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Oct 22, 2024
Every American red wolf alive right now is descended from only 14 canids. In the 1970s, humans drove the red wolf to the brink of extinction. Because of that, red wolves today have low genetic diversity. But what if we could recover that diversity ... using "ghost genes"?
That's right, today's episode is a ghost story. Along the way, we get into gene dictionaries, the possibilities of poo and how a photo of a common Texas coyote started it all.
Have another animal you want us to dig into for a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org!
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Oct 20, 2024
New research from Oregon State University paints a portrait of the elusive spotted skunk living in the Pacific Northwest.
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Oct 20, 2024
NPR's Eric Westervelt talks to Dr Richard Bates, a geophysicist, about the discovery of a hidden tomb in Jordan's ancient city of Petra.
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Oct 18, 2024
In the humid rainforests of northern and eastern Madagascar reside seven newly described frog species. They often hang out near fast, flowing rivers. These treefrogs' high-pitched, "futuristic" sounds may help male frogs attract females over the sound of nearby rushing water. They also are what inspired their Star Trek-themed names.
Have another animal you want us to dig into for a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org!
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Oct 16, 2024
The Treasury in Petra, Jordan, is a famous tourist site and features in an Indiana Jones movie. Now archaeologists say they've found a remarkable 12 complete skeletons in a hidden tomb beneath it.
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Oct 16, 2024
NASA's Europa Clipper mission launched Monday, beginning its years-long journey to the distant icy moon it's named after. This mission is designed to tell scientists more about the structure, the interior and the habitability of Europa, one of the four large moons of Jupiter. Host Regina G. Barber talks with astrobiologist and friend of the show Mike Wong about why their mutual love for this fascinating moon and what it means for the search for life outside of Earth. Plus, they talk about other icy moons that may also have the trifecta of ingredients needed to sustain life: liquid water, specific elements and an energy source.
Want to hear more space science? Let your voice be heard by emailing shortwave@npr.org!
Also, if you liked this episode, check out our episodes on NASA's future missions to Uranus and our episode on whether Dune could really exist!
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Oct 08, 2024
Ants have farmed fungi for 66 million years, according to new work in the journal Science. It's a relationship that flourished after the demise of the dinosaurs, says Ted Schultz of the Smithsonian.
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Oct 07, 2024
Fruit fly brains are smaller than a poppy seed, but that doesn't mean they aren't complex. For the first time, researchers have published a complete diagram of 50 million connections in an adult fruit flies brain. The journal Nature simultaneously published nine papers related to this new brain map. Until now, only a roundworm and a fruit fly larva had been mapped in this way.
Read more of science correspondent Jon Hamilton's reporting here.
Want to know more about the future of brain science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might cover it on a future episode!
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Oct 04, 2024
Lightning: It happens all the time, and yet the exact details of how it's made has long eluded scientists. That is, until now. New research out this week in the journal Nature holds new insights into the precursor to lightning. To figure it out, researchers flew a NASA ER-2 - essentially the research version of a spy plane - over several tropical thunderstorms. What they found: The same high energy radiation is found in places like neutron stars and around black holes.
Want to hear more stories about the science behind natural phenomena? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
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Oct 01, 2024
Over six million fungal species are believed to inhabit planet Earth. Outsmarting them is the work of Arturo Casadevall's lifetime. What If Fungi Win? is the question at the heart of Arturo's new book, co-authored with journalist Stephanie Desmon. In this episode, Emily and Regina take a trip to Arturo's lab at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and meet a group of scientists thinking about the fungal consequences of climate change, urban heat islands, and scooping up microbes with candy.
Curious about fungi? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
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Sep 20, 2024
What's scaly, striped and breathes underwater like a scuba diver? Water anoles! These lizards can form a bubble over their head to support breathing underwater. They're found in the tropical forests of southern Costa Rica.
Want more critter stories? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear your thoughts!
