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.

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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

Daniel Hertzberg

Body Electric: How AI is changing our relationships

Hey, Short Wavers! Today, we have a special present for all of you: An episode from our good friends at NPR's Body Electric podcast all a bout artificial intimacy! Thanks to advances in AI, chatbots can act as personalized therapists, companions and romantic partners. The apps offering these services have been downloaded millions of times. If these relationships relieve stress and make us feel better, does it matter that they're not "real"? On this episode of Body Electric, host Manoush Zomorodi talks to MIT sociologist and psychologist Sherry Turkle about her new research into what she calls "artificial intimacy" and its impact on our mental and physical health.

Body Electric: How AI is changing our relationships

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Aboard the International Space Station, astronauts cut their hair using a pair of electrical sheers connected to a vacuum. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio says, "It's not a pretty haircut, for sure." Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images

How to get a haircut in space

Hey, Short Wavers! Today we're sharing an excerpt of the new NPR podcast How To Do Everything.

How to get a haircut in space

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Matter and its weird, opposite antimatter annihilate each other "in a blaze of glory," says Jessica Esquivel, an experimental particle physicist at Fermilab. PeteDraper/Getty Images hide caption

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PeteDraper/Getty Images

Ghost particles are blasting through you. Can they solve an antimatter mystery?

At the beginning of the universe, annihilation reigned supreme. Equal amounts of matter and antimatter collided. There should have been nothing left. And, yet, here we all are. Matter won out. The question is: why? Scientists are probing the mysteries of a ghostly subatomic particle for answers. To do it, they'll need to shoot a beam of them 800 miles underground.

Ghost particles are blasting through you. Can they solve an antimatter mystery?

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It's Short Wave's 5th birthday! To celebrate, we answer our 5-year-old listeners' science questions. NickS/Getty Images hide caption

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NickS/Getty Images

It's Short Wave's 5th birthday! Here are science questions 5-year-olds asked us

In honor of our show turning 5 (!!) today...

It's Short Wave's 5th birthday! Here are science questions 5-year-olds asked us

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The mysterious Bathydevius caudactylus was observed by MBARI's remotely operated vehicle Tiburon in the outer Monterey Canyon off the coast of California, at a depth of approximately 1,900 meters. 2002 MBARI hide caption

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2002 MBARI

Scientists unveil decades-long research about the deep-diving 'mystery mollusc'

This critter lurks in the ocean's midnight zone, has a voluminous hood, is completely see through and is bioluminescent. It's unlike any nudibranchs deep sea experts have ever seen before — and now, the researchers who spent twenty years studying them have finally published their findings.

Scientists unveil decades-long research about the deep-diving 'mystery mollusc'

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Artistic renditions of a future Mars settlement often feature structures above ground, as seen above. But after extensive research, authors Kelly and Zach Weinersmith found that any potential settlement would have to be below ground. janiecbros/Getty Images hide caption

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janiecbros/Getty Images

Humans on Mars? Here's why you shouldn't plan a space move anytime soon

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. Specifically, that we could live on Mars. Biologist Kelly Weinersmith and cartoonist Zach Weinersmith have spent the last four years researching what this would look like if we did this anytime soon. In their new book A City On Mars, they get into all sorts of questions: How would we have babies in space? How would we have enough food? They join host Regina G. Barber and explain why it might be best to stay on Earth.

Humans on Mars? Here's why you shouldn't plan a space move anytime soon

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Sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles — all of these delightful delicacies are made via fermentation, the transformation of one food into another with the help of microbes. Yulia Naumenko/Yulia Naumenko | Getty Images hide caption

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Yulia Naumenko/Yulia Naumenko | Getty Images

Fermentation is behind a lot of the food you eat

In this episode, you're invited to the fermentation party! Join us as we learn about the funk-filled process behind making sauerkraut, sourdough and sour beer. Plus, no fermentation episode is complete without a lil history of our boy, yeast.

Fermentation is behind a lot of the food you eat

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In the United States, one in every four households experiences a power outage annually. Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are working on a set of drones connected to a "smart" electric grid to try to help change that. Ali Majdfar/Getty Images hide caption

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Ali Majdfar/Getty Images

One unexpected solution to electric grid blackouts: drones

One in four U.S. households experiences a power outage each year. Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are working on technology they hope will help fix electric grids: drones. They're betting that 2-ft. large drones connected to "smart" electric grids are a cost-effective step to a more electrified future.

One unexpected solution to electric grid blackouts: drones

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This artistic illustration shows the gravitational waves that ripple out from two neutron stars colliding with each other. This collision also causes bursts of gamma rays to be shot out seconds after the gravitational waves. NSF/LIGO/Sonoma State University/A. Simonnet hide caption

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NSF/LIGO/Sonoma State University/A. Simonnet

The first-ever detection of gravitational waves and the powwow that preceded it

A pivotal week in Corey Gray's life began with a powwow in Alberta and culminated with a piece of history: The first-ever detection of gravitational waves from the collision of two neutron stars. Corey was on the graveyard shift at LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in Hanford, Washington, when the historic signal came. This episode, Corey talks about the discovery, the "Gravitational Wave Grass Dance Special" that preceded it and how he got his Blackfoot name. (encore)

The first-ever detection of gravitational waves and the powwow that preceded it

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The Turtle Conservancy cares for illegally trafficked turtles once they're confiscated, including box turtles. Nathanael Stanek/The Turtle Conservancy hide caption

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Nathanael Stanek/The Turtle Conservancy

After turtles are rescued from poaching, this man gives them a chance at another life

In North-Central New Jersey, there is a backyard teeming with around 200 turtles. Many of these shelled creatures have been rescued from the smuggling trade and are now being nursed back to health in order to hopefully be returned to the wild. Science reporter Ari Daniel joins host Regina G. Barber to tell the story behind one man's efforts to care for these turtles and to ensure they have a chance at another (better) life.

After turtles are rescued from poaching, this man gives them a chance at another life

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