Fruit fly brains are smaller than a poppy seed, but that doesn't mean they aren't complex. For the first time, researchers have published a complete diagram of 50 million connections in an adult fruit flies brain. The journal Nature simultaneously published nine papers related to this new brain map. Until now, only a roundworm and a fruit fly larva had been mapped in this way. Read more of science correspondent Jon Hamilton 's reporting here . Want to know more about the future of brain science?...
Oct 07, 2024•12 min•Ep 1145•Transcript available on Metacast Lightning: It happens all the time, and yet the exact details of how it's made has long eluded scientists. That is, until now. New research out this week in the journal Nature holds new insights into the precursor to lightning. To figure it out, researchers flew a NASA ER-2 – essentially the research version of a spy plane – over several tropical thunderstorms. What they found: The same high energy radiation is found in places like neutron stars and around black holes. Want to hear more stories ...
Oct 04, 2024•7 min•Ep 1144•Transcript available on Metacast Years ago, astronomy professors started noticing something that troubled them: Many of their students didn't understand climate change and the science supporting it. So a small group of professors decided to do something about it — teach climate change in their introductory astronomy courses. Want to hear more stories about climate change? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Oct 02, 2024•14 min•Ep 1143•Transcript available on Metacast Over six million fungal species are believed to inhabit planet Earth. Outsmarting them is the work of Arturo Casadevall 's lifetime. What If Fungi Win? is the question at the heart of Arturo's new book, co-authored with journalist Stephanie Desmon . In this episode, Emily and Regina take a trip to Arturo's lab at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and meet a group of scientists thinking about the fungal consequences of climate change, urban heat islands, and scooping up microbes with candy. C...
Oct 01, 2024•12 min•Ep 1142•Transcript available on Metacast Most viruses that become epidemics in humans begin in other animals. It's how scientists suspect COVID-19 emerged . And now, less than five years after the start of the pandemic, some scientists are concerned about another disease that could do something similar: bird flu, or H5N1. Over the past year, the virus has spilled into cows and other animals — even infecting some people working closely with the animals. Some scientists hope to build a more resilient public health system by finding ways ...
Sep 30, 2024•11 min•Ep 1141•Transcript available on Metacast Governors across the southeastern United States have declared statewide states of emergency as Hurricane Helene continues its ascent. After forming in the northwestern Caribbean Sea Tuesday, Helene escalated from a tropical storm, then to a cyclone, and finally to a Category 4 hurricane by the time it made landfall late Thursday night. We talk to hurricane climatologist Jill Trepanier about how a storm tropical storm system rapidly intensifies into a major hurricane, the impact of a changing cli...
Sep 27, 2024•12 min•Ep 1140•Transcript available on Metacast Around 2% of the global population struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. That's roughly 163 million people who go through cycles of obsessions – unwanted intrusive thoughts, images or urges – and compulsions, or behaviors to decrease the distress caused by these thoughts. In movies and TV, characters with OCD are often depicted washing their hands or obsessing about symmetry. Dr. Carolyn Rodriguez says these are often symptoms of OCD, but they're not the only ways it manifests – ...
Sep 25, 2024•14 min•Ep 1139•Transcript available on Metacast At the beginning of the universe, annihilation reigned supreme. Equal amounts of matter and antimatter collided. There should have been nothing left. And, yet, here we all are. Matter won out. The question is: why? Scientists are probing the mysteries of a ghostly subatomic particle for answers. To do it, they'll need to shoot a beam of them 800 miles underground. Interested in more mysteries of the universe? Email us at shortwave@npr.org . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoice...
Sep 24, 2024•12 min•Ep 1138•Transcript available on Metacast Electric vehicle batteries will all, eventually, reach the end of their lives. When that happens, they should be recycled. But what breakthroughs could make that happen cleanly, efficiently — and close to home? Today, business correspondent Camila Domonoske takes us on a tour of one company trying to crack the EV battery recycling puzzle — to learn what this case study can tell us about the larger battery picture. Plus, why recycling is kind of like wresting with Lego bricks. Read more of Camila...
Sep 23, 2024•14 min•Ep 1137•Transcript available on Metacast Hey, Short Wavers! Today we're sharing an excerpt of the new NPR podcast How To Do Everything . How To Do Everything is half advice show, half survival guide, and half absurdity-fest — and it's not made by anyone who understands math. In fact, it comes from the same team that brings you NPR's news quiz Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me! We think you'll like their vibe, and we especially think you'll like this excerpt from their recent episode. It features astronaut Frank Rubio, who holds the record fo...
