Articles for Short Wave

Monarch butterflies may get Endangered Species Act protection : Short Wave : NPR
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Monarch butterflies may get Endangered Species Act protection : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Monarch butterflies may soon get protections under Endangered Species Act Enlarge this image toggle caption HegedusPeter / 500px/Getty Images HegedusPeter / 500px/Getty Images Every year, millions of monarch butterflies venture across North America – though in far smaller clusters than decades ago. Counts at overwintering sites on the California coast estimate that western monarch numbers have plunged by more than …

Endangered Species Wave Npr Short Short Wave Monarch Endangered Species Act
Environmentalists say Starship launches are trashing Texas : Short Wave : NPR
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Environmentalists say Starship launches are trashing Texas : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

SpaceX wants humans on Mars. Environmentalists say it's hurting Earth Enlarge this image toggle caption Eric Gay/AP Eric Gay/AP SpaceX's Starship rocket took off again Tuesday for its sixth test flight. Crowds, including President-elect Donald Trump, gathered at the launch site in Texas to watch it fly part way around the world to the Indian Ocean. The launch site is …

Texas Wave Npr Short Short Wave Starship Rocket
A mystery solved: What's killing the salmon around Seattle? : Short Wave : NPR
1 month, 3 weeks ago

A mystery solved: What's killing the salmon around Seattle? : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Why are so many Coho salmon dying? The answer might be in your tires Enlarge this image toggle caption Arctic-Images/Getty Images Arctic-Images/Getty Images For decades, Coho salmon were turning up dead in urban streams the Pacific Northwest. After eventually ruling out the obvious suspects — things like temperature, oxygen levels and known toxins — researchers eventually zeroed in on a …

Wave Npr Short Short Wave Researchers Eventually
Scientists unveil research on the deep-diving 'mystery mollusc' : Short Wave : NPR
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Scientists unveil research on the deep-diving 'mystery mollusc' : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Scientists unveil decades-long research about the deep-diving 'mystery mollusc' Enlarge this image toggle caption 2002 MBARI 2002 MBARI In early 2000, the scientists at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute were sitting in the control room for their deep-diving remotely operated vehicle when they saw a bizarre creature swimming in the midnight zone of the ocean. This was the first time …

Research Sea Short Short Wave Wave Npr Mbari
This week in science: a sea creature, healing the nervous system and holiday eating
1 month, 4 weeks ago

This week in science: a sea creature, healing the nervous system and holiday eating

NPR  

This week in science: a sea creature, healing the nervous system and holiday eating NPR's podcast Short Wave brings the stories of a newly identified deep sea creature, the benefits of exercise for healing our nervous system and science-backed tips for holiday eating. SHAPIRO: I'm picturing, like, those '80s exercise machines where a strap just kind of wobbles you back …

Science Holiday Exercise Going Greek Neurons Sea
Should humans plan to live on Mars? Probably not anytime soon : Short Wave : NPR
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Should humans plan to live on Mars? Probably not anytime soon : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Here's why you shouldn't plan a space move anytime soon Enlarge this image toggle caption janiecbros/Getty Images janiecbros/Getty Images As global warming continues and space technology improves, there is more and more talk about the growing possibility of a sci-fi future in which humans become a multiplanetary species. Biologist Kelly Weinersmith and cartoonist Zach Weinersmith have spent the last four …

Mars Wave Npr Short Short Wave
Power outages are on the rise. These drones could help : Short Wave : NPR
2 months ago

Power outages are on the rise. These drones could help : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

One unexpected solution to electric grid blackouts: drones Enlarge this image toggle caption Ali Majdfar/Getty Images Ali Majdfar/Getty Images A combination of extreme weather events, record-setting summer temperatures and already-aging infrastructure is putting strain on the U.S. power grid. Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are working on technology they hope will help fix electric grids: drones. They're betting that …

Wave Npr Short Short Wave Power Outages Electric Grids
Fermentation flavor: the science behind your breakfast : Short Wave : NPR
2 months ago

Fermentation flavor: the science behind your breakfast : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Fermentation is behind a lot of the food you eat Enlarge this image toggle caption Yulia Naumenko/Yulia Naumenko | Getty Images Yulia Naumenko/Yulia Naumenko | Getty Images What did you have for breakfast today? Sponsor Message Those lactic-acid-producing microbes use enzymes to process the simple sugars found in carbs and starches, and turn them into energy. "In the Venn diagram …

