Today's episode is about how you're never alone. That's because there are tiny mites that live on your skin — including your face. They come out at night and mate. And we're not totally sure what they eat. See? Don't you feel better already? Researcher Megan Thoemmes tells us about the lives of these eight-legged creatures — and what they can tell us about ourselves. Also, if you can believe it, Short Wave launched a year ago today. Happy anniversary to us! And thanks for listening!...
Oct 15, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Back in December, we brought you two episodes on the MOSAiC expedition . With hundreds of scientists from 20 countries, the German-led polar research mission is the largest in history. But the mission has also been marked by reports of gender discrimination and harassment. So today, we're turning away from the research and talking to Chelsea Harvey , an E&E News reporter who joined MOSAiC for several weeks. We talk about her recent story and her own experiences on the expedition....
Oct 13, 2020•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Adriana Briscoe , a professor of biology and ecology at UC Irvine, studies vision in butterflies. As part of her research, she's trained them to detect light of a certain color. She also explains why they bask in the sunlight, and why some of them have 'hearts' in their wings. Plus, you'll never guess where their photoreceptors are. She's written about the importance of teachers and mentors in diversifying the STEM fields. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org ....
Oct 12, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Environmental scientist Heidi Appel explains how plants detect sound — and whether talking to yours could help them grow big and strong. Plus, a bit of listener mail from you! Which you can always send by emailing shortwave@npr.org .
Oct 09, 2020•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Even though we've been living with the pandemic for months, there's still lots of confusion about coronavirus tests and what the results do — and don't — mean. NPR correspondent Rob Stein explains the types of tests, when they are most accurate and how to make sense of the results. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org .
Oct 08, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast In honor of Fat Bear Week coming to a close, Short Wave is revisiting our episode on black bear hibernation. ( Fat Bear Week is the annual tournament celebrating some of the fattening bears of Katmai National Park.) On today's show, Rae Wynn-Grant , a large carnivore biologist, explains there's a lot more going on during hibernation than you might expect.
Oct 06, 2020•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast From who historically wins the awards, to how they portray the process of science and collaboration, host Maddie Sofia and NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce discuss the many problems with Nobel Prizes in science. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org .
Oct 05, 2020•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Pomologist Juan Carlos Melgar explains two key factors to why some fruits ripen faster in a paper bag — and others don't. Plus, a bit of listener mail from you! Which you can always send by emailing shortwave@npr.org .
Oct 02, 2020•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Some of the most prestigious scientists in history advanced racist and eugenicist views. But why is that rarely mentioned in textbooks? Today on the show, we speak with science educators building an anti-racist perspective into their curriculum and seeking to make the science classroom more inclusive.
Oct 01, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fueled by climate change, hurricanes are becoming stronger and more frequent. Those storms have repeatedly led to spills and fires at chemical manufacturing plants along the Gulf Coast. But can companies — and the people who work for them — be held responsible or even sent to prison for failing to adequately prepare for climate change? NPR's Rebecca Hersher reported on that question, which is at the center of a recent lawsuit. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org ....
Sep 29, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast A recent CDC report estimates Native Americans and Alaskan Natives are 3.5 times more likely to get COVID-19 than white people, and those under 18 are more likely to test positive. This report is the first time the federal government has released hard numbers on the coronavirus in tribal nations, but it is most notable for what it does not say about how the virus is affecting Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. And some scientists believe that the CDC's current numbers are an underestimate. Jo...
Sep 28, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast NPR Science Correspondent Jon Hamilton gives us an update on those mighty mice that went into space this past winter. The results could have big implications for the future of space travel. Check out the study to learn more about the results. Also, since it's a Micro Wave, we hear some listener mail from you! Which you can always send us by emailing shortwave@npr.org ....
Sep 25, 2020•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast With election season underway, we present a Short Wave guide (with some help from our friends at NPR Politics) to Joe Biden's plan to combat the coronavirus. Political correspondent and NPR Politics Podcast co-host Scott Detrow breaks it down for us. Follow host Maddie Sofia on Twitter @maddie_sofia and Scott Detrow @scottdetrow . Email the show at shortwave@npr.org ....
Sep 24, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast In case you missed our announcement last week, Short Wave is temporarily shifting production schedules. We're publishing episodes in your feed four times each week instead of five. That means we'll be taking a break every Wednesday for a bit. But, don't worry! We've got a giant back catalog for you to browse in the meantime. Like this episode full of listener questions all about the flu. And, if you're needing a break from the news, check out our very first 'Animal Slander' episode to find out w...
Sep 23, 2020•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Perimenopause, the period of transition to menopause, is still a largely misunderstood chapter of reproductive life. It brings about both physical and mental health changes that doctors rarely educate their patients about. We're joined by health correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee to talk about perimenopause, and how to advocate for yourself as you're going through it.
Sep 22, 2020•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Artificial intelligence might not be as smart as we think. University and military researchers are studying how attackers could hack into AI systems by exploiting how these systems learn. It's known as "adversarial AI." In this encore episode, Dina Temple-Raston tells us that some of these experiments use seemingly simple techniques. For more, check out Dina's special series, I'll Be Seeing You . Email the show at shortwave@npr.org ....
