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Meet the Third Ever (!!) Interstellar Comet
Episode 1306
A rare visitor from another star system has been spotted: the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS! It was detected July 1 by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS. Most know…
Published on 5 months, 2 weeks ago
Evolution Went On Trial 100 Years Ago. Where Are We Now?
Episode 1305
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes "Monkey Trial" — where a teacher was charged with the crime of teaching Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. At the time, it was ille…
Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago
Itchy? Air Pollution May Be Making It Worse
Episode 1304
Short Wave producer Hannah Chinn has adult-onset eczema. They're not the only one. Up to ten percent of people in the United States have it, according to the National Eczema Association — and its pre…
Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago
Sea Camp: Why Are Ocean Currents Shifting?
Episode 1303
A warming climate doesn't just affect dry land — it affects the ocean, too. For years, Earth's ocean has acted as a heat sink for climate change: A large part of the heat generated by human use of fo…
Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago
Why Dew Point Is This Summer's 'It Girl'
Episode 1302
Happy Independence Day, Short Wavers! Do you have plans outdoors this weekend and want to figure out just how swampy it's gonna feel? For that kind of mental preparation, we're revisiting an episode …
Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago
Is The Milky Way On A Collision Course?
Episode 1301
The Andromeda galaxy lies just beyond (...OK, about 2.5 million light-years beyond) our galaxy, the Milky Way. For the past hundred years or so, scientists thought these galaxies existed in a long-te…
Published on 5 months, 4 weeks ago
On July 4th, Are You A Thrill- Or Chill-Seeker?
Episode 1300
Independence Day is approaching! Imagine in a few days, someone has procured illegal fireworks from a couple of states over. Are you:
A) first in line to light them
B) content to watch while others set…
Published on 5 months, 4 weeks ago
RFK Jr.'s New Vaccine Advisors Signal Big Changes
Episode 1299
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Policy, an influential CDC committee that shapes U.S. vaccine policy, has become a flashpoint in recent weeks. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired a…
Published on 6 months ago
Aha! The Power Of A Short Rest
Episode 1298
Since 2004, scientific research has shown that a full night of sleep may lend itself to a burst of insight in the morning. But what about the earlier stages of sleep? And what about just a nap? A res…
Published on 6 months ago
When Eavesdropping Pays Off
Episode 1297
Why did the ornithologist strap a taxidermy badger to a remote controlled car and drive it around the prairie? To interrogate the secret world of animal eavesdropping in the grasslands, of course! To…
Published on 6 months ago