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Sep 15, 2024
Much of the food supply in the U.S. goes uneaten, which contributes to climate change. Some states have tried to cut food waste in landfills, but their efforts have fallen short, researchers found.
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Sep 13, 2024
The scale of the geological event is like something from prehistoric times, with a tsunami 200 meters--656 feet--in height. But it happened last year. Researchers warn that similar events may reoccur.
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Sep 13, 2024
Awards were handed out Thursday night for scientific research that might be a bit off the beaten track. The goal is to make people laugh -- and think.
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Sep 06, 2024
Last year, a dog named Bunny went viral on TikTok for pressing buttons with words on them to "communicate" with her owner. But can dogs even understand those words on a soundboard in the first place? A new study in the journal PLOS One seeks answers. Host Regina G. Barber and producer Rachel Carlson break down that story and more of the week's news with the help of All Things Considered's Ari Shapiro.
Have other viral headlines that you want us to put to the test for its scientific truth? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might cover it on a future episode!
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Sep 02, 2024
An experimental cancer drug that helps the brain turn glucose into energy was able to reverse memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
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Sep 01, 2024
Scrolling videos when you're bored begets more boredom. That's what a study from the University of Toronto found. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe explains.
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Aug 31, 2024
NPR's Scott Simon speaks with microbiologist Manuel Porcar about his new research on radiation-resistant microbes that could live in your microwave.
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Aug 30, 2024
Researchers who led the 28-day expedition along the nearly 2-mile tall seamount hope the discoveries made will inform future policies safeguarding the understudied, high-seas region.
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Aug 30, 2024
From Indonesia to Wisconsin, farmers all over the world struggle with a huge problem: pests. On top of that, it's tough for farmers to identify where exactly they have the pests and when. Reporter Lina Tran from NPR member station WUWM in Milwaukee joins host Emily Kwong to tell the story of how researchers in the Midwest are inventing new forms of pest detection that involve eavesdropping on the world of insects. Plus, hear what aphid slurping sounds like.
If you liked this episode, check out behind-the-scenes photos of Insect Eavesdropper experiments in Lina's digital story!
Interested in hearing more insect news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Aug 29, 2024
Nest-building isn't just instinct. Birds can learn from others, letting groups within one species develop their own distinctive nest-building traditions.
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Aug 28, 2024
Scientists have figured out what type of paper is the most prone to cut skin. Kaare Jensen, associate professor of physics at the Technical University of Denmark, explains.
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Aug 28, 2024
Scientists have figured out why paper cuts hurt so much. Kaare Jensen, associate professor of physics at the Technical University of Denmark, explains.
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Aug 28, 2024
At first glance, the whole narrative of aquatic invasive species may seem straightforward: A bad non-native species comes into a new ecosystem and overruns good native species. But the truth? It's a little more complicated. To tear down everything we thought we knew about invasive species and construct a more nuanced picture, host Emily Kwong talks to experts Ian Pfingsten, who works on the United States Geological Survey's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, and Nicholas Reo, a Canada Excellence Research Chair in Coastal Relationalities and Regeneration.
Check out episode where we get into the annual python challenge we referenced in this episode.
Have a favorite invasive species or one you really can't stand? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear your take!
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Aug 23, 2024
Have you ever scrolled through a TikTok without finishing it? Switched between YouTube videos halfway through one or the other? Pressed "fast forward" on a Netflix episode that just wasn't holding your interest? That habit is called "digital switching" — and it might be causing the exact thing you're trying to avoid: boredom. Emily and Regina break that and more of the week's news down with the help of All Things Considered's Ailsa Chang.
Read this study on digital switching and boredom in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Interested in hearing more psychology news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Aug 16, 2024
Freshwater crocodiles die every year in Australia from eating poisonous cane toads that humans introduced to the continent. Now scientists have found a way to teach the crocs to avoid the toxic toads.
