Updated COVID boosters are now available that target the Omicron subvariant and many Americans 12 and older are eligible for the shot. Host Emily Kwong and health correspondent Allison Aubrey talk about who should get it, when, and whether there's a case to be made for skipping this booster. You can read more about Allison's reporting at " Omicron boosters: Do I need one, and if so, when? " Follow Short Wave on Twitter @NPRShortWave . You can also email us at ShortWave@NPR.org . Learn more about...
Sep 13, 2022•11 min•Ep 739•Transcript available on Metacast Why do some songs can stick with us for a long time, even when other memories start to fade? Science reporter (and former Short Wave intern) Rasha Aridi explains the neuroscience behind that surprising moment of, "Wow, how do I still remember that song?!" (Encore) Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Sep 12, 2022•13 min•Ep 738•Transcript available on Metacast Big Bend National Park in Texas is home to the only remaining Guadalupe fescue in the United States. The grass is tucked away in the Chisos Mountains, high above the Chihuahuan Desert. These mountaintops form a string of relatively wet, cool oases called "sky islands" — unique, isolated habitats. But as the planet warms, species that depend on "sky island" habitats tend to get pushed even higher up the mountain — until they eventually run out. Carolyn Whiting, Park Botanist at Big Bend, talks to...
Sep 09, 2022•13 min•Ep 737•Transcript available on Metacast Julia Ruth has a pretty cool job: it takes a lot of strength, a lot of balance, and a surprising amount of physics. As a circus artist, Julia has performed her acrobatic Cyr wheel routine around the world. But before she learned her trade and entered the limelight, she was on a very different career path--she was studying physics. Julia talks with Emily (who also shares a past life in the circus) about her journey from physicist to circus artist, and how she learned her physics-defining acts. Le...
Sep 08, 2022•13 min•Ep 736•Transcript available on Metacast Scientists in the UK have discovered that if they take a pot meant for catching crabs and just add some bright lights, scallops flock through the door like it's Studio 54. Scallops are normally fished via trawling or dredging—methods that can cause lasting damage to delicate seafloor ecosystems. So this accidental discovery (the lights were initially added to attract crab) could have a significant impact on scallop fishing. We talk with one of the scientists, Robert Enever of Fishtek Marine, a c...
Sep 07, 2022•15 min•Ep 735•Transcript available on Metacast Some of the world's best artificial waves are happening hundreds of miles from the ocean—in Waco, Texas. They're so good, they're attracting top professionals, casual riders and a science correspondent named Jon Hamilton. Jon's been following the wave technology for years and says the progress is huge. These days, pro surfers come from all over to try the "Freak Peak" of Waco. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Sep 06, 2022•12 min•Ep 734•Transcript available on Metacast We're taking the day off for the Labor Day holiday! We hope you're also able to get some rest. We'll be back with another episode tomorrow. You can now chat us up on Twitter @NPRShortWave . We'd love to hear from you! You can also reach us by emailing shortwave@npr.org . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Sep 05, 2022•21 sec•Ep 733•Transcript available on Metacast In the toxic waters of Sulphur Cave in Steamboat Springs, Colo. lives blood-red worm blobs that have attracted scientific interest from around the world. We don special breathing gear and go into the cave with David Steinmann, the spelunking scientist who first documented the worms, along with a trio of science students from Georgia Tech, to collect worms and marvel at the unique crystals and cave formations (ever heard of snottites??) that earned Sulphur Cave a designation as a National Natural...
Sep 02, 2022•13 min•Ep 732•Transcript available on Metacast It may seem obvious now that other galaxies lie beyond the Milky Way, but less than 100 years ago, some astronomers held a view of our universe that was a little more ... self-centered. In the 1920s, astronomers were locked in the "Great Debate" — whether Earth was center of the universe and if the universe was just the Milky Way. Today, Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber talks to Dr. Vicky Scowcroft about the stars that ended astronomy's Great Debate. Follow Short Wave on Twitter for more ...
Sep 01, 2022•11 min•Ep 731•Transcript available on Metacast Do worms feel pain? How do otters experience the world? What are those pink appendages on the face of the star-nosed mole? We answer all these questions and more in this quiz show episode of Short Wave . Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber and producer Margaret Cirino go head-to-head answering questions based on science writer Ed Yong's new book, An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us . Are you reading a new fascinating science-themed book? Let us know which o...
