Thoughts on other ancient animal stories we should tell? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might make a future episode about it!
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Feb 18, 2024
Memory is complicated. A new study co-authored by Jeopardy! contestant Monica Thieu looks at how two different memory systems might give some people an edge with recalling facts.
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Feb 14, 2024
The slow-moving Chinese martial art tai chi is known to increase flexibility and balance. Now, research suggests it's more effective at reducing blood pressure than more vigorous forms of exercise.
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Feb 14, 2024
In a Valentine's Day exclusive report, NPR has learned there is currently a gay anteater couple at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington D.C.But this couple is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to queerness in the animal world - it's been documented in hundreds of species. We spoke with wildlife ecologist Christine Wilkinson of the "Queer is Natural" TikTok series to uncover the wildest, queerest animals of the bunch.
Questions, comments or thoughts on queer animal love? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might feature it on a future episode!
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Feb 12, 2024
In a landmark UN study, researchers found nearly half of the world's threatened migratory species have declining populations. More than a fifth of the assessed animals face extinction.
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Feb 09, 2024
At least, that's what a group of researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University thinks. The team recently published a study in the journal Experimental Biology suggesting that Amphiphrion ocellaris, or clown anemonefish, may be counting. Specifically, the authors think the fish may be looking at the number of vertical white stripes on each other as well as other anemonefish as a way to identify their own species. Not only that — the researchers think that the fish are noticing the minutiae of other anemonefish's looks because of some fishy marine geopolitics.
Questions, comments or thoughts on another marine sea creature you want to hear us cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might feature it on a future episode!
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Feb 08, 2024
Short Wave's Regina Barber and Margaret Cirino talk through how moths produce an anti-bat signal, why clownfish could be counting to 3 and the first GMO food crop sold directly to home gardeners.
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Feb 08, 2024
California sea otter populations have rebounded in recent decades. New research finds that by feasting on shore crabs, these otters are helping to protect their coastal marsh habitat against erosion.
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Feb 05, 2024
In 1986 the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, releasing radioactive material into northern Ukraine and Belarus. It was the most serious nuclear accident in history. Over one hundred thousand people were evacuated from the surrounding area. But local gray wolves never left — and their population has grown over the years. It's seven times denser than populations in protected lands elsewhere in Belarus. This fact has led scientists to wonder whether the wolves are genetically either resistant or resilient to cancer — or if the wolves are simply thriving because humans aren't interfering with them.
This episode, researchers Shane Campbell-Staton and Cara Love talk through what might be causing this population boom. Plus, why researchers in the field of human cancer are eager to collaborate with them.
Want to hear about other ways humans are impacting the planet? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Feb 04, 2024
NPR's Elissa Nadworny speaks with Elena Zavala of the University of California, Berkeley, about new research showing how homo sapiens and Neanderthals interacted and may have even interbred.
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Feb 04, 2024
NPR's Elissa Nadworny speaks with Elena Zavala of the University of California, Berkeley, about new research showing how homo sapiens and Neanderthals interacted and may have even interbred.
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Feb 01, 2024
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Kyle Atkins-Weltman, a PhD student of paleoecology at Oklahoma State University, about a newly discovered dinosaur dubbed the "chicken from hell".
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Feb 01, 2024
Spiderwebs can capture environmental DNA, or eDNA, from vertebrate animals in their area, potentially making them a useful tool in animal monitoring, tracking and conservation.
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Jan 31, 2024
Scientists have found that spiderwebs can be used to capture environmental DNA, which reflects the animal population of an area. The technique may help track the biodiversity of an ecosystem.
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Jan 30, 2024
Those insects you see flying in crazed circles are trying to keep their backs towards the light because they think that direction is up, new research suggests.
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Jan 30, 2024
Those insects you see flying in crazed circles are trying to keep their backs towards the light because they think that direction is up, new research suggests.
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Jan 28, 2024
A new study looking at hearing loss finds that it's greater among people living in rural areas. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with audiologist Nicholas Reed, who co-authored the study.
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Jan 28, 2024
How long does immunity last after an infection? Are rapid tests always accurate? How often is a booster in order? In this installment of our FAQ series, we look into questions about "COVID time."
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Jan 26, 2024
Scientists looked at trees to better understand the interplay between temperatures and droughts in the Western U.S. Human-caused climate change is exacerbating both.
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Jan 26, 2024
The ancient extinct shark that starred in the film The Meg is thought to be the largest shark that ever swam the Earth. But there's debate over what it really looked like.
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Jan 23, 2024
The megalodon went extinct 3.6 million years ago, and is thought to be the largest shark that ever swam the Earth. But the megalodon may not have been as big as once thought, some researchers suggest.
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Jan 23, 2024
A new study of kelp forests from the coast of Washington state show that kelp forests, which host all manner of marine life, developed tens of millions of years ago.
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Jan 22, 2024
Newly discovered kelp fossils peg their existence to 32 million years ago. These fossils may help explain how the Pacific Ocean's underwater 'forests' came to be.
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Jan 20, 2024
Four years after the first known case of COVID-19 in the United States, long COVID remains a mystery to scientists. Medical experts called for more research funding at a Senate hearing Thursday.
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Jan 17, 2024
Data from the James Webb Space Telescope indicate that a galaxy known as GN-z11 has a supermassive black hole at its center — one that's far more massive than astronomers expected.