Sep 21, 2024•6 min•Ep 1136•Transcript available on Metacast What's scaly, striped and breathes underwater like a scuba diver? Water anoles! These lizards can form a bubble over their head to support breathing underwater. They're found in the tropical forests of southern Costa Rica. Want more critter stories? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear your thoughts! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Sep 20, 2024•9 min•Ep 1135•Transcript available on Metacast Evolution keeps making crabs. In fact, it's happened so often that there's a special scientific term for an organism turning crab-like: carcinization. But how many times has it happened, and why? When did the very first crab originate? What about all the times crabs have been unmade? And does all this mean that we, too, will eventually become crabs? In this episode, host Emily Kwong chats with Javier Luque about crabs, carcinization and change. Want more paleontological science stories? Email us...
Sep 18, 2024•14 min•Ep 1134•Transcript available on Metacast Patrick Anderson is widely recognized as the greatest wheelchair basketball player of all time. He's represented Canada at the Paralympics six times and led his team to win three gold — and one silver — medals. But since he first started playing in the 1990s, the sport has changed dramatically. He says that's due in part to the technological innovations in wheelchair athletics. In this episode, guest host Andrew Mambo chats with Patrick about the reasons for these changes. They also cover the or...
Sep 17, 2024•12 min•Ep 1133•Transcript available on Metacast Hurricane season is heating up: Hurricane Francine hit Louisiana last week and dumped rain across the South, and forecasters expect more stormy activity in the Atlantic in the next few weeks. A big factor in this stormy weather is our extremely warm oceans. Scientists know climate change is the main culprit, but NPR climate correspondent Rebecca Hersher has been following the quest to figure out the other reasons. Hint: They may involve volcanoes and the sun. Read more of Rebecca's reporting on ...
Sep 16, 2024•13 min•Ep 1132•Transcript available on Metacast We close out Climate Solutions Week with a look at the final step in the food system: waste. Roughly 30-40% of all food produced globally gets thrown out — a huge problem when it comes to climate change. Shuggie's Trash Pie and Natural Wine has answers for what to do with all that waste – be it bruised fruit and wilted greens salad or meatballs made out of beef hearts. The San Francisco restaurant describes itself as a "climate-solutions restaurant" — and they're hoping you find these dishes app...
Sep 13, 2024•14 min•Ep 1130•Transcript available on Metacast Climate change is contributing to erratic weather where cocoa beans are grown and threatening the global chocolate supply. Record rainfall last year led to fungal infections among cacao trees and dwindled supply of cocoa beans. Heat is also making it more difficult for cocoa beans to thrive. So, for day three of Climate Solutions Week , we look at one innovation in the food industry: chocolate substitutes. As big chocolate manufacturers rush to stockpile cocoa beans, some companies like Planet A...
Sep 11, 2024•15 min•Ep 1130•Transcript available on Metacast Since the height of the pandemic, there has been a boom in the use of food delivery services. Day 2 of NPR's Climate Solutions Week is all about the environmental impacts of how we shop for our food. So in this episode, NPR correspondent Scott Neuman reports on a question we've all wanted to know the answer to: What is the impact of getting food delivered on our carbon footprint? Interested in hearing more climate solutions? Email us at shortwave@npr.org – we'd love to hear your ideas! Learn mor...
Sep 10, 2024•14 min•Ep 1128•Transcript available on Metacast In California's Napa Valley, the nation's unofficial wine capital, one varietal reigns supreme: cabernet sauvignon. But climate change is threatening the small blue-black grapes for which cabernet sauvignon is named. Increasingly severe heat waves are taking a toll on the grape variety, especially in late summer during ripening. To kick off NPR's Climate Solutions Week , climate correspondent Lauren Sommer joins host Regina G. Barber for a deep dive into the innovations wineries are actualizing ...
Sep 09, 2024•13 min•Ep 1128•Transcript available on Metacast Hey, Short Wavers! Today, we have a special present for all of you: An episode from our good friends at NPR's Body Electric podcast all a bout artificial intimacy! Thanks to advances in AI, chatbots can act as personalized therapists, companions and romantic partners. The apps offering these services have been downloaded millions of times. If these relationships relieve stress and make us feel better, does it matter that they're not "real"? On this episode of Body Electric, host Manoush Zomorodi...
Sep 07, 2024•27 min•Ep 1127•Transcript available on Metacast Last year, a dog named Bunny went viral on TikTok for pressing buttons with words on them to "communicate" with her owner. But can dogs even understand those words on a soundboard in the first place? A new study in the journal PLOS One seeks answers. Host Regina G. Barber and producer Rachel Carlson break down that story and more of the week's news with the help of All Things Considered's Ari Shapiro. Have other viral headlines that you want us to put to the test for its scientific truth? Email ...