Npr Short Wave Lactic Acid Fermentation
Meet the man who nurses rescued turtles for a second life : Short Wave : NPR
2 months ago

Meet the man who nurses rescued turtles for a second life : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

After turtles are rescued from poaching, this man gives them a chance at another life Enlarge this image toggle caption Nathanael Stanek/The Turtle Conservancy Nathanael Stanek/The Turtle Conservancy In North-Central New Jersey, there is a backyard teeming with around 200 turtles. Science reporter Ari Daniel joins host Regina G. Barber to tell the story behind one man's efforts to care …

Wave Npr Short Short Wave Turtle
An old tadpole, new Pythagorean Theorem proof and how fruit may have affected evolution
2 months, 1 week ago

An old tadpole, new Pythagorean Theorem proof and how fruit may have affected evolution

NPR  

An old tadpole, new Pythagorean Theorem proof and how fruit may have affected evolution NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Regina Barber and Emily Kwong of Short Wave about the oldest known tadpole, new proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem, and the evolutionary roots of alcohol consumption. I'm joined by the show's dynamic duo, Regina Barber and Emily Kwong. KWONG: And that's …

Animals Alcohol Evolution Fruit Right Matthew Old
How different voting rules could kill the two-party system : Short Wave : NPR
2 months, 1 week ago

How different voting rules could kill the two-party system : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

The voting system we use can determine the winner. Plurality voting Often called "first past the post" voting, in plurality voting, everyone votes for one, and only one, candidate. Sponsor Message Plurality voting is also vulnerable to vote splitting, when candidates with some similarity and potentially overlapping voter bases can pull votes away from each other. It's not complex," says …

Candidates Voting Systems Voters Votes Vote Candidate Voter
Did life start on the ocean floor — and what does that mean for alien life? : Short Wave
2 months, 1 week ago

Did life start on the ocean floor — and what does that mean for alien life? : Short Wave

NPR  

Did life start on the ocean floor — and what does that mean for alien life? Enlarge this image toggle caption Ralph White/Getty Images Ralph White/Getty Images How did life start on Earth? 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 …

Life Earth Wave Npr Short Short Wave
Scientists have found the fossil of the earliest known tadpole : Short Wave : NPR
2 months, 1 week ago

Scientists have found the fossil of the earliest known tadpole : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

The oldest tadpole ever found is 161 million years old and amazingly preserved Enlarge this image toggle caption Gabriel Lío Gabriel Lío Frogs, like butterflies and salamanders, have what is called a "bi-phasic life cycle." This week, a paper published in the journal Nature detailed a tadpole fossil that proves that tadpoles existed at least 161 million years ago, in …

Wave Npr Fossil Short Short Wave Frog Tadpole
The sound of fear: why animals scream : Short Wave : NPR
2 months, 1 week ago

The sound of fear: why animals scream : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

What do horror movies and marmots have in common? Screams Enlarge this image toggle caption Getty Images | mlorenzphotography Getty Images | mlorenzphotography Dan Blumstein was gently holding a yellow-bellied marmot pup, conducting research, when he first heard one scream. Blumstein, a behavioral ecologist and conservation scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, leads one of the world's longest-running …

Wave Npr Short Short Wave Blumstein Screams Scream
An expert shares the science of aging and dying : Short Wave : NPR
2 months, 2 weeks ago

An expert shares the science of aging and dying : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

A microbiologist explains why we age and die Enlarge this image toggle caption cooperr007/Getty Images cooperr007/Getty Images Humans have seen a significant increase in life expectancy over the past 200 years — but not in overall lifespan. So, for this early Halloween episode, host Regina G. Barber asks: Why do we age and why do we die? Microbiologist Venki Ramakrishnan …

Wave Npr Short Short Wave
Going apple picking at the orchard? They're all clones : Short Wave : NPR
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Going apple picking at the orchard? They're all clones : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

From Honeycrisp to Red Delicious — love it or hate it, your apple is a clone Enlarge this image toggle caption Stan Dzugan/Getty Images Stan Dzugan/Getty Images What's your favorite apple? Either way, before that apple made it to your local grocery store or orchard it had to be invented — by a scientist. Listen to Short Wave on Spotify …