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Aug 15, 2024
With Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz criticized for exaggerating his military service, NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to psychologist Holly Cole about why humans tend to embellish stories.
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Aug 14, 2024
A new study theorizes that ancient Egyptians constructed the world's first pyramid using much more advanced technology than some Egyptologists believe.
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Aug 13, 2024
A researcher at the University of British Columbia has been looking into whether moral values can change with the seasons. Ian Hohm and his team examined five moral values including fairness and care.
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Aug 12, 2024
Gliselle Marin is the only bat scientist from Belize to be part of the country's yearly "Bat-a-thon," a confab of researchers who study the winged mammals. Analyzing bat poop is one of her priorities.
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Aug 09, 2024
How do you study unmapped areas of the ocean and identify critical habitat for an endangered species? You include the study animal in the scientific process! Researchers from the University of Adelaide fitted endangered Australian sea lions with cameras and tracking devices to better understand where they spent their time. The information could help scientists protect critical sea lion habitat and could give researchers a new tool for mapping the ocean.
Interested in more underwater science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Aug 05, 2024
Dr. Theodore Schwartz has been treating neurological illnesses for nearly 30 years. He says being a brain surgeon requires steady hands — and a strong bladder. His new book is Gray Matters.
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Aug 01, 2024
A new generation of blood tests can help diagnose Alzheimer's disease. But many doctors don't yet know how to use them.
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Jul 31, 2024
An international group of researchers has voted to modify the scientific names of more than 200 plant species whose names carry a derogatory word.
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Jul 29, 2024
Early in life, the protein Reelin helps assemble the brain. Later on, it appears to protect the organ from Alzheimer's and other threats to memory and thinking.
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Jul 29, 2024
Generally, we at Short Wave are open-minded to the creepies and the crawlies, but even we must admit that leeches are already the stuff of nightmares. They lurk in water. They drink blood. There are over 800 different species of them. And now, as scientists have confirmed ... at least some of them can jump!
Interested in more critter science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to consider your animal of choice for a future episode!
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Jul 26, 2024
Chimpanzees are humans' closest living relatives. But does much of their communication resembles ours? According to a new study published earlier this week in the journal Current Biology, chimpanzees gesture back-and-forth in a similar way to how humans take turns speaking. The research presents an intriguing possibility that this style of communication may have evolved before humans split off from great apes, and tells researchers more about how turn-taking evolved.
Interested in more science news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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Jul 24, 2024
On a rocky hillside in Colorado is a "mega den" of hundreds of rattlesnakes — along with cameras livestreaming the whole thing.
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Jul 23, 2024
A fossil of an armadillo-like mammal appears to bear cut marks from butchering by humans, suggesting people were living in South America at least 20,000 years ago, even earlier than once thought.
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Jul 19, 2024
More than a hundred years ago, a British engineer proposed linking two rivers in India to better irrigate the area and cheaply move goods. The link never happened, but the idea survived. Today, due to extreme flooding in some parts of the country mirrored by debilitating drought in others, India's National Water Development Agency plans to dig thirty links between rivers across the country. It's the largest project of its kind and will take decades to complete. But scientists are worried what moving that much water could do to the land, the people — and even the weather. Host Emily Kwong talks to journalist Sushmita Pathak about her recent story on the project.
Read Sushmita's full story here.
Interested in more science stories like this? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Jul 18, 2024
Scientists have created a new tool that can give 5 minutes advance warning of a dangerous rogue wave in the ocean.
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Jul 18, 2024
Scientists scanned the brains of people who took psilocybin, including a member of the research team. The scans showed how the drug disrupts key networks, potentially enhancing brain plasticity.
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Jul 18, 2024
A study finds that carrion crows can be taught to count and make vocalizations that indicate the number counted, much in the same way that human toddlers do.
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Jul 14, 2024
For decades, tianeptine was used to treat depression, even though no one knew how it worked. But it turns out it's a type of opioid, and the U.S. is facing a spike in abuse of "gas station heroin."
