Turkey is the usual centerpiece of the Thanksgiving dinner, but it's all too easy to end up with a dry, tough, flavorless bird. For NPR science correspondent Maria Godoy, it got so bad that several years ago, her family decided to abandon the turkey tradition altogether. Can science help her make a better bird this year? That's what she hopes as she seeks expert advice from food science writers and cookbook authors Nik Sharma and Kenji López-Alt ....
Nov 17, 2021•13 min•Ep 529•Transcript available on Metacast Now that the Pfizer COVID vaccine is authorized for children five to eleven years old, a lot of parents are deliberating about what to do next. NPR health policy correspondent Selena Simmons-Duffin answers your questions about vaccine safety for kids, shedding masks at school and how soon you can schedule that long awaited indoor playdate. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org .
Nov 16, 2021•14 min•Ep 528•Transcript available on Metacast A new exhibit in Washington, DC, mixes science and technology for an immersive art experience — taking visitors not to a distant land, but into their brains. This installation is a partnership between the Society for Neuroscience and technology-based art space, ARTECHOUSE . Producer Thomas Lu talks to neuroscientist John Morrison and chief creative officer Sandro Kereselidze about the "Life of a Neuron." You can follow Thomas on Twitter @ThomasUyLu . Email us at ShortWave@NPR.org ....
Nov 15, 2021•14 min•Ep 527•Transcript available on Metacast Camilla Pang talks with Short Wave host Emily Kwong about her award-winning memoir, " An Outsider's Guide to Humans: What Science Taught Me About What We Do And Who We Are." Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 8, the scientist and writer pairs her favorite scientific principles with human behavior and navigating daily life.
Nov 12, 2021•14 min•Ep 526•Transcript available on Metacast It's been 150 years since the first article was published about the molecule key to life as we know it — DNA. With help from researcher 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. Read more about the discovery of DNA: https://bit.ly/3wNe7hn Curious about all the other biology that defines us? Email the show at shortwave@npr.org — we're all ears ... a...
Nov 11, 2021•10 min•Ep 525•Transcript available on Metacast A coalition of wealthier countries have promised that they'll provide $100 billion each year to help developing countries tackle climate change. So far, most haven't delivered on their promises, and it's a huge point of contention in the talks in Glasgow right now. Today on the show, NPR climate correspondent Lauren Sommer reports on how it looks when one country does get help, and how much more is needed for climate equity. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org ....
Nov 10, 2021•10 min•Ep 524•Transcript available on Metacast In the first week of COP26, the UN climate conference, world leaders took to the podium to talk about what their countries are going to do to fight climate change. They made big pledges, but protestors in the streets call their promises "greenwashing" and are calling for more action. Joining the show from Glasgow, Scotland, NPR science correspondent, Dan Charles , talks about how the conference is going. Will the diplomats follow the science on climate change? And will the nations of the world f...
Nov 09, 2021•12 min•Ep 523•Transcript available on Metacast When we lose someone or something we love, it can feel like we've lost a part of ourselves. And for good reason--our brains are learning how to live in the world without someone we care about in it. Host Emily Kwong talks with psychologist Mary-Frances O'Connor about the process our brains go through when we experience grief. Her book, The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss , publishes February 1, 2022....
Nov 08, 2021•15 min•Ep 522•Transcript available on Metacast Aduhelm, known generically as aducanumab, is the first drug to actually affect the underlying disease process associated with Alzheimer's. Yet sales have been limited, and the drug is reaching very few patients — at least so far. It's expensive, risky and likely doing little to improve patients' lives. NPR science correspondent Jon Hamilton explains why doctors and patients aren't excited about the new drug and what it could mean for future Alzheimer's drugs. Additional links: - Jon's reporting ...
Nov 05, 2021•10 min•Ep 521•Transcript available on Metacast When people can't afford rent, they often end up in closer quarters. NPR health policy correspondent Selena Simmons-Duffin shares two stories from her reporting and the research being done on housing and eviction policies in the US. For more of Selena's reporting, check out "Why helping people pay rent can fight the pandemic" (https://n.pr/3BIluHt). Follow Selena on Twitter @SelenaSD . You can email Short Wave at ShortWave@NPR.org ....
