Short Wave
New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join host Maddie Sofia for science on a different wavelength.
What can a tornado teach us about kindness?
One evening in May of 2011, tornado sirens went off in a small Missouri city called Joplin. Thousands...
ListenInside the mysterious minds of horses
Janet Jones has been fascinated by horses since childhood. She’s now a horse trainer and a neuroscientist,...
ListenWhy scientists launched two little robots to the moon
Two tiny transforming robots landed on the moon! These baseball-sized bots accompanied Japan's first...
ListenIs sewage the future of green aviation?
The war in Iran has disrupted the global fuel supply. That has sent airline prices soaring and cancelled...
ListenCould air pollution make your memory worse?
Summer is here, your windows are open and the smell of…car exhaust and the latest wildfire are wafting...
ListenInside the lab taste-testing the world's chocolate
Could standardizing chocolate help small-scale farmers? Chocolate scientist Julien Simonis thinks it...
ListenWhy your sunscreen is finally getting a major upgrade
Until this week, the United States hadn’t approved a new sunscreen ingredient in over 20 years. That...
ListenHow a single flu shot could protect you for decades
Every year, tens of millions of people in the U.S. get the flu vaccine. That’s because the virus changes...
ListenYour DNA is changing all the time. Here’s why
We tend to think of the DNA strands that contain our genetic code as consistent, stable units. But in...
ListenInner monologues are still a mystery
Emily Kwong is pretty sure she lacks an inner monologue, while the inner monologue of producer Rachel...
ListenPrepare to be baffled by what we don't know about eels
More than a century ago, all that people knew about European eels was that they lived in the rivers...
ListenThis common garden plant summons wasps as bodyguards
In our latest science news roundup: how nature adapts, for better or worse. When faced with pests, plants...
ListenWhy are scientists planting tiny forests in big cities?
Healthy forests help combat climate change, provide humans with drinking water and even improve mental...
ListenWhy you can't stop scrolling: the science of 'dark flow'
You pick up your phone to do one quick task, and suddenly 20 minutes have flown by without you even...
ListenThis distant planet has wild weather and gemstone clouds
For many astronomers and astrophysicists there are two distinct, important periods: before the James...
ListenShould we reengineer the world's deadliest animal?
The most ferocious predator for us humans is actually quite small: the mosquito. They are hungry for...
ListenIs it getting windier?
Is it getting windier? Long-time listener Barry Zalph thinks it is, at least in Louisville. And he’s...
ListenThe magic — and science — of synchronous fireflies
Every year for two weeks between mid-May and mid-June, Congaree National Park in South Carolina is...
ListenThe supertree shielding coastlines and storing carbon
Coastal fishing communities around the world are struggling with declining fish stocks. That’s because...
ListenWhy renaming this common hormonal disorder is a huge deal
You probably know someone who has a condition that, until last week, was known as PCOS, or polycystic...
ListenA solution for California's water woes
For years, farmers in California have been pumping huge amounts of water from their wells to irrigate...
ListenWhat's up with your nightmares?
Dreams of flying? Nightmares of teeth falling out? Falling off a cliff? As a sleep scientist at the...
ListenA chemical found in fish could help reinvent your sunscreen
It’s been over 25 years since the FDA approved a new ingredient for sunscreen in the United States....
ListenShould you be fibermaxxing? Here's what the science says
The average person eats 10-15 grams of fiber per day, according to the USDA. The problem? That’s WAY...
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