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Jan 15, 2024
Researchers say they've identified the oldest known Tyrannosaurus, shaking up the ongoing debate over how and when the dinosaurs arrived in North America.
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Jan 13, 2024
Are we in a surge? How would we know? Is winter now "COVID season?" And what do you do if your whole family got the coronavirus over the holidays? We tackle readers' coronavirus questions.
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Jan 10, 2024
Researchers found roughly 240,000 detectable plastic fragments in a typical liter of bottled water. Most of them were nanoplastics — particles less than 1 micrometer in size.
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Jan 05, 2024
Neptune has long been depicted as a deeper, darker blue than its fellow ice giant Uranus, but a new study shows that both are a similar shade of light greenish blue.
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Dec 31, 2023
For decades, researchers have said that our mammalian ancestors were solitary but a new analysis turns that thinking on its head, suggesting they were far more sociable than was previously thought.
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Dec 25, 2023
The Guinness World Record folks would have us believe in a 19th century snowflake more than a foot wide, but some scientists are skeptical.
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Dec 21, 2023
A new study has examined the potential ramifications of declining an invitation for a social outing, and found that people tend to overestimate just how much it matters.
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Dec 15, 2023
A new study showed that cats fetched objects instinctively, in the absence of overt training. Fetching is defined as when the animal retrieves an object that's thrown.
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Dec 13, 2023
An experimental technology that might someday allow infertile couples, as well as gay and trans couples, to have genetically related children stirs hope. So far, the technique has worked in mice.
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Dec 13, 2023
Zebra finches who did not sing every day quickly lose their vocal prowess, a new study finds. The results could potentially shed light on vocal rehabilitation for humans, too.
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Dec 12, 2023
More scientific evidence has surfaced to show that while Mittens may be your sweet angel, letting her roam outside is also a big threat to biodiversity.
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Dec 12, 2023
More scientific evidence has surfaced to show that while mittens may be your sweet angel, letting her roam outside is also a big threat to biodiversity.
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Dec 12, 2023
A new study shows male zebra finches must sing every day to keep their vocal muscles in shape. Females prefer the songs of males that did their daily vocal workout.
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Dec 12, 2023
Scientists have compiled an exhaustive list of all the species cats consume, and it includes more than 2000 birds, reptiles, mammals and insects — a sixth of which are of conservation concern.
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Dec 08, 2023
The Food and Drug Administration approved two genetic treatments for sickle cell disease, including one that uses gene-editing. The approvals offer hope for patients and signal a new medical era.
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Dec 07, 2023
The wild honeyguide responds to distinct calls from local honey foragers. Says one researcher: The bird basically seems to be saying, "Hey, I'm here and I know where there's some honey, so follow me."
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Dec 07, 2023
The wild honeyguide responds to distinct calls from local honey foragers. Says one researcher: The bird basically seems to be saying, "Hey, I'm here and I know where there's some honey, so follow me."
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Dec 07, 2023
A newly discovered pathway between the heart and brain can cause fainting, at least in mice.
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Dec 06, 2023
A small study found that electrically stimulating an area deep in the brain allowed people with severe traumatic brain injuries to complete a cognitive test more quickly.
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Dec 04, 2023
Africa's cities have become home to an invasive, malaria-carrying mosquito. New research suggests vulnerabilities that could be exploited to take on the disease-bearing insects.
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Nov 23, 2023
Scientists say two separate brain circuits control how much salt we consume.
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Nov 22, 2023
This itchy microbe really touches a nerve. A common skin bacterium can directly interact with a nerve cell to trigger an itch, new study shows, suggesting possible new therapies for itchy conditions.
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Nov 22, 2023
A Texas undergrad is investigating how to grow vegetables on Mars — and has cultivated test samples of English peas in simulated Martian soil, with fertilizer from fly larvae.
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Nov 21, 2023
Two brain circuits help regulate salt intake: One adjusts salt cravings, the other determines whether we find salty food delicious or disgusting. (Story aired on ATC on Nov. 20, 2023.)
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Nov 21, 2023
As army ants travel over uneven terrain, they link their bodies together to create bridges — a system that might give engineers insight into controlling robotic swarms.
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Nov 20, 2023
A new study finds that 5.5 million adults worldwide died in 2019 from cardiovascular disease attributable to lead exposure, more than six times higher than a previous estimate.
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Nov 15, 2023
On Earth, clouds and rain are made of water. But the James Webb Space Telescope has found that on a planet called WASP-107b, the rain and clouds are made of sand.
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Nov 14, 2023
Many symptoms of long COVID are related to the brain. Now scientists are beginning to understand why brain fog, fatigue, and pain can linger for years after a person was infected.
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Nov 14, 2023
As army ants travel over uneven terrain, they link their bodies together to create bridges — a system that might give engineers insight into controlling robotic swarms.
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Nov 13, 2023
A new study found engineers should make roads narrower to reduce car crashes. Such improvements would also come with environmental and economic benefits.
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Nov 11, 2023
Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, a mammal with a unique evolutionary history, was caught on camera for the first time. Researchers hope their find advances conservation efforts in remote Indonesia.
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Nov 09, 2023
Indiana University trustees will decide whether to partially sever the University's long standing ties with the famous organization.
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