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The Disordered Cosmos
Episode 420
Maddie talks with physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein about her new book, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred. In the episode, we talk quarks (one of the …
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago
Migrating Monarchs
Episode 419
It is one of the Earth's great migrations: each year, millions of monarch butterflies fly some 3,000 miles, from their summer breeding grounds as far north as Canada to their overwintering sites in t…
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago
Yep, We Made Up Vegetables
Episode 418
After hearing a vicious rumor on the internet that vegetables aren't real, Maddie goes looking for answers. Turns out, vegetables are a mere culinary construct. Still healthful and delicious, but a k…
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago
The Science Behind That Fresh Rain Scent
Episode 417
(Encore episode.) Scientists have known for decades that one of the main causes of the smell of fresh rain is geosmin: a chemical compound produced by soil-dwelling bacteria. But why do the bacteria …
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago
Cleveland - What Climate Equity Could Look Like
Episode 416
The Biden Administration is working to fight climate change in a way that also address the country's economic and racial disparities. Emily talks with NPR correspondent Dan Charles about why the grou…
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago
COVID News Round-Up: Vaccination Progress, Booster Shots, Travel
Episode 415
Nationwide, almost 65% of adults have had at least one vaccine shot, but vaccination rates vary significantly depending on the state. NPR health correspondent Allison Aubrey gives us the latest on th…
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago
Taking A New Look At Some Old Bones
Episode 414
Paleontologist Yara Haridy looks at fossilized bones for a living. When she randomly walked by a scientific poster one day, she discovered an entirely new way to take pictures of her fossils. The res…
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago
Bringing The Sensation Of Touch To A Robotic Limb
Episode 413
There's big change that's happening in the field of artificial limbs: artificial limbs that both move — and feel. NPR correspondent Jon Hamilton explains why touch is so important for people who are …
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago
Scientific Sankofa And The Complexities Of Genetic Ancestry
Episode 412
Short Wave reporter Emily Kwong speaks with Janina Jeff, the host and executive producer of In Those Genes, a "science and culture podcast that uses genetics to decode the lost histories of African d…
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago
It's Okay To Let Go Of Herd Immunity
Episode 411
Researchers say the concept of achieving herd immunity threshold isn't the right finish line to end the pandemic. It's an elusive number to define in the first place, and it changes under various cir…
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago