All episodes
The show, episode by episode
Short Wave
NPR
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. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get…
1520 episodes tracked Similar shows
78%The Midnight Rebellion: Almost Midnight
Short Wave · 17m
74%The red flags that may be hiding in your poop
Short Wave · 12m
70%Shooting stars are just pea-sized rocks... and other space wonders
Short Wave · 11m
73%More food and money, less disease: Senegal's surprising eco-experiment
Short Wave · 13m
69%The new era of AI-powered cybercrime
Short Wave · 12m
71%Want to spend a year living in NASA's Mars simulation?
Short Wave · 12m
75%Are extreme wildfires the new normal?
Short Wave · 13m
63%A cooler of eggs and a bold plan to save leopard sharks
Short Wave · 13m
67%Could this nasal spray replace all your vaccines one day?
Short Wave · 10m
67%The problem with modern avocados — and the ancient solution
Short Wave · 9m
68%Does the science of peptides live up to the hype?
Short Wave · 12m
79%Cyclosporiasis: the science, risks and red flags
Short Wave · 10m
78%Are Trump and AI driving a nuclear power boom?
Short Wave · 13m
68%Why did designing the World Cup pitches take eight years?
Short Wave · 13m
73%Our favorite brains, including Einstein's stolen one
Short Wave · 13m
72%What's this super-aging butterfly’s longevity secret?
Short Wave · 13m
64%How should we decide who, or what, is conscious?
Short Wave · 13m
68%Plot twist: We're probably way undercounting insects on Earth
Short Wave · 9m
75%NASA's race against time to rescue a falling satellite
Short Wave · 11m
66%Could this anti-aging dog pill lead to one for you too?
Short Wave · 11m
76%Sky Uber? Air taxis could be here soon
Short Wave · 14m
78%This July 4th, are you a thrill- or chill-seeker?
Short Wave · 13m
71%Is setting your trash on fire a good idea?
Short Wave · 14m
77%Ticks are a growing problem, no matter where you live
Short Wave · 13m
77%Is working from home actually good for you?
Short Wave · 13m
69%Salty Clouds aren’t the only strange thing about this object in space
Short Wave · 9m
72%Did Trump's foreign aid cuts fuel the Ebola outbreak?
Short Wave · 10m
70%What can a tornado teach us about kindness?
Short Wave · 12m
66%Inside the mysterious minds of horses
Short Wave · 13m
71%Why scientists launched two little robots to the moon
Short Wave · 10m
67%Is sewage the future of green aviation?
Short Wave · 12m
69%Could air pollution make your memory worse?
Short Wave · 10m
66%Inside the lab taste-testing the world's chocolate
Short Wave · 10m
82%Why your sunscreen is finally getting a major upgrade
Short Wave · 9m
69%How a single flu shot could protect you for decades
Short Wave · 11m
69%Your DNA is changing all the time. Here’s why
Short Wave · 14m
71%Inner monologues are still a mystery
Short Wave · 14m
74%Prepare to be baffled by what we don't know about eels
Short Wave · 13m
71%This common garden plant summons wasps as bodyguards
Short Wave · 9m
79%Why are scientists planting tiny forests in big cities?
Short Wave · 12m
68%Why you can't stop scrolling: the science of 'dark flow'
Short Wave · 12m
72%This distant planet has wild weather and gemstone clouds
Short Wave · 9m
74%Should we reengineer the world's deadliest animal?
Short Wave · 11m
68%Is it getting windier?
Short Wave · 11m
80%The magic — and science — of synchronous fireflies
Short Wave · 13m
76%The supertree shielding coastlines and storing carbon
Short Wave · 12m
72%Why renaming this common hormonal disorder is a huge deal
Short Wave · 13m
70%A solution for California's water woes
Short Wave · 14m
80%What's up with your nightmares?