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Jul 12, 2024
Amateur writers using AI tools produced stories that were deemed more creative, but the research suggests the creativity of the group overall went down.
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Jul 10, 2024
A report from Nature shows that astronomers may have found a medium-sized black hole, a kind they've long looked for.
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Jul 10, 2024
Some ants herd aphids. Some farm fungi. And now, scientists have realized that when an ant injures its leg, it sometimes will turn to a buddy to perform a lifesaving limb amputation. Not only that — some ants have probably been amputating limbs longer than humans! Today, thanks to the reporting of ant enthusiast and science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce, we behold the medical prowess of the ant.
Want to hear more cool stories about the tiny critters among us? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to know!
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Jul 08, 2024
A new study finds that people tend to partner up with people of similar attractiveness.
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Jul 08, 2024
A new study finds that people tend to partner up with people of similar attractiveness.
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Jul 01, 2024
Longevity researchers are taking a generic drug they think may help extend people's lives. Now a dentist is testing if rapamycin stops gum disease — a canary in the coal mine for age-related diseases.
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Jun 28, 2024
When dinosaurs reigned some 130 million years ago, flowering plants were taking over the world. That change is sealed in ancient amber specimens on the slopes of Lebanon that Danny Azar knows so well.
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Jun 28, 2024
A brand new species of ceratops, or horned dinosaur, was recently discovered in northern Montana. The dinosaur is called Lokiceratops rangiformis, after the Norse god Loki, and is believed to have lived roughly eighty million years ago. The bones of the plant-eating dinosaur were found on private land in an area well known for its large amount of fossils, and at first, researchers thought the bones belonged to another species of dinosaur!
Want to hear more about dinosaurs or other paleontological discoveries? Email us at shortwave@npr.org to let us know. We'd love to hear from you!
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Jun 18, 2024
Researchers say some ancient writing on a scrap of papyrus, that went unnoticed for years, is part of the earliest surviving copy of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas.
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Jun 14, 2024
Joro spiders are spreading across the east coast. They are an invasive species that most likely arrived in shipping containers from eastern Asia. Today, we look into why some people find them scary, why to not panic about them and what their trajectory illustrates about the wider issue of invasive species.
Questions? You can also email those to shortwave@npr.org.
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Jun 03, 2024
People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may soon have a new treatment option: MDMA, the chemical found in ecstasy. In August, the Food and Drug Administration plans to decide whether MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD will be approved for market based on years of research. But serious allegations of research misconduct may derail the approval timeline.
NPR science reporter Will Stone talks to host Emily Kwong about the clinical trials on MDMA-assisted therapy research and a recent report questioning the validity of the results.
Read Will's full story here.
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May 31, 2024
Former President Donald Trump reiterated many of claims — without evidence — that his criminal trial was rigged, a day after a New York jury found him guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
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May 22, 2024
The new study has scientists concerned that microplastics may be contributing to reproductive health issues.
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May 22, 2024
A study of tiger beetles has found a possible explanation for why they produce ultrasound noises right before an echolocating bat swoops in for the kill.
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May 22, 2024
Winter 2023's Antarctic sea ice was at its lowest level since satellite measurements began. A new study shows how unlikely this would be without man-made factors.
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May 20, 2024
Some otters rely on tools to bust open hard-shelled prey items like snails, and a new study suggests this tool use is helping them to survive as their favorite, easier-to-eat foods disappear.
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May 13, 2024
At Bear Divide, just outside Los Angeles, you can see a rare spectacle of nature. This is one of the only places in the western United States where you can see bird migration during daylight hours.
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May 13, 2024
As artificial intelligence seeps into some realms of society, it rushes into others. One area it's making a big difference is protein science — as in the "building blocks of life," proteins! Producer Berly McCoy talks to host Emily Kwong about the newest advance in protein science: AlphaFold3, an AI program from Google DeepMind. Plus, they talk about the wider field of AI protein science and why researchers hope it will solve a range of problems, from disease to the climate.