Aug 31, 2022•14 min•Ep 730•Transcript available on Metacast NASA's Artemis Moon mission was supposed to launch Monday. But it was delayed due to a problem one of the rocket engines. When it launches, it will be a giant step towards sending humans back to the moon. We're eager to know: What leaps in scientific knowledge will be gained? It's a question planted in our minds by the scientist Hal Walker, who led an experiment during the first lunar landing half a century ago. The goal: Beam a laser at the moon. This encore episode, Scientist in Residence Regi...
Aug 30, 2022•14 min•Ep 729•Transcript available on Metacast People experiencing a mental health crisis have a new way to reach out for help in the U.S. — calling or texting the numbers 9-8-8. Today, health correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee joins Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber to talk about how the hotline works, the U.S. mental health system and what this alternative to 911 means for people in crisis. Further Reading: - The new 988 mental health hotline is live. Here's what to know - Social Media Posts Criticize the 988 Suicide Hotline for Calling ...
Aug 29, 2022•13 min•Ep 728•Transcript available on Metacast In a crater at the top of a dormant volcano lies a place so quiet, the ambient sound is right near the threshold of human hearing. Visitors to the crater say they can hear their own heartbeats. This spot, in Haleakalā National Park, has been nicknamed the "quietest place on Earth." Getting there is no small feat--the ascent involves hiking upward through five different climate zones. But the reward is an experience of natural silence that is increasingly difficult to find. Conservationists, park...
Aug 26, 2022•13 min•Ep 727•Transcript available on Metacast Humans haven't set foot on the moon in 50 years, but NASA hopes to take one step closer with the launch of a new rocket and space capsule on Monday. Today, science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce joins Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber to talk about what NASA hopes to learn from this test flight and why it might be difficult to justify the program's cost. Planning to tune in for Monday's launch? Email us at shortwave@npr.org . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com...
Aug 25, 2022•12 min•Ep 726•Transcript available on Metacast Plunge into the ocean off the west coast of Ireland...and then keep plunging, down to where there's no light and the temperature is just above freezing. That's where underwater chemist Sam Afoullouss sends a deep sea robot to carefully collect samples of marine organisms. The goal? To search for unique chemistry that may one day inspire a medicine. Sam talks giant sponges, dumbo octopuses and bubblegum coral with host Emily Kwong – how to use them as a source for drug discovery while also protec...
Aug 24, 2022•10 min•Ep 725•Transcript available on Metacast Sweating can be unpleasant, but consider the alternatives: You could roll around in mud. You could spend all day panting. You could have someone whip you up a blood popsicle. Sweating turns out to be pretty essential for human existence, AND arguably less gross than the ways other animals keep from overheating. On today's episode, a small army of NPR science reporters joins host Emily Kwong to talk about how humans developed the unique ability to perspire, how sweat works in space and the neat t...
Aug 23, 2022•14 min•Ep 724•Transcript available on Metacast Grab your towels and flip flops, because we're heading to the beach. Whether you love playing in the sand, or dread getting it off your feet, building a sandcastle is an often underappreciated art form. In today's encore episode, Emily Kwong asks, scientifically, what is the best way to make a sandcastle? What's the right mix of water and sand to create grand staircases and towers? Sedimentologist Matthew Bennett shares his research and insights. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcast...
Aug 22, 2022•12 min•Ep 723•Transcript available on Metacast Volcanoes are "talking" to us all the time. Scientists say the sooner we learn to interpret their normal chatter, the quicker we'll know when something unusual — and potentially dangerous — is happening. But volcanoes often sit on protected land, so that detection work sometimes brings scientists into conflict with conservationists. Today, the tug-of-war over a sleeping giant in the Pacific Northwest. This episode is part of our series about the science happening on public lands, dropping every ...
Aug 19, 2022•12 min•Ep 722•Transcript available on Metacast Demand for coal in Europe is rising as Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens the country's vast natural resource and fossil fuel reserves - and subsequently, the world's energy supply. With trillions of dollars of Ukrainian energy deposits now under Russian control, the effects of the war are being felt far beyond the country's borders. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Aug 18, 2022•12 min•Ep 721•Transcript available on Metacast On a trip to Hawaii, Short Wave host Emily Kwong encountered manta rays for the first time. The experience was eerie and enchanting. And it left Emily wondering — what more is there to these intelligent, entrancing fish? Today, Emily poses all her questions to Rachel Graham, the founder and executive director of MarAlliance, a marine conservation organization working in tropical seas. (encore) Have you been completely captivated by an animal too? Share your story with us at shortwave@npr.org . L...