Short Wave · 14m
68%A chemical found in fish could help reinvent your sunscreen
Short Wave · 10m
77%Should you be fibermaxxing? Here's what the science says
Short Wave · 12m
72%Why Swedish scientists gave salmon cocaine
Short Wave · 10m
77%Without this pill, lots of people would be dead
Short Wave · 14m
67%Hantavirus: the risks, the science and what you need to know
Short Wave · 12m
60%How science is taking tripping mainstream
Short Wave · 12m
71%This medical condition stumped doctors for years
Short Wave · 14m
62%The secret behind clownfish stripes and more fishy fascinations
Short Wave · 12m
64%Coffee is complex. Can science standardize it for the better?
Short Wave · 10m
70%NASA is practicing moonwalks. When are we going back?
Short Wave · 9m
67%Set up solar, or save a tree? It’s complicated
Short Wave · 12m
80%The mystery that led this family to get their stomachs removed
Short Wave · 13m
73%Why a chimp 'civil war' shows how societies collapse
Short Wave · 13m
64%Where did our moon come from?
Short Wave · 13m
69%Eating disorder recovery in a diet culture world
Short Wave · 13m
71%These voicemails save lives
Short Wave · 13m
74%The psychology behind why you dread small talk
Short Wave · 9m
67%A new approach to brain health, one neuron at a time
Short Wave · 13m
67%Is there still a gender gap in medical research?
Short Wave · 13m
83%Are you pooping all wrong?
Short Wave · 13m
76%Who's to blame for all this plastic?
Short Wave · 13m
65%Quantum physics is for everybody
Short Wave · 14m
75%Why are bees special? We get inside a hive to find out
Short Wave · 13m
73%The world is running out of helium — again
Short Wave · 13m
66%Never had the flu? Scientists may know why
Short Wave · 10m
77%Why is NASA going to the moon again?
Short Wave · 13m
74%Predicting spring bloom is an art and a science
Short Wave · 13m
72%Space news: Project Hail Mary, Artemis, data centers
Short Wave · 11m
74%What's up with recycled wastewater's PR problem?
Short Wave · 13m
72%The world’s freshwater is getting saltier. Why?
Short Wave · 12m
65%The world has a groundwater problem. Can we solve it?
Short Wave · 12m
73%Day Zero: When the wells run dry
Short Wave · 11m
75%How did these flowers evolve to survive a megadrought?
Short Wave · 8m
62%A dietitian and doctor review RFK Jr's new food pyramid
Short Wave · 12m
72%‘Black rain’ in Iran and the environmental cost of war
Short Wave · 12m
71%This is your brain on pleasure (even the guilty kind)
Short Wave · 13m
74%An icy mystery: What are lake stars?
Short Wave · 12m
66%We saved gray whales from extinction. Why are so many dying again?
Short Wave · 13m
60%Sibling order may affect sexuality and identity
Short Wave · 12m
60%What crocodile bones teach us about dinosaurs
Short Wave · 11m
78%Teen sleep is getting wrecked by more than just phones
Short Wave · 8m
66%The global fallout of RFK Jr.'s vaccine policies
Short Wave · 15m
74%Will Punch the baby monkey be okay?
Short Wave · 12m
71%Spring ice is thawing earlier in lakes. What does that mean for life below the surface?
Short Wave · 12m
75%The dangers of warming winter lakes
Short Wave · 12m
68%Screen time is up for grandma and grandpa
Short Wave · 13m
82%Could our trash become local fishes’ treasure?
Short Wave · 12m
59%The serious hunt for alien life
Short Wave · 12m
75%The noise that isn't there
Short Wave · 21m
81%The truth about intermittent fasting
Short Wave · 8m
64%The neuroscience of cracking under pressure
Short Wave · 12m
65%Tea time... with an ape?
Short Wave · 11m
68%Could this vaccine trial mean a future without HIV?
Short Wave · 11m
64%Why do we kiss? It's an evolutionary conundrum
Short Wave · 14m
78%AI is great at predicting text. Can it guide robots?
Short Wave · 12m
68%The physics of the Winter Olympics
Short Wave · 13m
67%These bacteria may be key to the fight against antibiotic resistance
Short Wave · 11m
69%Babies got beat: Why rhythm might be innate
Short Wave · 8m
78%How do extreme G-forces affect Olympic bobsledders?
Short Wave · 13m
83%Autism: debunking Trump claims, and what scientists still don't know
Short Wave · 13m
73%Why research into ‘forever chemicals’ includes firefighters
Short Wave · 11m
82%Lessons and failures from the Challenger space shuttle explosion
Short Wave · 13m
72%How scientists predict big winter storms
Short Wave · 10m
68%What drives animals to your yard? It's complicated
Short Wave · 13m
64%Iran offline: How a government can turn off the internet
Short Wave · 13m
61%The plight of penguins in Antarctica
Short Wave · 8m
78%A failed galaxy could solve the dark matter mystery
Short Wave · 12m
69%Is ‘The Pitt’ accurate? Medical experts weigh in
Short Wave · 13m
67%Come critter spotting with us on a cold winter's night
Short Wave · 13m
72%10 breakthrough technologies to expect in 2026
Short Wave · 12m
75%When is your brain actually an "adult"?
Short Wave · 13m
78%The ozone layer is still healing…thanks to science
Short Wave · 12m
67%These little microbes may help solve our big problems
Short Wave · 11m
71%Hot galaxies alert!
Short Wave · 8m
74%Micro forests: an emerging climate hero?
Short Wave · 12m
76%Behold a T-Rex holotype, paleontology's "gold standard"
Short Wave · 11m
73%Did Earth’s Water Come From Space?
Short Wave · 14m
68%The trouble of zero
Short Wave · 12m
77%Science In 2025 Took A Hit. What Does It Mean?
Short Wave · 13m
70%Climate Anxiety Is Altering Family Planning
Short Wave · 13m
75%Why Kratom Is At The Heart Of A Big Public Health Debate
Short Wave · 12m
67%Why Drones Are Catching Whale Breaths
Short Wave · 10m
71%Drinking Turns Some Red With Asian Glow—And May Fight Tuberculosis
Short Wave · 13m
70%Why Suicide Prevention is 'Everyone's Business'
Short Wave · 14m
76%No, Raccoons Aren’t Pet-Ready (Yet)
Short Wave · 14m
68%GLP-1 Pills Are On The Way. Here's What To Know
Short Wave · 12m
72%The Indicator: Take A Penny, Leave A Penny, Get Rid Of The Penny
Short Wave · 10m
81%"A Very, Very Big Deal." Countries Take On Fossil Fuels
Short Wave · 14m
79%Could Architecture In Space Make A Greener Earth?
Short Wave · 14m
68%Is The Quantum Future Here?
Short Wave · 13m
78%Could This Exoplanet Harbor Life?
Short Wave · 11m
77%How Replaceable Are You?
Short Wave · 12m
72%The Closest Thing To A Cure For Allergies
Short Wave · 15m
79%Controversy In Yellowstone
Short Wave · 15m
71%Americans Are Not Going To The Dentist Enough
Short Wave · 12m
65%What Are AI Data Centers Doing To Your Electric Bill?
Short Wave · 13m
69%Why Experts Are Racing To Learn About This Interstellar Comet
Short Wave · 14m
74%Who Should Track Their Blood Sugar?
Short Wave · 14m
63%What’s In A Kiss? 21 Million Years Of Evolution
Short Wave · 8m
70%How To Disagree Better
Short Wave · 15m
81%Nature Quest: The Earthquake Prediction Problem
Short Wave · 14m
63%SNAP Delays: The Science Of Hunger And Food Insecurity
Short Wave · 12m
76%What's Up With Nightmares?
