Short Wave

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 follow Regina on Twitter @ScienceRegina. Email Short Wave at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

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 [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

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 bending new portraits of our universe and our origins. You can follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyKwong1234 and Regina @ScienceRegina. Email Short Wave at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

This week NASA released some of the sharpest images of space ever from the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope's camera gives us a glimpse into distant galaxies and a picture of the makings of our universe. Tomorrow, we'll nerd out about those photos. But today, we're revisiting the idea of space travel. This encore episode, science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel talks to New York Times Disability Reporting Fellow Amanda Morris about one organization working to ensure disabled people have the chance to go to space.You can always reach the show by emailing [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

For centuries, mysterious blocks of beeswax and Chinese porcelain have washed up on the Oregon coast, leading to legends of pirates, treasure, and a sunken Spanish galleon. It became known as the Beeswax Wreck, and it inspired centuries of treasure hunters—and maybe even Steven Spielberg, as he created The Goonies. Now, researchers have found nearly 330-year-old timbers from the ship in a hard-to-access cave. This is the story of how a team of volunteer archeologists are working to solve one of the most enduring mysteries of the Pacific Northwest, using old-school detective skills and one well-timed natural disaster. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

BA.5 is now the dominant SARS-CoV-2 subvariant in the United States. It's driving up COVID cases and hospitalizations across the country. It's also causing quicker reinfections. More people appear to be contracting the virus multiple times in relatively quick succession. Today, host Emily Kwong talks with science correspondent Allison Aubrey about this dominant subvariant: What it means for mask mandates, "long COVID" — and why infectious disease experts think this wave will be more manageable than last winter's surge.Got COVID questions? Email the show at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Directing Duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, (collectively: Daniels) are known for their first feature film Swiss Army Man and DJ Snake's and Lil Jon's music video "Turn Down For What." This year, they've taken their directing to a whole different universe. Host Emily Kwong chats with the Daniels about their new film Everything Everywhere All At Once and how their indie film about laundry and taxes melds the arts with sciences. You can follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyKwong1234. Email Short Wave at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

We're wrapping up Tiny Critter Week with a reprise of one of our favorite episodes — nudibranchs. In this episode, Maddie and Emily got super nerdy, diving into the incredible world of nudibranchs. These sea slugs eye-catching for their colors, and some of them have evolved to "steal" abilities from other organisms — from the power of photosynthesis to the stinging cells of their venomous predators.We'd love to hear which tiny critters you love — and which leave you puzzled. Reach us by sending an email to [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Honey bees know a lot about honey, and humans are starting to catch up. Scientists are now looking at how the chemicals in honey affect bee health. With the help of research scientist Bernarda Calla, Short Wave producer Berly Mccoy explains the chemical complexities of honey, how it helps keep honey bees resilient, and what role it may play in saving the bees. (encore)To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

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. (Encore)Read Daniela's research and watch videos of the experiment: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.13953The video is also on her Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/RoesslerDaniela.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Being small has its advantages ... and some limitations. One organism that intimately knows the pros and cons of being mini is the pumpkin toadlet. As an adult, the animal reaches merely the size of the skittle. At that scale, the frog's inner ear is so small, it's not fully functional. That means when the frog moves, it's haphazard and seems kind of drunk. And so today, with the help of Atlantic science writer Katie Wu, we investigate: If a frog can't jump well, is it still a frog?Read Katie's piece in The Atlantic, A Frog So Small, It Could Not Frog: https://bit.ly/3bydh1gWatch pumpkin toadlets poorly fling themselves around in this video from the Florida Museum: https://bit.ly/3bFAXRvTo manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Hey, Short Wavers!We're off today, but wanted to give you a sneak peek into this week's episodes. To inject a little levity into your (and our) lives, we're celebrating some of the smaller animals in our midst all week long. Tomorrow — an animal probably most aptly described as an orange Skittle. Any guesses?To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

... Could a monkey host this podcast?Aaron Scott and Resident Neuroscience Nerd Jon Hamilton discuss the vocal capabilities of our primate relatives. From syllables and consonants to rhythm and pitch, certain monkeys and apes have more of the tools needed for speech than was once thought. Now scientists are looking to them for insights into the origins of human speech. What animal should we study next? Email the show at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Caribbean is home to gorgeous beaches, mangroves and ... the biggest bacteria known to humankind. Find out exactly how big from science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce in this Micro Wave. Then, stay for the listener mail, where we answer YOUR questions — all hosted by our new senior editor, Gabriel Spitzer!Do you have a question for Short Wave? Email us a voice memo at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