Apple Wave Npr Short Short Wave
Hawaii's native tree snails and the race against extinction : Short Wave : NPR
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Hawaii's native tree snails and the race against extinction : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

The small team caring for some of the last of Hawaii's native snail species Enlarge this image toggle caption Ryan Kellman/NPR Ryan Kellman/NPR More than a million species are at risk of extinction, many within decades, because of human actions. Kāhuli, Hawaii's native tree snails, are among these at-risk species. NPR climate reporters Lauren Sommer and Ryan Kellman join host …

Wave Hawaii Npr Short Short Wave Ryan Kellman
FDA approves Cobenfy, a brand new type of schizophrenia drug : Short Wave : NPR
2 months, 2 weeks ago

FDA approves Cobenfy, a brand new type of schizophrenia drug : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

For the first time in decades, we have a new kind of schizophrenia drug Enlarge this image toggle caption Bristol Myers Squibb Bristol Myers Squibb For the past 70 years, schizophrenia treatments all targeted the same chemical: dopamine. This episode, host Emily Kwong and NPR pharmaceutical correspondent Sydney Lupkin dive into where the drug originated, how it works and what …

This Episode Npr Short Wave Fda Approves
Wingspan creator has a new board game game about mushrooms : Short Wave : NPR
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Wingspan creator has a new board game game about mushrooms : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Mushroom lovers, there's a board game for you Enlarge this image toggle caption AEG AEG In five years, the bird-collecting board game Wingspan sold 2 million copies. This fall, the game's creator, Elizabeth Hargrave, is hoping people will fall in love with another icon of the natural world: mushrooms. It's maybe for that reason, she and Wooten encourage players to …

Short Short Wave Game Wingspan Undergrove Mushroom Hargrave Trees Players
'Ghost genes' could save the American red wolf : Short Wave : NPR
2 months, 3 weeks ago

'Ghost genes' could save the American red wolf : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

The American red wolf is endangered. These 'ghost genes' could save it Enlarge this image toggle caption Bridgett vonHoldt Bridgett vonHoldt In honor of Halloween, we're bringing you a Short Wave ghost story — featuring an animal that has long been the stuff of conservationist legend: the American red wolf. Sponsor Message "So by the mid 1900s, red wolves had …

Red American Wave Wolf Npr Short Short Wave
This week in science: protecting butterflies, ocean migration and Madagascar frogs
2 months, 3 weeks ago

This week in science: protecting butterflies, ocean migration and Madagascar frogs

NPR  

This week in science: protecting butterflies, ocean migration and Madagascar frogs NPR's Short Wave tells about an ambitious plan to protect monarch butterflies from climate change, new research about a massive ocean migration, and seven new frog species found in Madagascar. SCOTT DETROW, HOST: And it is time now for our science news roundup from Short Wave, NPR's science podcast. …

Science Climate Change Ocean Mexico Star Trees Species
These 7 new frog species are named after Star Trek captains : Short Wave : NPR
2 months, 3 weeks ago

These 7 new frog species are named after Star Trek captains : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Meet 7 newly described frog species, all named after Star Trek characters Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark D. Scherz Mark D. Scherz This week, scientists named seven newly described frog species. Scientists discover thousands of new species every year — but these have a special claim to fame: They pay homage to Star Trek. He says these frogs' calls …

Star Species Wave Npr Short Short Wave Star Trek
The science of fear and scary movies : Short Wave : NPR
3 months ago

The science of fear and scary movies : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Why some people love scary movies Enlarge this image toggle caption Crazytang/Getty Images Crazytang/Getty Images In human history, fear kept us safe. And why do some of us crave that feeling from scary movies or haunted houses? In this episode, Javanbakht gets into the differences between fear and anxiety, many of the reasons people feel afraid and why things like …

Wave Npr Short Short Wave Scary Movies
Mapping fruit fly brains may help us understand human brains : Short Wave : NPR
3 months ago

Mapping fruit fly brains may help us understand human brains : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Fruit flies are hard to swat. Mapping their brain might tell us why Enlarge this image toggle caption Amy Sterling for FlyWire, Princeton University, Amy Sterling for FlyWire, Princeton University, 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 …

Nature Brain Fruit Wave Fly Npr Short