Short Wave · 14m
63%The Mystery Of Inner Monologues
Short Wave · 14m
68%An Apple Is An Ovary: The Science of Apple Breeding
Short Wave · 14m
62%Mental ‘Workouts’ Could Keep Your Brain Young
Short Wave · 11m
71%Are we cooked? How social media shapes your language w/ Adam Aleksic (from TED Tech)
Short Wave · 16m
73%Data Centers, Icy Moons And Chameleons
Short Wave · 9m
72%The Future Of Immune Health Might Be Here
Short Wave · 12m
79%What Space Dust Reveals About Earth's Ice Age
Short Wave · 13m
79%Do Birth Control Side Effects Make It Worth Skipping?
Short Wave · 12m
77%Fall foliage is still a mystery: Why do some leaves turn red?
Short Wave · 13m
66%Why Some Species Survive Mass Extinctions
Short Wave · 11m
72%The Secrets Everyday Rocks Keep
Short Wave · 12m
64%Elections: A Big Math Problem
Short Wave · 16m
69%This Week In Science: Spiders, TV Pixels And Storytelling
Short Wave · 10m
75%Like Being Scared? Here’s Why
Short Wave · 14m
72%Nature Quest: Rebuild Or Relocate Post-Disaster?
Short Wave · 14m
63%What Works – And Doesn’t – For Hair Loss?
Short Wave · 11m
76%Parasites Have Haunted Us For Millions Of Years
Short Wave · 15m
65%Migrating Birds Have a Big, Clear Problem
Short Wave · 15m
68%We Have the Cure. Why is Tuberculosis Still Around?
Short Wave · 15m
77%Should Scientists Genetically Engineer Wild Species?
Short Wave · 13m
67%Science Says Quitting Smoking At Any Age Is Good For The Brain
Short Wave · 8m
68%What Happens When You're Under Anesthesia?
Short Wave · 14m
69%Why Legal Weed Isn’t Always Safe
Short Wave · 14m
68%Synthetic Cells: The Next Bioengineering Frontier
Short Wave · 14m
66%Why The Tropics Have A Weather Forecasting Problem
Short Wave · 14m
78%Doing Science at the Edge of the Earth
Short Wave · 13m
68%Solved: The Potato Origin Mystery
Short Wave · 12m
73%The Science Of Fear And Horror Movies
Short Wave · 13m
70%What Are Flies Doing In The Middle Of The Ocean?
Short Wave · 8m
68%Why Animal Scavengers Protect Your Health
Short Wave · 9m
72%Nature Quest: How High Will Sea Levels Rise?
Short Wave · 12m
80%Why Do Some Hurricane Survivors Thrive After Disaster?
Short Wave · 13m
76%A Surprising Cause Of Endometriosis Could Lead To Cure
Short Wave · 13m
72%Tylenol and Autism: What’s True and What Isn’t
Short Wave · 14m
77%A Surprising Culprit of Food Allergies
Short Wave · 11m
72%Should You Try Red-Light Therapy?
Short Wave · 13m
73%Untangling The Science of Octopus Arms
Short Wave · 8m
79%What Does a Black Hole Collision Sound Like?
Short Wave · 12m
73%What Do Stem Cells Mean For The Future Of Parkinson's?
Short Wave · 15m
76%The Surprisingly Long History Of Nose Jobs
Short Wave · 14m
66%The Most Convincing Evidence Yet Of Life On Mars
Short Wave · 13m
62%Brain Implants Are Here — And Getting Better
Short Wave · 12m
69%'Interstellar': Time Dilation And Wormholes Explained
Short Wave · 14m
76%Sip or Skip? The Truth About Electrolytes
Short Wave · 10m
70%What Marsquakes Reveal About The Planet's Habitability
Short Wave · 8m
66%Have a Stutter? It Could Be Inherited
Short Wave · 14m
73%Stopping SSRIs Can Be Hard. Researchers Are Unsure Why
Short Wave · 12m
77%A (Monday Night) Football Mystery
Short Wave · 12m
61%Why U.S. Sunscreens Don't Measure Up
Short Wave · 13m
69%A Lock of Hair Could Rewrite Knowledge Of The Inca Empire
Short Wave · 11m
68%Nature Quest: What Does Climate Change Sound Like?
