885 episodes

New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Aaron Scott for science on a different wavelength.

If you're hooked, try Short Wave Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/shortwave

Short Wave Short Wave

    • Science
    • 4.7 • 5.6K Ratings

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New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Aaron Scott for science on a different wavelength.

If you're hooked, try Short Wave Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/shortwave

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    News Round Up: Algal Threats, An Asteroid With Life's Building Blocks And Bee Maps

    News Round Up: Algal Threats, An Asteroid With Life's Building Blocks And Bee Maps

    After reading the science headlines this week, we have A LOT of questions. Why did the Virgin Islands declare a state of emergency over a large blob of floating algae? What can a far-off asteroid tell us about the origins of life? Is the ever-popular bee waggle dance not just for directions to the hive but a map?

    Luckily, it's the job of the Short Wave team to decipher the science behind the day's news. This week, co-host Aaron Scott, Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber and science correspondent Geoff Brumfield are on the case. Buckle up as we journey beyond the headlines and sail out to sea, blast off to space and then find our way home with the help of some dancing bees!

    Have suggestions for what we should cover in our next news round up? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

    • 10 min
    Why Pandemic Researchers Are Talking About Raccoon Dogs

    Why Pandemic Researchers Are Talking About Raccoon Dogs

    Today, a look at how a new genetic analysis provides the strongest evidence yet of the natural origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

    • 14 min
    If ChatGPT Designed A Rocket — Would It Get To Space?

    If ChatGPT Designed A Rocket — Would It Get To Space?

    This episode, Geoff Brumfiel and Emily Kwong push AI to the limits and see whether it's capable of fact-based complexity — like flying a rocket.

    • 13 min
    What we lose if the Great Salt Lake dries up

    What we lose if the Great Salt Lake dries up

    Dotted across the Great Basin of the American West are salty, smelly lakes. The largest of these, by far, is the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

    But a recent report found that water diversions for farming, climate change and population growth could mean the lake essentially disappears within five years. Less water going in means higher concentrations of salt and minerals, which threatens the crucial ecological role saline lakes play across the West, as well as the health of the people who live nearby.

    On today's episode, Kirk takes Short Wave co-host Aaron Scott on an audio field trip to the endangered Great Salt Lake, and explains why losing the lake could be devastating for everyone from brine flies to the humans that live next door.

    • 12 min
    Venus And Earth: A Tale Of Two 'Twins'

    Venus And Earth: A Tale Of Two 'Twins'

    Planetary scientists announced some big news this week about our next-door neighbor, Venus. For the first time, they had found direct evidence that Venus has active, ongoing volcanic activity.

    "It's a big deal," says Dr. Martha Gilmore, a planetary geologist at Wesleyan University. "It's a big deal in that there are no other planets, actually, where we've seen active volcanism." (Moons don't count - sorry Io!)

    What makes that fact so striking is how inhospitable a place Venus is now – crushing pressure, a toxic atmosphere and a surface temperature around 850 degrees Fahrenheit. So, what happened? How did Earth and its closest sibling diverge so sharply?

    On today's episode, Martha talks with scientist in residence Regina G. Barber about what studying Venus can tell us about the past and the future of our own planet.

    • 14 min
    Tweeting Directly From Your Brain (And What's Next)

    Tweeting Directly From Your Brain (And What's Next)

    Our friends at NPR's TED Radio Hour grace us with a look at their new series "Mind, Body, Spirit," an exploration of the three and how they intersect.

    • 19 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
5.6K Ratings

5.6K Ratings

TSA (The Senior Advisor ;) ,

Question re: 2/13/23 Pulse Ox Story

Until the new tech is perfected-can the results be tiered differently for African Americans and non-white patients? Can a study be done using the Pulse Ox followed by the more accurate blood/gas measurement (sorry I’m not a doc) and come up with a table to convert the biased Pulse Ox to a more accurate number?

If South American and African nations use this same technology, maybe they may have recognized this error and adjusted the range for a healthy Pulse Ox accordingly?🤷🏻‍♀️

Just asking👍👍🏻👍🏽👍🏿

Estorm08 ,

Decent

This podcast is ok. It’s a little too sugary sweet for my taste sometimes. Really end up picking and choosing when I can handle the tone.

TriRussell ,

For a science podcast there are a lot of unsubstantiated opinions

I started listening to this podcast at episode #1 and really enjoyed it for the first year. However it keeps drifting further and further away from science and further and further into opinions while trying to voice those opinions as facts. I keep trying this podcast from time to time only to keep being let down. The latest episode I listen claimed walking upright was the worst method of travel. Might need to go back to basic biology and biomechanics.

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