Tourists to Antarctica are fueling research on some of the tiniest, most influential organisms on Earth: phytoplankton. These itty bitty critters make their own food and are the base of the food web in most of the ocean, but tracking how well they're doing is historically tricky. So, researchers with the program FjordPhyto are using samples collected by these tourists to understand how the balance of power in the Antarctic food web could be shifting — could ripple across the food web of the enti...
Mar 10, 2025•13 min•Ep 1235•Transcript available on Metacast Archeologists know early humans used stone to make tools long before the time of Homo sapiens . But a new discovery out this week in Nature suggests early humans in eastern Africa were also using animal bones – one million years earlier than researchers previously thought. The finding suggests that these early humans were intentionally shaping animal materials – like elephant and hippopotamus bones – to make tools and that it could indicate advancements in early human cognition. Want more on ear...
Mar 07, 2025•8 min•Ep 1234•Transcript available on Metacast On their second job ever, Collette Yee and her partner were assigned a difficult job: locate transient whale poop in the ocean before it sinks. Luckily, Collette was partnered with Jack, a blue heeler mix trained to sniff out cryptic odors from things that conservation biologists have trouble collecting on their own. Producer Berly McCoy reports on Jack and the growing field of dog detection conservation that helps science by sniffing out everything from invasive crabs to diseased plants to enda...
Mar 05, 2025•14 min•Ep 1233•Transcript available on Metacast You've heard of the woolly mammoth. But have you heard of woolly mice ? These critters were genetically modified by the Dallas-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences to have the same "woolly" and fat appearance as the ancient mammoths. The mice are a key step in the longer journey to de-extinct the woolly mammoth. NPR's Rob Stein takes us to the lab where it all happened. Interested in more biotech stories? Let us know by dropping a line to shortwave@npr.org . Listen to every episode of Shor...
Mar 04, 2025•10 min•Ep 1232•Transcript available on Metacast There are now two fully approved drugs on the market that can, sometimes, slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Both have been shown to slow down the mental decline of Alzheimer's by more than 25%. But that's in a group of patients—an individual may do much better, or not be helped at all. NPR Science Correspondent Jon Hamilton has been talking to people who've taken these drugs. Today he has the story of two patients to receive them. Interested in more human health stories? Contact ...
Mar 03, 2025•13 min•Ep 1231•Transcript available on Metacast Batteries are everywhere. They're in our phones, our remote controls, smart-watches, electric cars and so much more. They could also be the solution to a problem that renewable energy companies have faced for years: How to store the mass amounts of energy they produce for later use. Some companies are using batteries to make renewable energy accessible 24/7. Today, we dig into how the technology is rapidly progressing with Cooper Katz McKim, a producer from fellow NPR podcast The Indicator from ...
Feb 28, 2025•14 min•Ep 1230•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. This encore episode: Jocelyn's story. Host 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 a fu...
Feb 26, 2025•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast A year and a half ago, neuroscientist Kamilla Souza got the call she'd been waiting for: A baby humpback whale had died just offshore. She wanted its brain. That's because scientists know little about the brains of whales and dolphins off the Central and South American coasts. Studying them, like Kamilla is doing, can teach scientists about the inner workings of these animals — about their behavior and how they're adapted to living underwater. So, she has to race against time to save the brains....
Feb 25, 2025•11 min•Ep 1228•Transcript available on Metacast Picture a relaxing scene. Maybe a beach in Tahiti, your toes in the sand, a cold drink in hand. Now imagine your favorite music playing in the background. If Dr. Alopi Patel were your anesthesiologist, that's exactly what she'd have you do while you waited on an operating table for surgery. Today, she takes us on a journey through the history and science of this cornerstone of modern medicine. Curious about other breakthroughs in the history of science? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org ...
Feb 24, 2025•14 min•Ep 1227•Transcript available on Metacast Ever eat a full meal ... and find you still have room for dessert? If so, you're not alone. Sugar is a quick form of energy that many people crave — even when they're full . Today, hosts Emily Kwong and Regina G. Barber dive into a new study on the neural origins of the "dessert brain." Want us to cover more neuroscience on the show? Let your voice be counted by emailing shortwave@npr.org ! Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wav...
Feb 21, 2025•8 min•Ep 1226•Transcript available on Metacast What happens when a team of scientists and local Awajún guides go on a 38-day trip into the Alto Mayo region of Peru? Over 2000 species are identified, of course! Tucked in this lush landscape where the Amazon basin meets the Andes mountains, were 27 species of animals previously unknown to science. It makes us wonder, what else is out there that the scientific community hasn't seen? And who already knows about it? Check out photos of all the critters we mentioned — and more! Other ecosystems or...