Short Wave · 13m
64%Sea Camp: To Mine Or Not To Mine
Short Wave · 13m
66%Could labs replace your natural chocolate?
Short Wave · 8m
63%The Yellowstone Wolf Controversy
Short Wave · 13m
72%Toxic? These Animals Don't Care
Short Wave · 13m
66%Sea Camp: Why Scientists Want To Map The Entire Seafloor
Short Wave · 14m
70%Alive Or Not Alive... Is A Tricky Question
Short Wave · 10m
80%The Trait That Makes Robots More 'Human'
Short Wave · 13m
63%Why Gene-Edited Babies May Be Closer Than Ever
Short Wave · 14m
65%Sea Camp: Did Life Start In Hydrothermal Vents?
Short Wave · 14m
66%Why Do Some 80 Year-Olds Have Extraordinary Memories?
Short Wave · 8m
75%Climate Change Could Alter Spidey Love
Short Wave · 12m
76%'Zombie' Cells Could Explain Aging — And Help Scientists Slow It
Short Wave · 11m
77%The Giants Lurking In The Deep Sea
Short Wave · 13m
72%Climate Change Is Here For Your Chocolate
Short Wave · 13m
70%Why Illusions Are A Brain Feature, Not A Bug
Short Wave · 13m
76%Nature Quest: Are Summers Getting Hotter?
Short Wave · 13m
63%Sea Camp: The Largest Daily Migration On Earth
Short Wave · 12m
66%Did Spiders' Ancestors Come From The Ocean?
Short Wave · 8m
62%Eating Disorder Recovery In A Diet Culture World
Short Wave · 13m
74%Will Federal Budget Cuts Affect Space Science?
Short Wave · 13m
70%Sea Camp: Is Better Human Health Hidden In The Sea?
Short Wave · 13m
74%These Scientists Are Using AI To Listen To Frogs
Short Wave · 13m
70%Who Is Using The 988 Crisis Line?
Short Wave · 12m
71%How Realistic Are Movie Dinosaurs?
Short Wave · 12m
72%These Critters Call The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Home
Short Wave · 14m
66%Meet the Third Ever (!!) Interstellar Comet
Short Wave · 8m
70%Evolution Went On Trial 100 Years Ago. Where Are We Now?
Short Wave · 12m
76%Itchy? Air Pollution May Be Making It Worse
Short Wave · 13m
73%Sea Camp: Why Are Ocean Currents Shifting?
Short Wave · 12m
71%Why Dew Point Is This Summer's 'It Girl'
Short Wave · 9m
74%Is The Milky Way On A Collision Course?
Short Wave · 12m
76%On July 4th, Are You A Thrill- Or Chill-Seeker?
Short Wave · 13m
75%RFK Jr.'s New Vaccine Advisors Signal Big Changes
Short Wave · 13m
74%Aha! The Power Of A Short Rest
Short Wave · 8m
66%When Eavesdropping Pays Off
Short Wave · 11m
63%Does It Feel Like Mosquitoes Are Getting Worse?
Short Wave · 13m
77%The Power Grid Problem
Short Wave · 11m
64%What Makes South Korea's 'Super Divers' Special?
Short Wave · 10m
70%Why Emotions Run High For Sports Fans
Short Wave · 12m
82%Trump Wants A Missile Defense System Like Israel's
Short Wave · 13m
75%Why Weed's Signature Scent Has Changed Over Time
Short Wave · 10m
64%Your Breathing Pattern Is Like A Fingerprint
Short Wave · 8m
69%Wanna Save Money? Climate-Proof Your Home
Short Wave · 12m
73%Living With OCD
Short Wave · 14m
75%Helping Dogs and Their Pawrents Live Healthier, Longer
Short Wave · 13m
80%Unveiling Olo — A Color Out of Oz!
Short Wave · 13m
68%Anglerfish Ancestors Once Roamed The Seafloor
Short Wave · 13m
76%Can AI Crack The Biology Code?
Short Wave · 14m
68%Solving A Centuries Old Maritime Mystery
Short Wave · 13m
63%Why Daylight Boosts Immunity
Short Wave · 8m
66%Unpacking Bipolar Disorder
Short Wave · 13m
70%Nature Quest: The Climate-Kid Question
Short Wave · 13m
71%The Great Space Race ... With Clocks
Short Wave · 14m
70%Flamingos: The Water-Bending Physics Masters
Short Wave · 12m
68%New Antivenom, Thanks To 200 Intentional Snake Bites
Short Wave · 11m
73%Will Trump Unleash Energy Dominance Or Damage?
Short Wave · 13m
82%Could Wormholes Exist?
Short Wave · 14m
75%Orange Cat Lovers, Rise Up!
Short Wave · 8m
66%How Baby Bats Learn To Eavesdrop On Dinner
Short Wave · 13m
75%Learning A Second Language As An Adult
Short Wave · 13m
67%The Indicator: American Science Brain Drain
Short Wave · 10m
75%Could AI Go Green?
Short Wave · 15m
69%What's The Environmental Cost Of AI?
Short Wave · 15m
65%Science Can Make You More Creative!
Short Wave · 13m
65%Did Scientists Find Alien Life Or Just Controversy?
Short Wave · 11m
69%What Can Minecraft Teach Us About Learning?
Short Wave · 8m
64%Are DOGE Cuts Making America Healthy?
Short Wave · 13m
70%Should Kids Be Taking Melatonin?
Short Wave · 13m
70%Harnessing Spineless Sea Creatures' Superpowers
Short Wave · 12m
67%This Telescope Could Find "Planet 9"
Short Wave · 12m
77%Why These Salmon Are On Anxiety Meds
Short Wave · 10m
74%Nature Quest: Are Flowers Blooming Early?
Short Wave · 12m
67%Should Humans Live On Mars?
Short Wave · 14m
65%Good Vibrations: How Fiddler Crabs Mate
Short Wave · 9m
76%How Nature Makes A Complex Brain
Short Wave · 12m
76%Your Allergies May Be Getting Worse
Short Wave · 7m
74%All Hail The Butt Flicker
Short Wave · 12m
72%How Do Astronomers Find Exoplanets? Wiggles!
Short Wave · 12m
75%Could Psychedelics Become Tripless?
Short Wave · 12m
73%What If You Took The "Trip" Out Of Ketamine?
Short Wave · 12m
65%Why The Trip Complicates Psychedelic Research
Short Wave · 11m
72%Could Running Change Your Brain?
Short Wave · 7m
67%Tornado Alley: Home Of Extreme Winds
Short Wave · 11m
76%The Iguanas That Rafted To Fiji
Short Wave · 9m
70%Is AI Ready For Robots?
Short Wave · 12m
65%Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities
Short Wave · 12m
73%The Algae That Thrive in Arctic Darkness
Short Wave · 13m
78%Climate Change + Baseball = More Home Runs
Short Wave · 12m
66%What Scientists Got Wrong About COVID-19
Short Wave · 11m
68%What Experts Say About ADHD-Tok
Short Wave · 9m
77%What's In Your Personal Care Products?
Short Wave · 15m
76%What to Know About The Measles Outbreak
Short Wave · 11m
78%Could 'Severance' Become Our Reality?
Short Wave · 13m
77%Love Fruit? Thank (Dinosaur) Mass Extinction
Short Wave · 11m
74%Let's Talk About (Biological) Sex, Baby
Short Wave · 14m
64%Is The Trump Administration Breaking Science?
Short Wave · 16m
67%The Great Antarctic Food Web Puzzle
Short Wave · 13m
Showing the 300 most recent of 1520 tracked episodes.
One buzzing episode in your inbox every morning. Free.
One email a day, unsubscribe anytime. No spam, ever.