Podcast Episodes

Elections: A Big Math Problem

Ahead of Election Day tomorrow, millions of ballots are being cast in statewide, local and special elections. So, today, we're revisiting an episode asking: What would happen if the rules of our elec…

Published on 11 hours ago

This Week In Science: Spiders, TV Pixels And Storytelling

Episode 1370

Happy Halloween, Short Wavers! In today’s news round-up, we’ve got only treats. Hosts Regina Barber and Emily Kwong fill in NPR’s Ailsa Chang on a debate in spider web architecture, how the details s…

Published on 3 days, 12 hours ago

Like Being Scared? Here’s Why

Like haunted houses? Scientists do! That’s because they’re an excellent place to study how humans respond to – and even actively seek out – fear. In an immersive threat setting, as opposed to a caref…

Published on 5 days, 12 hours ago

Nature Quest: Rebuild Or Relocate Post-Disaster?

Episode 1368

In the face of floods, wildfires and other natural disasters, when should a community relocate to avoid potential harm? Listener Molly Magid asks that very question. Molly wanted to know how other co…

Published on 6 days, 12 hours ago

What Works – And Doesn’t – For Hair Loss?

Episode 1367

People may think of hair loss as a guy thing. But by some estimates, half of all women experience hair loss in their lifetime. And when your social media algorithm gets a whiff? Good. Luck. There are…

Published on 1 week ago

Parasites Have Haunted Us For Millions Of Years

Episode 1366

Parasites have roamed the Earth for a long time. They were here before the dinosaurs: The oldest fossils are more than 500 million years old. Today on the show, Regina G. Barber speaks with paleontol…

Published on 1 week, 3 days ago

Migrating Birds Have a Big, Clear Problem

Episode 1365

Around this time of year, every night, a quiet exodus is occurring. Hundreds of millions of birds are migrating thousands of miles south for the winter. One of the biggest dangers for these tiny trav…

Published on 1 week, 5 days ago

We Have the Cure. Why is Tuberculosis Still Around?

Episode 1364

Tuberculosis – the world’s deadliest infectious disease – could be dormant in your system for years before you realize you have it. In the U.S., it’s relatively rare; provisional data shows that ther…

Published on 1 week, 6 days ago

Should Scientists Genetically Engineer Wild Species?

Some scientists looking to preserve vulnerable species have turned to a controversial technique: synthetic biology. This catchall term often means genetic engineering – introducing new genes to an or…

Published on 2 weeks ago

Science Says Quitting Smoking At Any Age Is Good For The Brain

The rate of smoking cigarettes has steadily declined since the 1960s – when Congress required warnings on cigarette boxes. Research shows that people are more likely to try to quit smoking when they’…

Published on 2 weeks, 3 days ago