Feb 19, 2025•10 min•Ep 1225•Transcript available on Metacast Asked ChatGPT anything lately? Talked with a customer service chatbot? Read the results of Google's "AI Overviews" summary feature? If you've used the Internet lately, chances are, you've consumed content created by a large language model. These models, like DeepSeek-R1 or OpenAI's ChatGPT, are kind of like the predictive text feature in your phone on steroids . In order for them to "learn" how to write, the models are trained on millions of examples of human-written text. Thanks in part to thes...
Feb 18, 2025•13 min•Ep 1224•Transcript available on Metacast Physics has a bit of a messy problem: There's matter missing in our universe. Something is there that we can't see but can detect ! What could this mysterious substance be? A lot of astronomers are searching for the answer. And some, like theoretical particle physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein , think a hypothetical particle called the axion may make this problem a little ... tidier. That's right: hypothetical. Scientists have never seen one, and don't know if they exist. So today, we point our ...
Feb 17, 2025•14 min•Ep 1223•Transcript available on Metacast For years, scientists have known that oxytocin is important in facilitating the feeling of love in humans. How do they know? Prairie voles. For years, scientists have relied on the cuddly rodents to help us humans understand how this protein works in our brains. But within the past few years, research has complicated that understanding, prompting the question: Can love prevail without the "love" hormone? (encore) Help shape the future of Short Wave by taking our survey: npr.org/ shortwavesurvey ...
Feb 14, 2025•11 min•Ep 1222•Transcript available on Metacast Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is one of the deadliest tickborne diseases in the United States, often killing people within about a week if left untreated. At one point, the San Carlos Apache Reservation had rates of infection 150 times the national average. But now, they've achieved a huge milestone — no deaths from the disease in at least five years. NPR science correspondent Pien Huang and producer Megan Lim visited the reservation to see the program that led to their success. Read Pien's full ...
Feb 12, 2025•14 min•Ep 1221•Transcript available on Metacast The U.S. tested nuclear weapons until the early 1990s. Since then, scientists have been using supercomputers and experiments to simulate nuclear test detonations, without detonating any nukes. But there are signs the world's nuclear powers may be readying to test again: Russia, China and the U.S. are all upgrading their nuclear test sites. NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel was among a small group of journalists allowed to tour an underground laboratory where this research happens. Read mo...
Feb 11, 2025•14 min•Ep 1220•Transcript available on Metacast For people with two hands, one is usually dominant. On a molecular level, life takes this to the extreme. All of the DNA in earthly living things twists to the right, whereas the protein building blocks favor a kind of left-handed chemistry. But in recent years, scientists have worked toward a kind of mirror version of life. The technology to make mirror life likely won't exist for at least a decade. Still, a group of concerned scientists published a 299-page technical report calling for a stop ...
Feb 10, 2025•13 min•Ep 1219•Transcript available on Metacast What do large crowds of people and water have in common? They both act like fluids. When crowds cheer, sway and clump together, the movements look like ripples of water. Researchers hope insights from physics like this one could help officials and engineers create safer crowds at festivals. Help shape the future of Short Wave by taking our survey: npr.org/ shortwavesurvey 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/...
Feb 07, 2025•10 min•Ep 1218•Transcript available on Metacast For a long time, microbes like the ones in Yellowstone's hot springs were studied in isolation. Molecular ecologist Devaki Bhaya says we should be studying them in community. Here's why. Help shape the future of Short Wave by taking our survey: npr.org/ shortwavesurvey Plus, if you liked this episode, check out our episode on the last universal common ancestor in the tree of life. Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus...
Feb 05, 2025•14 min•Ep 1217•Transcript available on Metacast Black holes are notorious for gobbling up, well, everything . They're icons of destruction, ruthless voids, ambivalent abysses from which nothing can return — at least, according to pop culture. But black holes have another side: Astrophysicists have seen powerful jets, sometimes millions of light-years long, shooting out of supermassive black holes – including the one at the center of our own galaxy. So today, we're getting to know the other side of black holes, and the powerful role they may p...
Feb 04, 2025•13 min•Ep 1216•Transcript available on Metacast Ecologist Gergana Daskalova moved back to the small Bulgarian town of her childhood. It's a place many people have abandoned — and that's the very reason she returned. At the same time as land is being cleared around the world to make room for agriculture, elsewhere farmland is being abandoned for nature to reclaim. But what happens when people let the land return to nature? This episode, science reporter Dan Charles explains why abandoned land has conservationists and researchers asking: If we ...
