Episodes

  • Elections Are One Big Math Problem

    Elections Are One Big Math Problem
    Nov 5 2024
    It's Election Day in the United States. Across the nation, millions of ballots are being cast. But what would happen if the rules of our electoral system were changed? Certain states are about to find out. This year, several places have alternative voting systems up for consideration on their ballots, and those systems could set an example for voting reform throughout the rest of the country. Short Wave producer Hannah Chinn and host Emily Kwong dive into three voting methods that are representative of those systems: Where they've been implemented, how they work, and what they might mean for elections in the future.

    What to hear more about the math powering our lives? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your idea on a future episode!

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    16 mins
  • Did Life Start In Hydrothermal Vents?

    Did Life Start In Hydrothermal Vents?
    Nov 4 2024
    How did life start on Earth? The answer is a big scientific mystery scientists are actively investigating. After talking with many scientists, host Regina G. Barber found that an abundance of water on Earth is most likely key, in some way, to the origin of life — specifically, in either deep sea hydrothermal vents or in tide pools. It's for this reason some scientists are also exploring the potential for life in so-called "water worlds" elsewhere in the solar system, like some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. This episode, Regina digs into two water-related hypotheses for the origin on life on Earth — and what that might mean for possible alien life.

    Have another scientific mystery you want us to cover on a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might feature your idea on a future episode!

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    14 mins
  • The Best (And Oldest) Tadpole Ever Discovered

    The Best (And Oldest) Tadpole Ever Discovered
    Nov 1 2024
    For years, we've been asking, "Which came first: the chicken or the egg?" Maybe what we should have been asking is, "Which came first: the frog or the tadpole?" A new paper in the journal Nature details the oldest known tadpole fossil. Ringing in 20 million years earlier than scientists previously had evidence of, this fossil might get us closer to an answer.

    Have another scientific discovery you want us to cover on a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might feature your idea on a future episode!

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    10 mins
  • The Sound Of Fear: Why Do Animals Scream?

    The Sound Of Fear: Why Do Animals Scream?
    Oct 30 2024
    NOTE: This episode contains multiple high-pitched noises (human and other animals) that some listeners might find startling or distressing.

    In this episode, host Regina G. Barber and NPR correspondent Nate Rott dive into the science behind the sound of fear. Along the way, they find out what marmot shrieks, baby cries and horror movie soundtracks have in common — and what all of this tells us about ourselves.

    If you like this episode, check out our episode on fear and horror movies.

    Curious about other science powering the human experience? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your topic on a future episode!

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    14 mins
  • Embracing Death: Why We Age

    Embracing Death: Why We Age
    Oct 29 2024
    Humans have seen a significant increase in life expectancy over the past 200 years — but not in overall lifespan. Nobody on record has lived past 122 years. So, for this early Halloween episode, host Regina G. Barber asks: Why do we age and why do we die? Microbiologist Venki Ramakrishnan explains some of the mechanisms inside of our bodies that contribute to our decay — and tells us if it's possible to intervene in the process.

    Curious about other biology news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your topic on a future episode!

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    16 mins
  • Honey, They Cloned The Apples!

    Honey, They Cloned The Apples!
    Oct 28 2024
    What's your favorite apple? Maybe it's the crowd-pleasing Honeycrisp, the tart Granny Smith or the infamous Red Delicious. Either way, before that apple made it to your local grocery store or orchard it had to be invented — by a scientist. So today, we're going straight to the source: Talking to an apple breeder. Producer Hannah Chinn reports how apples are selected, bred, grown ... and the discoveries that could change that process. Plus, what's a "spitter"?

    Want to know how science impacts other food you eat? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your food of choice on a future episode!

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    16 mins
  • Saving The Hawaiian Tree Snails

    Saving The Hawaiian Tree Snails
    Oct 25 2024
    More than a million species are at risk of extinction, many within decades, because of human actions. Among them? The kāhuli, Hawaii's native tree snails that are some of the most endangered animals on the planet. At one point, there used to be about 750 species of snails in Hawaii — almost all of them found nowhere else. Now, they are rapidly disappearing. NPR climate reporters Lauren Sommer and Ryan Kellman join host Emily Kwong to tell the story of the small team caring for the last of some of these snail species — and their fight against extinction.

    Read more of Lauren and Ryan's reporting.

    Curious about other biodiversity news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your topic on a future episode!

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    16 mins
  • A Brand New Kind of Schizophrenia Treatment

    A Brand New Kind of Schizophrenia Treatment
    Oct 23 2024
    For the past 70 years, schizophrenia treatments all targeted the same chemical: dopamine. While that works for some, it causes brutal side effects for others. An antipsychotic drug approved last month by the FDA changes that. It triggers muscarinic receptors instead of dopamine receptors. The drug is the result of a chance scientific finding ... from a study that wasn't even focused on schizophrenia. Host Emily Kwong and NPR pharmaceutical correspondent Sydney Lupkin dive into where the drug originated, how it works and what it might shift for people with schizophrenia.

    Read more of Sydney's reporting.

    Curious about other drug treatments in the news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your topic on a future episode!

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    12 mins