Aug 17, 2022•15 min•Ep 720•Transcript available on Metacast The perfect cup of joe might be a matter of taste, but knowing the science behind the coffee-making process could help you elevate your at-home brewing game. Today, barista champion Sam Spillman on the chemical processes behind coffee and her technical approach to the craft. Have your own approach to coffee chemistry? Tell us at shortwave@npr.org . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Aug 16, 2022•12 min•Ep 719•Transcript available on Metacast In 1967 Jocelyn Bell Burnell made a discovery that revolutionized the field of astronomy. She detected the radio signals emitted by certain dying stars called pulsars. Today, Jocelyn's story. Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber talks to Jocelyn about her winding career, her discovery and how pulsars are pushing forward the field of astronomy today. Have cosmic queries and unearthly musings? Contact us at shortwave@npr.org . We might open an intergalactic case file and reveal our findings in ...
Aug 15, 2022•13 min•Ep 718•Transcript available on Metacast Short Wave is going outside every Friday this summer! In this second episode of our series on the National Park system, we head to Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas. Among the trees and trails, researchers like Adela Oliva Chavez search for blacklegged ticks that could carry Lyme disease. She's looking for answers as to why tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease are spreading in some parts of the country and not others. Today: What Adela's research tells us about ticks and the diseases they...
Aug 12, 2022•10 min•Ep 717•Transcript available on Metacast When Moderna and Pfizer first came out with their mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, supply was limited to rich countries and they did not share the details of how to create it. That left middle income countries like Brazil in the lurch. But for Brazilian scientists Patricia Neves and Ana Paula Ano Bom, that wasn't the end. They decided to invent their own mRNA vaccine. Their story, today: Aaron talks to global health correspondent Nurith Aizenman about the effort and how it has helped launch a wider g...
Aug 11, 2022•14 min•Ep 716•Transcript available on Metacast Ahead of the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, we're re-airing our first episode with Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber. In it, Regina and planetary scientist Melissa Rice explore all things shooting star. They talk about the different types, where they come from and what they actually are (hint: not stars). Learn more about viewing the Persieds in the next few days here: Get ready to look up in the night sky at all those meteor showers . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastc...
Aug 10, 2022•12 min•Ep 715•Transcript available on Metacast The White House officially declared monkeypox a public health emergency in the United States last week. More than 7,500 cases of the virus have been confirmed since it began spreading across the country in May. Today's show: Health reporter Pien Huang on how the outbreak began, how it gathered steam and whether monkeypox is on track to become an endemic disease in the United States. Check out more of NPR's reporting on monkeypox: - Monkeypox: The myths, misconceptions — and facts — about how you...
Aug 09, 2022•13 min•Ep 714•Transcript available on Metacast Math is a complex, beautiful language that can help us understand the world. And sometimes ... math is also hard! Science communicator Sadie Witkowski says the key to making math your friend is to foster your own curiosity. That's the guiding principle behind her new podcast, Carry the Two . It's also today's show: Embracing all math has to offer without the fear of failure. -------- Callout time! Do you have a favorite space fact? Send it to us in a voice memo in 20 seconds or less. Include you...
Aug 08, 2022•14 min•Ep 713•Transcript available on Metacast Buckle up! Short Wave is going on a road trip every Friday this summer. In this first episode of our series on the research happening in the National Park system, we head to Shenandoah National Park and the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge . Some bats there are faring better than others against white-nose syndrome, a fungus that has killed more than 7 million bats in the last decade. Today — what researchers like Jesse De La Cruz think is enabling some bat species to survive. As we ro...
Aug 05, 2022•14 min•Ep 712•Transcript available on Metacast New abortion bans have made some doctors hesitant to provide care for pregnancy complications. That's led to life-threatening delays, and trapped families in a limbo of grief and helplessness. Today, senior health editor Carrie Feibel shares the story of one woman in Texas, whose pregnancy became a medical crisis because of the state's abortion laws. Read Carrie's full reporting: https://n.pr/3zpDXK0 Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Aug 04, 2022•16 min•Ep 711•Transcript available on Metacast It's been over 150 years since the first article was published about the molecular key to life as we know it — DNA. With help from expert Pravrutha Raman, Short Wave producer Berly McCoy explains how DNA is stored in our cells and why the iconic double helix shape isn't what you'd see if you peeked inside your cells right now. (encore) Curious about all the other biology that defines us? Email the show at shortwave@npr.org — we're all ears ... and eyes and toes and ... a lot of things. Thanks, D...
Aug 03, 2022•11 min•Ep 710•Transcript available on Metacast 