Sep 06, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Short Wave producer Hannah Chinn has adult-onset eczema. They're not the only one. Up to ten percent of people in the United States have it, according to the National Eczema Association — and its prevalence is increasing. Despite its ubiquity, a lot about this skin condition remains a mystery. So today, Hannah's getting answers. They sat down with Raj Fadadu , a dermatologist at UC San Diego, to ask: What is eczema? What triggers it in the first place? And might climate change make it worse some...
Sep 04, 2024•13 min•Ep 1125•Transcript available on Metacast Humans hallucinate. Algorithms lie. At least, that's one difference that Joy Buolamwini and Kyle Chayka want to make clear. When ChatGPT tells you that a book exists when it doesn't – or professes its undying love – that's often called a "hallucination." Buolamwini, a computer scientist, prefers to call it "spicy autocomplete." But not all algorithmic errors are as innocuous. So today's show, we get into: How do algorithms work? What are their impacts? And how can we speak up about changing them...
Sep 03, 2024•14 min•Ep 1124•Transcript available on Metacast Just in time for the return of the school year, we're going "Back To School" by revisiting a classic at-home experiment that turns lemons into batteries — powerful enough to turn on a clock or a small lightbulb. But how does the science driving that process show up in household batteries we use daily? Host Emily Kwong and former host Maddie Sofia talk battery 101 with environmental engineer Jenelle Fortunato. Want us to cover more science basics? Email us your ideas at shortwave@npr.org — we mig...
Sep 02, 2024•10 min•Ep 1123•Transcript available on Metacast From Indonesia to Wisconsin, farmers all over the world struggle with a huge problem: pests. On top of that, it's tough for farmers to identify where exactly they have the pests and when. Reporter Lina Tran from NPR member station WUWM in Milwaukee joins host Emily Kwong to tell the story of how researchers in the Midwest are inventing new forms of pest detection that involve eavesdropping on the world of insects. Plus, hear what aphid slurping sounds like. If you liked this episode, check out b...
Aug 30, 2024•14 min•Ep 1122•Transcript available on Metacast At first glance, the whole narrative of aquatic invasive species may seem straightforward: A bad non-native species comes into a new ecosystem and overruns good native species. But the truth? It's a little more complicated. To tear down everything we thought we knew about invasive species and construct a more nuanced picture, host Emily Kwong talks to experts Ian Pfingsten , who works on the United States Geological Survey's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database , and Nicholas Reo , a Canada Ex...
Aug 28, 2024•13 min•Ep 1121•Transcript available on Metacast Human beings are hardwired for social connection – so much so that we think of even the most basic objects as having feelings or experiences. (Yup, we're talking to you, Roomba owners!) Social robots add a layer to this. They're designed to make us feel like they're our friends. They can do things like care for children, the elderly or act as partners. But there's a darker side to them, too. They may encourage us to opt out of authentic, real-life connections, making us feel more isolated. Today...
Aug 27, 2024•14 min•Ep 1120•Transcript available on Metacast New York: The city that never sleeps, the concrete jungle where dreams are made of and more recently ... home to a mysterious ant spreading across the city — before continuing across metropolitan and even state lines. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce joins host Regina G. Barber to trace the MahattAnts' takeover, explain why they're an interesting invasive species case study. Plus, how everyday people can get involved in research efforts to learn more about these critters. Read more...
Aug 26, 2024•14 min•Ep 1119•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever scrolled through a TikTok without finishing it? Switched between YouTube videos halfway through one or the other? Pressed "fast forward" on a Netflix episode that just wasn't holding your interest? That habit is called "digital switching" — and it might be causing the exact thing you're trying to avoid: boredom. Emily and Regina break that and more of the week's news down with the help of All Things Considered 's Ailsa Chang . Read this study on digital switching and boredom in the...
Aug 23, 2024•9 min•Ep 1118•Transcript available on Metacast U.S. health officials now say COVID-19 is an endemic disease. That means it's here to stay – circulating fairly regularly like the flu. Even though that changes how public health officials think about managing the virus, they say it doesn't mean being less cautious or vigilant during surges, like the current one this summer. COVID still poses significant risks for older individuals and those with underlying conditions — and anyone who gets COVID is at risk of developing long COVID. NPR science c...
Aug 21, 2024•13 min•Ep 1117•Transcript available on Metacast All summer long, we've been on a 10-episode odyssey through the changing universe ( check out the series ). But there was one big set of objects that we skipped over: moons. So now we're back, with special guest, Radiolab 's Latif Nasser , to talk about yes, our moon — and the many moons and quasi-moons beyond it. Where did our Moon come from? How many moons are out there? What's this "quasi-moon" of which we speak and why is it "dancing" around space? Also, Latif tells us about Radiolab 's cont...
Aug 20, 2024•15 min•Ep 1116•Transcript available on Metacast 