Nov 04, 2021•13 min•Ep 520•Transcript available on Metacast In 1977, NASA sent out two Voyager probes to study Jupiter and Saturn. The spacecrafts were designed to last about five years, but they are still, to this day, collecting and sending back data from beyond the solar system. But the Voyager mission is living on borrowed time. Today NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce talks about a proposal for an intentionally long mission - what it would take for NASA to actually plan for an interstellar voyage that would pass research and responsibili...
Nov 03, 2021•14 min•Ep 519•Transcript available on Metacast Scientists have been trying to figure out how to eradicate malaria for decades. Globally, a child under the age of five dies from the disease every two minutes, and even for kids who do survive there can be long term complications. A big breakthrough finally came in October when the World Health Organization endorsed MoSQUIRIX, the first malaria vaccine. It has relatively low efficacy, just about 30%, but malaria researcher Winter Okoth explains how the new vaccine could still make a big differe...
Nov 02, 2021•11 min•Ep 518•Transcript available on Metacast (Encore) The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are the first authorized vaccines in history to use mRNA technology. In light of the authorization for some children and teens now, we are encoring the episode in which Maddie Sofia chats with Dr. Margaret Liu, a physician and board chair of the International Society for Vaccines, about the history and science behind these groundbreaking vaccines. We'll also ask what we can expect from mRNA vaccines in the future. Have a question for us?...
Nov 01, 2021•12 min•Ep 517•Transcript available on Metacast NPR climate correspondents Lauren Sommer and Dan Charles join the show before the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland (COP26) starts on Sunday. Diplomats, business executives, climate experts, and activists from all around the world will gather to discuss the question: Is the world on track to avoid the worst effects of climate change? Lauren and Dan introduce us to two climate activists from countries that will be heavily impacted by climate change. Hilda Flavia Nakabuye from Ugan...
Oct 29, 2021•14 min•Ep 516•Transcript available on Metacast New York's Bellevue Hospital is the oldest public hospital in the country, serving patients from all walks of life. It's also the home of a literary magazine, the Bellevue Literary Review , which turns 20 this year. Today on the show, NPR's arts reporter Neda Ulaby tells Emily how one doctor at Bellevue Hospital decided a literary magazine is essential to both science and healing. You can follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyKwong1234 and Neda @UlaBeast . As always, email Short Wave at ShortWave@NPR.or...
Oct 28, 2021•13 min•Ep 515•Transcript available on Metacast If you're not so fond of spiders, you may find kindred spirits in other spiders! Researcher Daniela Roessler worked with jumping spiders and found that they know to get away from the presence of other possible predator spiders, even if they've never encountered them before. She talks with host Maria Godoy about her research and what Halloween decorations do to the poor spiders, if arachnids can have arachnophobia. Read Daniela's research and watch a video of the experiment: https://doi.org/10.11...
Oct 27, 2021•12 min•Ep 514•Transcript available on Metacast Over the last 25 years, the opioid epidemic has been devastating to families and communities all over the U.S., and has caused half a million deaths. But it started as a way to treat severe pain. Today, host Emily Kwong talks to Patrick Radden Keefe, author of the book Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty , about what went wrong in science to make the opioid epidemic what it is today.
Oct 26, 2021•16 min•Ep 513•Transcript available on Metacast The idea of human zombies probably seems pretty far-fetched. But there are real zombies out there in the animal kingdom. To kick off Halloween week, science writer Ed Yong of The Atlantic creeps us out with a couple of examples. Hint: they involve fungus. (Encore episode) Read more of Ed's reporting on: - The zombie fungus controlling ants' brains: https://bit.ly/2Zk79nA - How to Tame a Zombie Fungus: https://bit.ly/3E13QAc Haunted by other creepy crawlies in the animal kingdom you think we shou...
Oct 25, 2021•10 min•Ep 512•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we present a special episode from our colleagues at Code Switch, NPR's podcast about race and identity. In a small suburb of Washington, D.C., a nondescript beige building houses thousands of Native human remains. The remains are currently in the possession of the Smithsonian Institution, but for the past decade, the Seminole Tribe of Florida has been fighting to get some of them back to Florida to be buried. The controversy over who should decide the fate of these remains has raised ques...