Have other aspects of AI you want us to cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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May 11, 2024
Popular slogans and ad campaigns have urged the public to save honeybees. But reports suggest those efforts were directed at saving the wrong bees.
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May 10, 2024
Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration observed a cluster of sunspots on the surface of the sun this week. With them came solar flares that kicked off a severe geomagnetic storm. That storm is expected to last throughout the weekend as at least five coronal mass ejections — chunks of the sun — are flung out into space, towards Earth! NOAA uses a five point scale to rate these storms, and this weekend's storm is a G4. It's expected to produce auroras as far south as Alabama. To contextualize this storm, we are looking back at the largest solar storm on record: the Carrington Event.
Want us to cover more about the sun? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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May 09, 2024
Scientists have imaged a tiny fragment of brain in unprecedented detail, showing detailed connections between individual neurons. The method could help researchers better understand brain circuits.
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May 08, 2024
New research documents how many children lost a parent to an opioid or other overdose in the period from 2011 to 2021. Bereaved children face elevated risks to their physical and emotional health.
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May 06, 2024
A father and daughter discovered fossil remnants of a giant ichthyosaur that scientists say may have been the largest-known marine reptile to ever swim the seas.
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May 04, 2024
What's a typical vacation activity for doctors? Work. A new study finds that most physicians do work on a typical day off. In this essay, a family doctor considers why that is and why it matters.
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May 04, 2024
Weliton Menário Costa's award-winning music video showcases his research on kangaroo personality and behavior — and offers a celebration of human diversity, too.
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May 03, 2024
It is "the first known case of active wound treatment in a wild animal with a medical plant," biologist Isabelle Laumer told NPR. She says the orangutan, called Rakus, is now thriving.
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May 03, 2024
Federal health officials say the U.S. has the building blocks to make a vaccine to protect humans from bird flu, if needed. But experts warn we're nowhere near prepared for another pandemic.
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May 02, 2024
NPR's Juana Summers talks with Regina Barber and Emily Kwong of Short Wave about biodegradable plastic, simulating growing crops on Mars, and how deer are disrupting caribou populations.
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May 01, 2024
Some birds kill their siblings soon after hatching. Other birds spend their whole lives with their siblings and will even risk their lives to help each other.
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Apr 30, 2024
An economic perspective on misinformation
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Apr 30, 2024
A therapy that restores brain cells impaired by a rare genetic disorder may offer a strategy for treating conditions like autism, epilepsy, and schizophrenia.
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Apr 26, 2024
A recent survey found that Americans' sleep patterns have been getting worse. Adult women under 50 are among the most sleep-deprived demographics.
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Apr 26, 2024
Health officials say there's very little risk to humans from the bird flu outbreak among dairy cattle, but there's still much they don't know. Here are four questions scientists are trying to answer.
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Apr 25, 2024
After studying various species earlier this month, some scientists now say they understand the origin of animal behavior during solar eclipses.
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Apr 24, 2024
Surgeons transplanted a kidney and thymus gland from a gene-edited pig into a 54-year-old woman in an attempt to extend her life. It's the latest experimental use of animal organs in humans.
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Apr 23, 2024
NPR's Juana Summers talks with biologist Adam Hartstone-Rose about his study into why animals are so stressed out during an eclipse.
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Apr 22, 2024
Drug company reps commonly visit doctors to talk about new medications. A team of economists wanted to know if that helps patients live longer. They found that for cancer patients, the answer is no.
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Apr 21, 2024
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Clyde Francks, a geneticist in the Netherlands, about the latest research into what makes people left or right-handed.
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Apr 19, 2024
A new study finds that in news stories about scientific research, U.S. media were less likely to mention a scientist if they had an East Asian or African name, as compared to one with an Anglo name.