Sep 21, 2020•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the United States, Black infants die at over twice the rate of White infants. New research explores one key factor that may contribute to the disproportionately high rates of death among Black newborns: the race of their doctor. Reproductive health equity researcher Rachel Hardeman explains the findings. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org .
Sep 18, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ed Yong, a science writer for The Atlantic , writes that the U.S. is caught in a "pandemic spiral." He argues some of our intuitions have been misleading our response, rather than guiding us out of disaster. For instance, flitting from from one prominent solution to another, without fully implementing any of them. To counter these unhelpful instincts, he offers some solutions. Read Ed's piece: " America Is Trapped in a Pandemic Spiral ". As always, you can reach the show by emailing shortwave@np...
Sep 17, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast In case you missed our announcement Monday, Short Wave is temporarily shifting production schedules. We're dropping episodes into your feed four times a week instead of five. That means we'll be taking a break every Wednesday through the end of the year. But, fear not! We've got a giant back catalog for you to browse in the meantime. Like this episode from last year about three factors at the heart of why California is at such high risk for wildfires. Or this one about Giant Panda conservation a...
Sep 16, 2020•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Flushing toilets can consume a lot of water. So Tak-Sing Wong, a biomedical engineer at Penn State University, is trying to minimize how much is needed. Wong developed a slippery coating for the inside of a toilet bowl. In this encore episode, he tells us it can potentially move human waste more efficiently, leaving a cleaner bowl with less water. Follow host Maddie Sofia on Twitter @maddie_sofia . Email the show at shortwave@npr.org ....
Sep 15, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast In her new book, x+y , mathematician Eugenia Cheng uses her specialty, category theory, to challenge how we think about gender and the traits associated with it. Instead, she calls for a new dimension of thinking, characterizing behavior in a way completely removed from considerations of gender. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org .
Sep 14, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Asked and answered: why some of you might be more prone to being bitten by mosquitoes* than others. Turns out, some interesting factors could make you more appetizing. Plus, in true micro wave fashion, we go over some of your delightful listener mail. *In general, much more research needs to be done to understand all the nuances of what makes us so appealing to some mosquitoes. Email us your scientific questions, praise, comments and concerns at shortwave@npr.org . It just might end up in an epi...
Sep 11, 2020•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce had to know more when she recently heard this mind-bending fact for the first time: a quarter of all known animal species are beetles. Turns out — it's not just that beetles are incredibly diverse. It's that they inspire a lot of passionate study within the scientific community. But there's at least one other animal that might give beetles a run for their money. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org ....
Sep 10, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fire has always been part of California's landscape. But long before the vast blazes of recent years, Native American tribes held controlled burns that cleared out underbrush, encouraged new plant growth, and helped manage wildfires. It's a tradition that disappeared with the arrival of Western settlers. NPR climate correspondent Lauren Sommer explains how tribal leaders are trying to restore the practice by partnering up with state officials who are starting to see cultural burns as a way to he...
Sep 09, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast About 30% of people in science and engineering jobs in the U.S. were born outside the country. So when the Trump Administration suspended certain work visas in June, including one held by a lot of international scientists, research labs across the nation felt the effects. On the show, we talk to a physicist affected by the order, and The Chronicle of Higher Education 's Karin Fischer about what policies like this mean for science research in the U.S....
Sep 08, 2020•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast *Astrophysically speaking. That's the subject of Katie Mack's new book: the possible ends to our entire universe. Specifically, she breaks down some following potential outcomes: heat death, the big crunch and vacuum decay. (Spoiler alert: the names of the other scenarios we don't get to in this episode are just as cool.) Email the show your existential questions at shortwave@npr.org . But please, no existential dread at this time — we're full up on that. P.S. We're off Monday for Labor Day. So,...
Sep 04, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Since the dawn of Sputnik in 1957, space-faring nations have been filling Earth's orbit with satellites. Think GPS, weather forecasting, telecommunications satellites. And as those have increased, so, too, has space junk. On today's show, we talk about the first mission to clean up space junk and the problem debris poses to sustainability in space. (Encore episode.)
Sep 03, 2020•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Black holes are one of the most beguiling objects in our universe. What are they exactly? How do they affect the universe? And what would it be like to fall into one? We venture beyond the point of no return with Yale astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan , into a fascinating world of black holes — where the laws of physics break down. (Encore episode.)
Sep 02, 2020•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Science writer Jennifer Leman did it. She ranked all 158 moons in our solar system. The criteria? Interviews with NASA scientists, astronomers, and her own moonpinions. She talks to host Maddie Sofia about some of her favorites. Here's her full list for Popular Mechanics . (Encore episode.) Email the show at shortwave@npr.org .
Sep 01, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's Space Week on Short Wave! Today, an encore of our episode on dark energy. This mysterious energy makes up almost 70% of our universe and is believed to be the reason the universe is expanding. Yet very little is known about it. To figure out what we do know — and what it could tell us about the fate of the universe — we talk to astrophysicist Sarafina Nance .
Aug 31, 2020•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
