Short Wave
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Short Wave
New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — in just under 15 minutes. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber for science on a different wavelength.If you're hooked, try Short Wave Plus. Your su...
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We Have the Cure. Why is Tuberculosis Still Around?
Tuberculosis – the world’s deadliest infectious disease – could be dormant in your system for years before you realize you have it. In the U.S., it’s...
Should Scientists Genetically Engineer Wild Species?
Some scientists looking to preserve vulnerable species have turned to a controversial technique: synthetic biology. This catchall term often means gen...
Science Says Quitting Smoking At Any Age Is Good For The Brain
The rate of smoking cigarettes has steadily declined since the 1960s – when Congress required warnings on cigarette boxes. Research shows that people...
What Happens When You're Under Anesthesia?
It's World Anesthesia Day tomorrow! So, we invite you to take a deep breathe. Picture a relaxing scene. Maybe a beach in Tahiti, your toes in the sand...
Why Legal Weed Isn’t Always Safe
Marijuana is decriminalized or legal in some form in multiple states. But, because it’s illegal on the federal level, states have had to build their o...
Synthetic Cells: The Next Bioengineering Frontier
There are more human cells in your body than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy! Cells are the fundamental building blocks of life but that doesn...
Why The Tropics Have A Weather Forecasting Problem
Weather in the tropics is decidedly different than it is in the middle latitudes. It turns out, so are the weather systems – the factors that create t...
Doing Science at the Edge of the Earth
Some scientific discoveries take place in a lab. Others are made deep in the rainforest, along the ocean floor or on the dark side of the moon. And st...
Solved: The Potato Origin Mystery
Usually, when two different species mate, it’s a disaster. At least, that’s what scientists had generally thought about hybrids, the offspring of thes...
The Science Of Fear And Horror Movies
Creepy crawly season is upon us, Short Wavers! We're welcoming fall with a contemplation of fear and anxiety. In human history, fear kept us safe. It...
What Are Flies Doing In The Middle Of The Ocean?
In the North Sea — between the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark — thousands of flies swarmed an oil rig. Engineer Craig Hannah noticed they’d stay s...
Why Animal Scavengers Protect Your Health
Worldwide, populations of scavenging animals that feed on rotting carcasses are declining. Scientists are finding that this can seriously hurt human h...
Nature Quest: How High Will Sea Levels Rise?
How high will the ocean rise under climate change? By 2050, scientists have a pretty good idea. But why does it matter where you live? And what can hu...
Why Do Some Hurricane Survivors Thrive After Disaster?
You’ve probably heard of PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. But what about its counterpart, post-traumatic growth?
The term was coined in the...
A Surprising Cause Of Endometriosis Could Lead To Cure
Since the age of nine or ten, Katie Burns has had debilitating pain from endometriosis, a condition where tissue resembling the uterine lining grows o...
Tylenol and Autism: What’s True and What Isn’t
On Monday, the Trump administration linked the use of Tylenol with rising autism rates, but science doesn’t support that claim. Guest host Sydney Lupk...
A Surprising Culprit of Food Allergies
Food allergies have risen in the United States over the last few decades. Research suggests that 40 years ago the prevalence of food allergies was les...
Should You Try Red-Light Therapy?
The anti-aging product market was worth roughly 53 BILLION dollars in 2024. One of the latest big trends: red light therapy. Social media is rampant w...
Untangling The Science of Octopus Arms
Octopuses and their arms are a bit of a mystery. Not because scientists don’t know how they work; they’re boneless hydrostats, made up of groups of m...
What Does a Black Hole Collision Sound Like?
For centuries, the primary way that astronomers studied outer space was through sight. But just ten years ago, scientists successfully established a w...
What Do Stem Cells Mean For The Future Of Parkinson's?
Parkinson’s Disease affects around a million people in the United States. And that number is on the rise, in part because our population is getting ol...
The Surprisingly Long History Of Nose Jobs
Rhinoplasty is one of the most common facial plastic surgeries performed today. And it turns out, the ability to reconstruct a nose with living tissue...
The Most Convincing Evidence Yet Of Life On Mars
Was there ever life on Mars? Planetary scientists think there could have been but there hasn’t been any direct evidence. After years of roaming Mars,...
Brain Implants Are Here — And Getting Better
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are surgically implanted devices that link the brain to a computer. They can be helpful for people who’ve lost the ab...
'Interstellar': Time Dilation And Wormholes Explained
Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar was a phenomenon in 2014. Set in the future, Earth has been struck by a global crop blight. Former NASA pilot Cooper...
Sip or Skip? The Truth About Electrolytes
U.S. consumers spend more than $10 billion a year on sports drinks, according to Beverage Industry, a trade publication. And we can’t lie that sometim...
What Marsquakes Reveal About The Planet's Habitability
Mars is known for its barren desert landscape and dry climate. But two recent studies in the journals Nature and Science go beneath the surface, explo...
Have a Stutter? It Could Be Inherited
For a long time, scientists have suspected that stuttering — a common speech condition that affects an estimated 1 in every 100 people — could be heri...
Stopping SSRIs Can Be Hard. Researchers Are Unsure Why
More than 1 in 10 people in the United States take an antidepressant. And the most commonly prescribed type of antidepressant are SSRIs — or selective...
A (Monday Night) Football Mystery
Monday night football is back! What better way to celebrate than a close look at some of the physics powering the sport? Specifically, the spiral pass...
Why U.S. Sunscreens Don't Measure Up
The United Nations estimates that there were over 1.5 million new cases of skin cancer in 2022. That number might have you reaching for the nearest tu...
A Lock of Hair Could Rewrite Knowledge Of The Inca Empire
The Inca Empire in South America was one of the most powerful pre-Columbian societies. It was known for the architecture of Machu Picchu, an extensive...
Nature Quest: What Does Climate Change Sound Like?
Feel like summers are hotter than they used to be? It’s not just your imagination. Climate researchers say that average annual temperatures around the...
Sea Camp: To Mine Or Not To Mine
Deep sea mining for rare earth elements and other critical minerals could start as early as 2026, even as 38 countries have called for a moratorium on...
Could labs replace your natural chocolate?
Chocolate may fill grocery store shelves around the world, but the raw product that powers chocolate is far more selective. The majority of chocolate...
The Yellowstone Wolf Controversy
Thirty years ago, park rangers reintroduced grey wolves into Yellowstone National Park. They wanted to restore the ecosystem and get the elk populatio...
Toxic? These Animals Don't Care
Imagine, you’re a toxic toad hanging around South America. No other animals are gonna mess with you, right? After all, you’re ~toxic~! So if anyone tr...
Sea Camp: Why Scientists Want To Map The Entire Seafloor
Scientists have mapped less than 30% of the world's seafloor. Experts say that getting that number up to 100% would improve everything from tsunami wa...
Alive Or Not Alive... Is A Tricky Question
In this Back To School episode we consider the "List of Life": the criteria that define what it is to be a living thing. Some are easy calls: A kitten...
The Trait That Makes Robots More 'Human'
Neurotic, anxious robots like C-3P0 from Star Wars' C-3P0 and Marvin from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy are a staple of science fiction — but t...