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Apr 19, 2024
When the dinosaurs walked the Earth, massive marine reptiles swam. Among them, a species of Ichthyosaur that measured over 80 feet long. Today, we look into how a chance discovery by a father-daughter duo of fossil hunters furthered paleontologist's understanding of the "giant fish lizard of the Severn." Currently, it is the largest marine reptile known to scientists.
Read more about this specimen in the study published in the journal PLOS One.
Have another ancient animal or scientific revelation you want us to cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might talk about it on a future episode!
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Apr 18, 2024
Your coffee beans may have roots that stretch back 600,000 years — according to a new study.
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Apr 18, 2024
Our sun was born in a cosmic cradle with thousands of other stars. Astrophysicists say they want to find these siblings in order to help answer the question: Are we alone out there?
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Apr 12, 2024
Artificial wombs could someday save babies born very prematurely. Even though the experimental technology is still in animal tests, there are mounting questions about its eventual use with humans.
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Apr 09, 2024
When siblings share a womb, sex hormones from a male fetus can cause lasting changes in a female littermate. This effect exists for all kinds of mammals — perhaps humans too.
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Apr 05, 2024
Tiny, black-capped chickadees have big memories. They stash food in hundreds to thousands of locations in the wild - and then come back to these stashes when other food sources are low. Now, researchers at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute think neural activity that works like a barcode may be to thank for this impressive feat — and that it might be a clue for how memories work across species.
Curious about other animal behavior mysteries? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Apr 04, 2024
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Regina Barber and Rachel Carlson of Short Wave about chickadees with awesome memories, grinning robots, and the bugs most commonly found in haiku.
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Apr 03, 2024
For our series The Science of Siblings, we hear how researchers have found out that caring for siblings can make people happier.
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Mar 30, 2024
We're nearing a year when a negative leap second could be needed to shave time — an unprecedented step that would have unpredictable effects, a new study says.
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Mar 30, 2024
We're nearing a year when a negative leap second could be needed to shave time — an unprecedented step that would have unpredictable effects, a new study says.
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Mar 29, 2024
Last spring, some elementary school students in Santa Cruz found an exposed bone in a creek bed, which turned out to be an ancient fossil - it just went on display.
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Mar 29, 2024
Historic numbers of animals across the globe have become endangered or pushed to extinction. But some of these species sit in limbo — not definitively extinct yet missing from the scientific record. Rediscovering a "lost" species is not easy. It can require trips to remote areas and canvassing a large area in search of only a handful of animals. But new technology and stronger partnerships with local communities have helped these hidden, "uncharismatic" creatures come to light.
Have other scientific gray areas you want us to cover in a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org!
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Mar 28, 2024
More than half of the Colorado River's water is used to grow crops, primarily livestock feed, a new study finds. The river and its users are facing tough decisions as the climate warms.
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Mar 23, 2024
NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Oxford University scientist Alexandra Morton-Hayward about how some brains are preserved thousands of years after a person's death.
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Mar 22, 2024
Across the animal kingdom, menopause is something of an evolutionary blip. We humans are one of the few animals to experience it. But Sam Ellis, a researcher in animal behavior, argues that this isn't so surprising. "The best way to propagate your genes is to get as many offspring as possible into the next generation," says Ellis. "The best way to do that is almost always to reproduce your whole life."
So how did menopause evolve? The answer may lie in whales. Ellis and his team at the University of Exeter recently published a study in the journal Nature that studies the evolution of menopause in the undersea animals most known for it. What they uncovered may even help explain menopause in humans.
Curious about other animal behavior mysteries? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Mar 21, 2024
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Emily Kwong and Margaret Cirino about whale menopause, songbird rest stops along migratory routes, and a device that allows people with voice disorders to speak.
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Mar 20, 2024
Cicadas, and the way they urinate, offer a 'perfect' lab for understanding fluid dynamics at very small scales, researchers say
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