Feb 03, 2025•12 min•Ep 1215•Transcript available on Metacast In a world brimming with innovation and limited time, it can be hard to tell what technology has the potential to really shift life. Yet, every year, MIT Technology Review undertakes this very task and puts out an annual list to magazine readers of 10 Breakthrough Technologies . Today, host Regina G. Barber hops through highlights from the list with Amy Nordrum , an executive editor at the publication. Check out the full list here . Another tech topic on your mind that you want us to discuss on ...
Jan 31, 2025•12 min•Ep 1214•Transcript available on Metacast Farts are funny and sometimes smelly. But are they a legitimate topic of research? More than 40% of people worldwide are estimated to suffer from some kind of functional gut disorder — from acid reflux, heartburn, indigestion, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome to inflammatory bowel disease. So, yes, freelance science writer Claire Ainsworth thinks so. Claire speaks with Emily about two teams of scientists studying intestinal gases, who she profiled in a recent New Scientist article — and...
Jan 29, 2025•14 min•Ep 1213•Transcript available on Metacast Bird flu, or avian influenza, is spreading among livestock and other mammals in the United States, raising concerns that another pandemic may be looming. Last month, California declared a state of emergency due to rising cases in dairy cattle, and there have been over 65 human cases in the U.S. during this outbreak. While cases have been largely mild and risk to the public is still considered low, scientists warn it could evolve and become more dangerous. Curious about other health updates? Emai...
Jan 28, 2025•13 min•Ep 1212•Transcript available on Metacast Put on your headphones. In today's episode, host Emily Kwong leads us on a night hike in Patuxent River State Park in Maryland. Alongside a group of naturalists led by Serenella Linares , we'll meet a variety of species with unique survival quirks and wintertime adaptations. We'll search out lichen that change color under UV light and flip over a wet log to track a salamander keeping warm under wet leaves. Emily may even meet the bioluminescent mushrooms of her dreams. Plus, we talk about commun...
Jan 27, 2025•13 min•Ep 1211•Transcript available on Metacast At least, it's contagious among a group of captive chimpanzees at the Kumamoto Sanctuary. How do researchers know? A very dedicated grad student at Kyoto University. In the quest for scientific knowledge, Ena Onishi logged over 600 hours in the field! This episode, host Regina G. Barber and special guests Jonathan Lambert and Ari Shapiro get into the nitty gritty of the research and their hypotheses for why this is happening in this episode. Read Jonathan's full reporting about contagious peeing...
Jan 24, 2025•9 min•Ep 1210•Transcript available on Metacast Around the turn of the century, 3.8 million people banded together in a real-time search for aliens — with screensavers. It was a big moment in a century-long concerted search for extraterrestrial intelligence. So far, alien life hasn't been found. But for people like astronomer James Davenport , that doesn't mean the hunt is worthless — or should be given up. No, according to James, the search is only getting more exciting as new technology opens up a whole new landscape of possibilities. So to...
Jan 22, 2025•12 min•Ep 1209•Transcript available on Metacast Forests are the lungs of our planet. Not only do they absorb carbon dioxide and create oxygen, they also regulate temperature, absorb rainwater to help prevent flooding, and provide critical habitat for the majority of the world's land-based plant and animal species. But due to land conversion for agriculture and road construction, timber harvesting, and increasing wildfires, the trees that make up our forests are increasingly endangered. That's why we need reforestation: replanting new forests ...
Jan 21, 2025•14 min•Ep 1208•Transcript available on Metacast On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced it is banning the dye called Red No. 3, a food dye additive in many processed foods, like sodas, sweets and snacks. Recently, it and other dyes were linked to behavior issues in children. But high levels of Red No. 3 were linked to cancer in rats decades ago. So why is the ban happening now? Senior editor and science desk correspondent Maria Godoy answers our questions about Red No. 3 and other dyes that may replace it. Plus, how should pa...
Jan 20, 2025•10 min•Ep 1207•Transcript available on Metacast Imagine the tree of life. The tip of every branch represents one species, and if you follow any two branches back through time, you'll hit an intersection. If you keep going back in time, you'll eventually find the common ancestor for all of life. That ancestor is called LUCA, the last universal common ancestor, and there is no fossil record to tell us what it looked like. Luckily, we have Jonathan Lambert. He's a science correspondent for NPR and today he's talking all things LUCA: What we thin...
Jan 17, 2025•13 min•Ep 1206•Transcript available on Metacast 
