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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

A look at the sea slug utility belt, from solar power to stealing stings
A. Martin UW Photography/Getty Images

A look at the sea slug utility belt, from solar power to stealing stings

Emily gets super nerdy with former host Maddie Sofia get as they dive into the incredible world of nudibranchs in this encore episode. Not only are these sea slugs eye-catching for their colors, some of them have evolved to "steal" abilities from other organisms — from the power of photosynthesis to the stinging cells of their venomous predators. These sea slugs are going to blow your mind!

A look at the sea slug utility belt, from solar power to stealing stings

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'Stealing the past': A spat between twins leads to a theory of disputed memories
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'Stealing the past': A spat between twins leads to a theory of disputed memories

It's not unusual for siblings to quibble over ownership of something — a cherished toy, a coveted seat in the car — or whose fault something is. If you're Mercedes Sheen, you not only spent your childhood squabbling with your sister over your memories, you then turn it into your research career. Mercedes studies disputed memories, where it's unclear who an event happened to. It turns out these memories can tell us a lot about people — they tend to be self-aggrandizing — and how the human brain remembers things.

'Stealing the past': A spat between twins leads to a theory of disputed memories

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Deer are expanding north. That could hurt some species like boreal caribou
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Deer are expanding north. That could hurt some species like boreal caribou

Wildlife ecologists have seen white-tailed deer expanding their range in North America over many decades. And since the early-2000s these deer have moved north into the boreal forests of western Canada. These forests are full of spruce and pine trees, sandy soil and freezing winters with lots of snow. They can be a harsh winter wonderland. And ecologists haven't known whether a warmer climate in these forests or human land development might be driving the deer north. A recent study tries to disentangle these factors – and finds that a warming climate seems to play the most significant role in the movement of deer.

Deer are expanding north. That could hurt some species like boreal caribou

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The mysterious 'Great Attractor' pulling the Milky Way galaxy off course

This illustration shows the Milky Way, our home galaxy. NASA/JPL-Caltech hide caption

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NASA/JPL-Caltech

The mysterious 'Great Attractor' pulling the Milky Way galaxy off course

No matter what you're doing right now – sitting, standing, walking – you're moving. First, because Earth is spinning around on its axis. This rotation is the reason we have days. Second, because Earth and other planets in our solar system are orbiting the sun. That's why we have years. Third, you're moving because the sun and the rest of our solar system is orbiting the center of the Milky Way galaxy at over 500,000 miles per hour. If all of that isn't nauseating enough, everything in the entire universe is expanding outward. All the time.

The mysterious 'Great Attractor' pulling the Milky Way galaxy off course

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How the new Catan board game can spark conversations on climate change

A new version of the popular board game Catan, which hits shelves this summer, introduces energy production and pollution into the gameplay. Catan GmbH hide caption

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Catan GmbH

How the new Catan board game can spark conversations on climate change

Today, we're going full nerd to talk about a new board game — Catan: New Energies. The game's goal is simple: Build and develop a modern-day island without catastrophically polluting it. Although the concept mirrors the effects of climate change, those words don't actually appear in the game. NPR correspondent Nate Rott talks to Emily about the thinking behind the new game and how the developers hope it can start conversations around energy use and pollution.

How the new Catan board game can spark conversations on climate change

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10 years after Flint, the fight to replace lead pipes across the U.S. continues

The Flint River water starts flowing to Flint, Mich. on April 25, 2014. Without corrosion control, lead leeched from the pipes. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images hide caption

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Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

10 years after Flint, the fight to replace lead pipes across the U.S. continues

Ten years ago, Flint, Mich. switched water sources to the Flint River. The lack of corrosion control in the pipes caused lead to leach into the water supply of tens of thousands of residents. Pediatrician Mona Hanna-Attisha recognized a public health crisis in the making and gathered data proving the negative health impact on Flint's young children. In doing so, she and community organizers in Flint sparked a national conversation about lead in the U.S. water system that persists today.

10 years after Flint, the fight to replace lead pipes across the U.S. continues

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Beavers can help with climate change. So how do we get along?

Damming waterways is what beavers do best, often to the chagrin of people who want the opposite. But those same damming skills are what make beavers important ecosystem engineers. Chase Dekker Wild-Life Images hide caption

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Chase Dekker Wild-Life Images

Beavers can help with climate change. So how do we get along?

NPR's Tom Dreisbach is back in the host chair for a day. This time, he reports on a story very close to home: The years-long battle his parents have been locked in with the local wild beaver population. Each night, the beavers would dam the culverts along the Dreisbachs' property, threatening to make their home inaccessible. Each morning, Tom's parents deconstructed those dams — until the annual winter freeze hit and left them all in a temporary stalemate.

Beavers can help with climate change. So how do we get along?

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This Earth Day, how to know if the seafood you're eating is sustainable
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This Earth Day, how to know if the seafood you're eating is sustainable

Roughly 196 million tons of fish were harvested in 2020, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The organization also notes that the number of overfished stocks worldwide has tripled in the last century. All of this overfishing has led to the decline of entire species, like Atlantic cod.

This Earth Day, how to know if the seafood you're eating is sustainable

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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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