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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 subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/shortwave
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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 subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/shortwave

Most Recent Episodes

An 11-year-old unearthed fossils of the largest known marine reptile

An artistic rendering of a washed-up Ichthyotitan severnensis carcass on the beach. Sergey Krasovskiy hide caption

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Sergey Krasovskiy

An 11-year-old unearthed fossils of the largest known marine reptile

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.

An 11-year-old unearthed fossils of the largest known marine reptile

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Ancient predatory worms have scientists rethinking the history of life on Earth

Selkirkia tsering fossil found in a collection from the Fezouata Formation in Morocco. Javier Ortega Hernández/Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology hide caption

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Javier Ortega Hernández/Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology

Ancient predatory worms have scientists rethinking the history of life on Earth

500 million years ago, the world was a very different place. During this period of time, known as the Cambrian period, basically all life was in the water. The ocean was brimming with animals that looked pretty different from the ones we recognize today — including a group of predatory worms with a throat covered in teeth and spines.

Ancient predatory worms have scientists rethinking the history of life on Earth

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Here's how the brain experiences pleasure — even the kind that makes us feel guilty
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Here's how the brain experiences pleasure — even the kind that makes us feel guilty

We've all been there: You sit down for one episode of a reality TV show, and six hours later you're sitting guiltily on the couch, blinking the screen-induced crust off your eyeballs.

Here's how the brain experiences pleasure — even the kind that makes us feel guilty

Listen · 13:42
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What to know about the new EPA rule limiting 'forever chemicals' in tap water

Following a new EPA rule, public water systems will have five years to address instances where there is too much PFAS in tap water – three years to sample their systems and establish the existing levels of PFAS, and an additional two years to install water treatment technologies if their levels are too high. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

What to know about the new EPA rule limiting 'forever chemicals' in tap water

Wednesday the Environmental Protection Agency announced new drinking water standards to limit people's exposure to some PFAS chemicals. For decades, PFAS have been used to waterproof and stain-proof a variety of consumer products. These "forever chemicals" in a host of products — everything from raincoats and the Teflon of nonstick pans to makeup to furniture and firefighting foam. Because PFAS take a very long time to break down, they can accumulate in humans and the environment. Now, a growing body of research is linking them to human health problems like serious illness, some cancers, lower fertility and liver damage. Science correspondent Pien Huang joins the show today to talk through this new EPA rule — what the threshold for safe levels of PFAS in tap water is, why the rule is happening now and how the federal standards will be implemented.

What to know about the new EPA rule limiting 'forever chemicals' in tap water

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The order your siblings were born in may play a role in identity and sexuality
Malte Mueller/Getty Images/fStop

The order your siblings were born in may play a role in identity and sexuality

It's National Siblings Day! To mark the occasion, guest host Selena Simmons-Duffin is exploring a detail very personal to her: How the number of older brothers a person has can influence their sexuality. Scientific research on sexuality has a dark history, with long-lasting harmful effects on queer communities. Much of the early research has also been debunked over time. But not this "fraternal birth order effect." The fact that a person's likelihood of being gay increases with each older brother has been found all over the world – from Turkey to North America, Brazil, the Netherlands and beyond. Today, Selena gets into all the details: What this effect is, how it's been studied and what it can (and can't) explain about sexuality.

The order your siblings were born in may play a role in identity and sexuality

Listen · 12:25
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How climate change and physics affect baseball, America's favorite pastime

Yu Darvish #11 of the San Diego Padres throws a pitch during the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park on April 2, 2024 in San Diego, California. Brandon Sloter/Getty Images hide caption

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Brandon Sloter/Getty Images

How climate change and physics affect baseball, America's favorite pastime

It's baseball season! And when we here at Short Wave think of baseball, we naturally think of physics. To get the inside scoop on the physics of baseball, like how to hit a home run, we talk to Frederic Bertley, CEO and President of the Center of Science and Industry, a science museum in Columbus, Ohio. He also talks to host Regina G. Barber about how climate change is affecting the game.

How climate change and physics affect baseball, America's favorite pastime

Listen · 12:06
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The "barcodes" powering these tiny songbirds' memories may also help human memory

The black-capped chickadee, seen here, is well known for its strong episodic memory. Dmitriy Aronov hide caption

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Dmitriy Aronov

The "barcodes" powering these tiny songbirds' memories may also help human memory

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.

The "barcodes" powering these tiny songbirds' memories may also help human memory

Listen · 8:58
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How to make the most of next week's solar eclipse

Diamond ring effect as seen from Scottsville, Kentucky during the 2017 total solar eclipse. Philip Yabut/Getty Images hide caption

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Philip Yabut/Getty Images

How to make the most of next week's solar eclipse

On April 8, the moon will slip in front of the sun, blocking its light and creating an eerie twilight in the middle of the day. Stars will come out, the air will get cold, colors will dance around the horizon. It's a full-body experience born from the total solar eclipse that will be visible from North America. Today on the show, Regina G. Barber talks to NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce about why some people say this experience is one of the most beautiful celestial events you can see – and how to prepare for it. Want more ways to enjoy the eclipse? Check out Regina's interview with an eclipse chaser on NPR's Life Kit podcast. Share your eclipse stories with us at shortwave@npr.org! We'd love to see it!

How to make the most of next week's solar eclipse

Listen · 13:14
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The two sides of Guyana: a green champion and an oil producer

Sea levels in Guyana are rising several times faster than the global average. High tides sometimes spill over the seawall that is meant to protect the coastline. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

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Ryan Kellman/NPR

The two sides of Guyana: a green champion and an oil producer

For Guyana the potential wealth from oil development was irresistible — even as the country faces rising seas. Today on the show, host Emily Kwong talks to reporter Camila Domonoske about her 2021 trip to Guyana and how the country is grappling with its role as a victim of climate change while it moves forward with drilling more oil. (encore)

The two sides of Guyana: a green champion and an oil producer

Listen · 15:59
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Once lost to science, these "uncharismatic" animals are having their moment

A researcher holds up a sandy De Winton's golden mole. Nicky Souness/Endangered Wildlife Trust hide caption

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Nicky Souness/Endangered Wildlife Trust

Once lost to science, these "uncharismatic" animals are having their moment

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.

Once lost to science, these "uncharismatic" animals are having their moment

Listen · 13:28
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