A majority of people say they have experienced extreme weather in the last five years, according to a nationwide survey conducted by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. And events like floods, wildfires and hurricanes are emptying bank accounts--especially when insurance can't cover the damage. Aaron Scott talks to science reporter Rebecca Hersher about the new survey, and the hidden ways climate change could impact your finances. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Historically, the California condor soared across the western skies of North America. But by the 1980s, the bird was on the edge of extinction — just 22 remained.Thanks to decades of conservation work, the California condor population has rebounded to a couple hundred birds in Central California and Arizona. And this May, a large partnership led by the Yurok Tribe re-introduced the birds to Northern California. Today, host Aaron Scott talks to Yurok biologist Tiana Williams-Claussen about the years-long quest to return the birds to their ancestral skies, and the importance of condor — who the Yurok call Prey-go-neesh — to the Yurok people and the natural world. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday. We're revisiting an episode that may give us insight into pregnant people's lives in a post-Roe United States. We talked to Dr. Diana Greene Foster, the lead researcher on the interdisciplinary team behind The Turnaway Study. For over a decade, she and her fellow researchers followed just under a thousand women who sought an abortion across 21 states. These data reveal the outcomes of unwanted pregnancies and compare the physical, mental and financial consequences of having an abortion to those of carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Pull out your art supplies because it's time to get crafty--with agar! At the intersection of biology and art lies a creative medium that's actually alive. Scientists and artists practice etching designs on petri dishes with bacterial paint that can grow and multiply.Aaron Scott talks with science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce about her foray into the agar art world.Have another craft suggestion? Email the show at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Move over, T-Rex. There are new, (mostly) more accurate dinosaurs to squeal over in 'Jurassic World: Dominion', the sixth and reportedly final film of the Jurassic film franchise. Join us to get to know them a little more with help from Riley Black, a paleontologist and author of the book The Last Days of the Dinosaurs.Want to hear more about the science in pop culture? Or maybe just want to show your support for our continued coverage of dinosaurs? Let us know by e-mailing [email protected]. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

A Massachusetts elementary school welcomes "Huntah," the COVID-sniffing dog. Scientist-in-residence Regina Barber talks with NPR science reporter Ari Daniel about how a specialized K-9 unit is helping keep kids in classrooms.For more of Ari's reporting, check out "Dogs trained to sniff out COVID in schools are getting a lot of love for their efforts."You can follow Regina on Twitter @ScienceRegina and Ari on Instagram @mesoplodon_. Email Short Wave at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Do you ever feel better after walking down a street that's lined with lush, green trees? You're not alone! For decades, researchers have been studying the effects of nature on human health and the verdict is clear: time spent among the trees seems to make us less prone to disease, more resistant to infection and happier overall. Aaron Scott talks with environmental psychologist Ming Kuo about why we need greenery and how you can bring more of it into your life.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Hi Short Wavers, The team is off today in continued commemoration of Juneteenth, a holiday honoring the freedom of all Americans, by marking the emancipation of enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. We'll be back tomorrow with more Short Wave, from NPR. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Cylita Guy was a curious child who enjoyed exploring the beaches, parks and animals that shared her hometown of Toronto, Canada. She's an urban ecologist interested in city-dwelling bats. Cylita talks to guest host Lauren Sommer about the importance of studying wildlife in cities and about her children's book, Chasing Bats and Tracking Rats: Urban Ecology, Community Science and How We Share Our Cities. (Encore)To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Uvalde school shooting has renewed questions of how to prevent the next shooting. For many who've opened fire in schools, the path to violence has common traits. A growing number of schools are adopting an evidence-based approach to preventing violence on their campuses. The plan recognizes that a student contemplating violence is a student in crisis. Today, a look at that plan in action: how a school district in Oregon has been turning troubled youth away from violence for nearly two decades.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

For decades, U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonauts have lived side-by-side aboard the International Space Station. Host Aaron Scott talks with Science Correspondent Geoff Brumfiel about how a war on planet Earth is changing life in space and what those changes say about the limits of science as a tool for diplomacy. For more of Geoff's reporting, check out "Russia's war in Ukraine is threatening an outpost of cooperation in space."You can follow Aaron on Twitter @AaronScottNPR and Geoff @GBrumfiel. Email Short Wave at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Political polarization is affecting Americans' health, according to a new study. Researchers find higher levels of premature death in Republican-leaning counties compared to those in Democratic-leaning ones. The higher mortality in GOP counties is across the board – everything from heart disease to suicide. Allison Aubrey talks to Emily Kwong about what may be causing these disparities. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

What's the most versatile pan in the kitchen? According to chef and cookbook author J. Kenji López-Alt, it's the wok! And along with spices, he sprinkles science explainers into his writing. Today's episode is just that — the science of the wok in action. He and host Emily Kwong talk about how to choose, season and cook with one, and why its unique shape makes it so versatile. Plus, we hear how Emily fared cooking one of Kenji's dishes from his new cookbook The Wok. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Sex can be a nerve-racking experience no matter what. That's especially true if you have no clue what to do, and since LGBTQ+ topics are often left out of the conversation in school sex ed classes, many queer people know this feeling well. Life Kit spoke with sexuality educators to understand what sex education could look like for queer students and the importance of including everybody in the discussions.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