Oct 22, 2021•33 min•Ep 511•Transcript available on Metacast Pacific lamprey may have lived on Earth for about 450 million years. When humans came along, a deep relationship formed between Pacific lamprey and Native American tribes across the western United States. But in the last few decades, tribal elders noticed that pacific lamprey populations have plummeted, due in part to habitat loss and dams built along the Columbia River. So today, an introduction to Pacific lamprey: its unique biology, cultural legacy in the Pacific Northwest and the people who ...
Oct 21, 2021•17 min•Ep 510•Transcript available on Metacast There's a biodiesel boom happening! It's fueled by incentives and policies intended to cut greenhouse emissions, and is motivating some oil companies like World Energy in Paramount, California to convert their refineries to process soybean oil instead of crude. NPR's food and agriculture correspondent Dan Charles explains why farmers are happy, bakers are frustrated and people who want to preserve the world's natural forests are worried. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.
Oct 20, 2021•13 min•Ep 509•Transcript available on Metacast The United States is on the verge of dramatically expanding the availability of COVID-19 vaccine boosters to shore up people's immune systems. As NPR health correspondent Rob Stein reports, the Food and Drug Administration is poised to authorize the boosters of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Still, many experts argue boosters aren't needed because the vaccines are working well and it would be unethical to give people in the U.S. extra shots when most of the world is still waiting fo...
Oct 19, 2021•11 min•Ep 508•Transcript available on Metacast Our colleagues at All Things Considered chatted with neuroscientist Nina Kraus about her new book Of Sound Mind . She shares how our brains process and create meaning from the sounds around us.
Oct 18, 2021•9 min•Ep 507•Transcript available on Metacast Along certain coastlines near the equator, you can find a tree with superpowers. Mangroves provide a safe haven for a whole ecosystem of animals. They also fight climate change by storing tons of carbon, thanks to a spectacular above-ground network of tangled roots. Ecologist Alex Moore talks to guest host Maria Godoy about how mighty this tree is, and why it is under threat.
Oct 15, 2021•12 min•Ep 506•Transcript available on Metacast A box of Twinkies, left alone for eight years, held some surprises for Colin Purrington. Upon having a sugar craving, combined with being "just so bored, with the pandemic," Purrington opened the box a few weeks ago. Like many people, Purrington believed Twinkies are basically immortal, although the official shelf life is 45 days . NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce talked to Purrington and explains how two scientists got involved and started unraveling the mystery of the mummified Twinkie. (Encore epis...
Oct 14, 2021•13 min•Ep 505•Transcript available on Metacast The COVID-19 has exposed longstanding and massive health disparities in the U.S., resulting in people of color dying at disproportionately higher rates than other races in this country. Today on the show, guest host Maria Godoy talks with Usha Lee McFarling about her reporting — how new funding and interest has led to increased attention to the topic of disparities in health care and health outcomes, but also left out or pushed aside some researchers in the field — many of them researchers of co...
Oct 13, 2021•13 min•Ep 504•Transcript available on Metacast Cockroaches - do they get a bad rap? Producer Thomas Lu teams up with self-proclaimed lesbian cockroach defender Perry Beasley-Hall to convince producer/guest host Rebecca Ramirez that indeed they are under-rated. These critters could number up to 10,000 species, but only about 30 are pesky to humans and some are beautiful! And complicated! And maybe even clean. What insect do you think gets a bad rap? Write us at ShortWave@NPR.org . You can follow Thomas on Twitter @ThomasUyLu and Rebecca @Rebe...
Oct 12, 2021•13 min•Ep 503•Transcript available on Metacast How did humans evolve some key cooperative behaviors like sharing? NPR Science Correspondent Jon Hamilton reports back from a bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where scientists are trying to answer that very question. (Encore episode) If you have something nice to say - email the show at shortwave@npr.org !
Oct 08, 2021•13 min•Ep 502•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?!" Email the show at shortwave@npr.org .
Oct 07, 2021•13 min•Ep 501•Transcript available on Metacast Humans have scalp hair. But why is human scalp hair so varied? Biological anthropologist Tina Lasisi wanted to find out. And while completing her PhD at Penn State University, she developed a better system for describing hair — rooted in actual science. To hear more from Tina, check out these webinars: Why Care About Hair ( https://bit.ly/3liJZ96 ) and How Hair Reveals the Futility of Race Categories ( https://s.si.edu/3Dik6g8 ). And to dive deep into Tina's research, we recommend her paper, The...
Oct 06, 2021•16 min•Ep 500•Transcript available on Metacast 
