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 Under a 1971 Congressional Act, the Bureau of Land Management has the right to round up wild horses on public lands. Oftentimes, those horses are shipped to holding facilities, where they are kept in captivity and separated from their families. William Simpson wants to change that. He wants to deploy the wild horses across public lands, to live and graze — and ultimately, prevent the worst wildfires. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Aug 02, 2022•14 min•Ep 709•Transcript available on Metacast Not much is known about why people experience tastes differently and why some people can detect certain tastes and not others. There also might be other tastes out there to add to the list beyond the five known ones now. In this finale to Short Wave 's Taste Buddies series, we're tackling the science of the five tastes, and in this episode, we look at why there is so much more research to be done. Host Aaron Scott talks to Danielle Reed from the Monell Chemical Senses Center about the controvers...
Aug 01, 2022•14 min•Ep 708•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we talk about spicy food and its intersection with pleasure and pain as part of our "Taste Buddies" series — Short Wave 's ode to "taste." In this episode, Host Emily Kwong talks to food reporter Ruth Tam and researchers Julie Yu and Nadia Byrnes about the science behind our love for spicy foods and what drives some of us to seek out the pain. Follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyKwong1234 . You can email Short Wave at ShortWave@NPR.org . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices....
Jul 29, 2022•14 min•Ep 707•Transcript available on Metacast Our ancestors evolved the ability to taste the sweet goodness of foods like pastries and creamy chocolates. They were enticed to consume quick calories that might only be available sporadically. What does that mean today for our brains and bodies in a world where sugar is much more abundant? Host Aaron Scott talks to taste and smell researcher Paule Joseph about the sticky science of sugar and how we can have too much of a good thing. - Separately, we want to feature YOU in an upcoming episode! ...
Jul 28, 2022•11 min•Ep 706•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we're getting salty as we continue our series "Taste Buddies" — Short Wave 's ode to taste buds. In this encore episode, Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber goes on a salty flavor journey with scientist Julie Yu. Along the way, Julie explains salt's essential role in our daily lives and how it affects our perception of food. Follow Regina on Twitter @ScienceRegina. Reach the show by sending an email to ShortWave@NPR.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adc...
Jul 27, 2022•14 min•Ep 705•Transcript available on Metacast We're continuing our celebration of taste with another episode in our "Taste Buddies" series. Today: Umami. In the early 1900s a Japanese chemist identified umami, but it took a century for his work to be translated into English. In this encore episode, Short Wave host Emily Kwong talks with producer Chloee Weiner about why it took so long for umami to be recognized as the fifth taste. Follow Emily on Twitter @emilykwong1234 . Reach the show by sending an email to ShortWave@NPR.org . Learn more ...
Jul 26, 2022•15 min•Ep 704•Transcript available on Metacast This week Short Wave is celebrating our sense of taste with an entire week of themed episodes, covering everything from sugar and spice to what's beyond our classic ideas of taste. It's a series we're calling, "Taste Buddies." In today's encore episode with Atlantic science writer Katherine Wu, we take a tour through the mysteries of sourness — complete with a fun taste test. Along the way, Katie serves up some hypotheses for the evolution of sour taste because, as Katie explains in her article,...
Jul 25, 2022•16 min•Ep 703•Transcript available on Metacast The Food and Drug Administration allows faster drug approvals based on preliminary study data if the drug fulfills an unmet medical need. But the speedy approval comes with a promise that the drugmaker does another clinical trial once the drug is on the market to prove it really works. If not, the FDA can rescind the approval. How are the companies doing and how well does the agency enforce that system? Pharmaceuticals correspondent Sydney Lupkin investigated the 30-year track record for acceler...
Jul 22, 2022•13 min•Ep 702•Transcript available on Metacast The war in Ukraine is devastating that nation's rich, natural environment - from chemical leaks poisoning water supplies and warships killing dolphins to explosions disrupting bird migrations. NPR Environmental Correspondent Nate Rott has been reporting from Ukraine. He sits down with Short Wave 's Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber to talk about how the Russian invasion is harming the environment even beyond Ukraine's borders. Read more of Nate's reporting: https://n.pr/3PkuKcE Want to get...
Jul 21, 2022•12 min•Ep 701•Transcript available on Metacast Host Emily Kwong wants to keep an eye on her carbon footprint. Most of it consists of greenhouse gas emissions from driving her car or buying meat at the grocery store. But it's not so obvious how to measure those emissions, or how factories, cargo ships, or even whole countries measure theirs. Enter: NPR science reporter Rebecca Hersher. Together, Rebecca and Emily break down how greenhouse gas emissions are tallied ... and why those measurements are so important in figuring out who's responsib...
Jul 20, 2022•15 min•Ep 700•Transcript available on Metacast In the 18th century the world was focused on Venus. Expeditions were launched in pursuit of exact measurements of Venus as it passed between Earth and the Sun. By viewing its journey and location on the Sun's surface, scientists hoped to make a massive leap in scientific knowledge. With a little help from math, Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber recounts how humanity came closer to understanding our cosmic address — and relative distances to other planets — in the solar system. You can foll...
Jul 19, 2022•10 min•Ep 699•Transcript available on Metacast As a kid, Clarice Phelps dreamed of being an astronaut, or maybe an explorer like the characters on Star Trek. And while her path to a career in science was different than what she expected, it led her to being a part of something big: the discovery of a new element on the periodic table. Clarice talks to host Aaron Scott about her role in creating Tennessine, one of the heaviest elements known to humankind. Do you have a great science discovery story? Tell us about it at shortwave@npr.org. Lear...
Jul 18, 2022•12 min•Ep 698•Transcript available on Metacast Earlier this week we got a look at one of the highest-profile scientific photo dumps of all time. The James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful telescope ever sent into space, and it is producing some of the most detailed, rich, and far-reaching images of the universe we have seen – including the birth of stars, galaxies colliding, and the bending of space-time itself. Today, Host Emily Kwong talks with Short Wave Scientist-in-Residence Regina G. Barber and NPR's Joe Palca about these mind...
Jul 15, 2022•14 min•Ep 697•Transcript available on Metacast 