As a kid, Ariana Remmel had a hard time figuring out where they fit in. They found comfort in the certainty and understanding of what the world was made of: atoms and molecules and the periodic table of elements.Years later, Ari went on to become a chemist and science writer. On today's show, Ari talks with host Maddie Sofia about how chemistry has helped them embrace their mixed identities.For more, read Ari's recent essay in Catapult Magazine: https://catapult.co/stories/ariana-remmel-essay-mixed-identities-organic-chemistryTo manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Medical transition-related treatments like hormone replacement therapy are associated with overwhelmingly positive outcomes in terms of both physical and mental health for transgender people. But, it can be hard to know exactly how to get started. Reporter James Factora explains where to start, common misconceptions about HRT, and the importance of finding community through the process. Read James' full reporting for VICE here: "A Beginner's Guide to Hormone Replacement Therapy."(www.vice.com/en/article/dyv33x/how-to-start-hrt-hormone-replacement-therapy) If you're just learning about hormone replacement therapy for the first time, welcome! We're so glad you're here. You might want to read about the basics before listening to this episode. We'll be here when you get back! ● "Overview of Feminizing Hormone Therapy," UCSF Transgender Care"(https://transcare.ucsf.edu/guidelines/feminizing-hormone-therapy)● "Overview of Masculinizing Hormone Therapy," UCSF Transgender Care(https://transcare.ucsf.edu/guidelines/masculinizing-therapy)To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Kyne is the stage name of Kyne Santos, a math communicator and a drag queen. The former Canada's Drag Race contestant posted her first video explaining a math riddle in full drag on TikTok during the pandemic. Since then, Kyne's videos, under the username @onlinekyne, have have attracted 1.3 million followers and generated 40.7 million likes. Kyne talks to host Emily Kwong about bringing STEM to the drag scene. (Encore)To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Tam O'Shaughnessy and Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, met as kids in the early 1960s and developed an instant connection. Years later, they fell in love. They also were dedicated to STEM education and founded Sally Ride Science in 2001, a company focused on equity and inclusion in science education. Tam talks about this, and her relationship with Sally Ride, with Maddie Sofia. (encore)To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Today, we're passing the mic to our friends at It's Been A Minute. Recently, they dug into how the anticipated repeal of Roe v. Wade will affect broader privacy issues. Will tech platforms continue to provide the same information, in states where the procedure is outlawed? What risk does your digital footprint create, if you seek information about abortion or other reproductive health care? Guest host Elise Hu talks it out with Rachel Cohen, senior policy reporter at Vox News, and Lil Kalish from CalMatters.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

How do you make the perfect stir-fry chicken without drying it out? Today, we answer that question with cookbook author and chef J. Kenji López-Alt and science! Host Emily Kwong talks to Scientist-In-Residence Regina G. Barber about velveting, a technique used to seal in moisture during high heat cooking. Then, some listener mail!If you're hungry for more food-based episodes, check out our TASTE BUDDIES series. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Parkland, Fla. Buffalo, NY. Uvalde, Texas. Every mass shooting in the U.S. raises calls for better policies to prevent such tragedies. There's evidence suggesting that certain kinds of laws may reduce deaths from mass shootings, say scientists who study the field — but those policy options are not the ones usually discussed in the wake of these events. Furthermore, the amount of resources devoted to studying gun violence is paltry compared to its public health impact.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Recent rule changes have increased access to abortion pills through the mail, using telehealth services. As many U.S. states gear up to restrict abortion access in anticipation of the Supreme Court possibly overturning Roe v. Wade, the medical professionals behind these services are preparing for an even bigger surge in demand. Groups that provide abortion pills are also preparing to face significant new obstacles, as anti-abortion states push back against expanded online access. Both patients and clinicians are testing the boundaries of this service that is fully legal in many states — but operates in a legal gray area in others.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The first all-black team of climbers reached the summit of Mount Everest last week, including the first Kenyan ever to do so. Today on the show Short Wave Host Aaron Scott talks with Science Reporter Ari Daniel about his interview with James Kagambi, a snow-loving, 62-year-old with a bum knee who made the trek despite his doctor's orders. You can follow Aaron on Twitter @AaronScottNPR and Ari on Instagram @mesoplodon_. Email Short Wave at [email protected]. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Is your border collie a lethargic couch potato? Is your golden retriever bad with kids? Is your German shepherd too timid to guard your home?Turns out, there may be good reason why your pooch doesn't act as expected. Regina G. Barber talks with writer Katie Wu about the science of dog breeds, including how much a dog's personality is linked to breed. (Hint: less than you might think!)Got personal stories of your dog breaking its behavioral mold? Share with us at [email protected]. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Depending how the Supreme Court votes on a pending case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, many pregnant people may lose the right to seek an abortion in their state. Host Emily Kwong talks to research scientist Liza Fuentes about the shifting reality of abortion as health care — and how the states with the greatest restrictions generally invest the least in maternal and children's health. Today is part two of Emily and Liza's conversation. Listen to part one of Emily and Liza's conversation to hear how abortion is used as a tool to improve public health.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Abortion access has been leading political news in recent weeks. But what happens when we look at abortion as a health care tool that betters public health? Today, Emily talks to Liza Fuentes, a Senior Research Scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that focuses on sexual and reproductive health. Fuentes says abortion access is an important part of health care for a community and losing access can exacerbate income and health inequalities. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Growing up, Jada Yuan didn't realize how famous her grandmother was in the world of physics. In this episode, Jada talks to Emily about the life of physicist Chien-Shiung Wu, whom Jada got to know much better while writing the article Discovering Dr. Wu for the Washington Post, where she is a reporter covering culture and politics.Check out part one in which Emily talks to Short Wave's scientist-in-residence about how Chien-Shiung Wu altered physics. She made a landmark discovery in 1956 about how our universe operates at the tiniest levels. Email the show at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

In the 1950's, a particle physicist made a landmark discovery that changed what was known about how the universe operates. Chien-Shiung Wu did it while raising a family and an ocean away from her relatives in China. Short Wave's Scientist-In-Residence Regina Barber joins host Emily Kwong to talk about that landmark discovery—what it meant for the physics world, and what it means to Regina personally as a woman and a Chinese and Mexican American in physics. Email the show at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Love the bitter bite of dark chocolate, leafy greens or black licorice? Your genetics may be the reason why. Today on the show, host Aaron Scott talks to scientist Masha Niv about how our bitter taste buds work and how a simple taste test can predict your tolerance for some bitter things. Plus, what bitter receptors elsewhere in the body have to do with your health. To listen to more episodes about how we taste, check out our TASTE BUDDIES series: https://n.pr/3LkXOh7To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Apps can be a great way to stay on top of your health. They let users keep track of things like exercise, mental health, the quality of their skin, and even menstrual cycles.But health researchers Giulia De Togni and Andrea Ford have found that many of these health apps also have a dark side — selling your most personal data to third parties like advertisers, insurers and tech companies. Emily talks to the researchers about the commodification of data, and their suggestions for increasing the security of your - the consumer's - information.Email us at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Any hour now, the U.S. is expected to officially mark one million lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. Health correspondent Allison Aubrey shares how this misinformation first entered the parenting world--and how some are fighting back. Email the show at [email protected]. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Today on Short Wave, researcher Fatima Aysha Hussain talks to host Emily Kwong about how microbes in the vagina can impact health and how transplanting vaginal microbiomes from one vagina to another could help people managing bacterial vaginosis. To learn more about the vaginal microbiome transplant study, visit https://motifstudy.org/.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

If the U.S. Supreme Court rules in line with the draft decision leaked in early May, the decision to reverse Roe v. Wade affect a much broader group than people who get pregnant. But research shows abortion restrictions have a disproportionate impact on young women, poor women and especially those in communities of color. NPR health correspondent Yuki Noguchi talks to Short Wave scientist-in-residence Regina G. Barber about how this ruling would affect those women and how groups helping them get abortions are preparing.Email the show at [email protected]. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

In 1992, diplomats and scientists at the United Nations negotiated the first-ever treaty intended to tackle the climate change. This brought the issue to the forefront and led to a series of conferences that have occurred almost every year for the next 30 years. Short Wave host Emily Kwong talks to freelance climate reporter, Dan Charles about how those at the conference wrote a clear and ambitious goal that they didn't even fully understand. Plus — why it rattled the fossil fuel industry. This is part 2 of a two-part series. For part 1, check out "A Climate Time Capsule (Part 1): The Start of the International Climate Change Fight"Email Short Wave at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

In 1992, diplomats and scientists at the United Nations negotiated the first-ever treaty intended to tackle the scientific phenomenon now known as climate change. This brought the issue to the forefront and led to a series of conferences that would occur almost every year for the next 30 years. Short Wave host Emily Kwong talks to freelance climate reporter, Dan Charles, about how those at the conference wrote a clear and ambitious goal that they didn't even fully understand.Email the show at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Stephanie was usually careful about her health and regular vaccinations. But then she got into sharing conspiracy-filled videos and fringe ideas. When COVID hit, misinformation put her and her husband at risk. Science correspondent and editor Geoff Brumfiel shares with Emily Kwong what he learned in reporting Stephanie's story. You can follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyKwong1234 and Geoff at @GBrumfiel. Email Short Wave at [email protected] manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy