Podcast Episodes

New Antivenom, Thanks To 200 Intentional Snake Bites

Episode 1277

What's it like to get bit by a venomous snake? "It's like a bee sting times a thousand," Tim Friede says. Tim would know. Over the past few decades, he's let himself be bitten over 200 times by all k…

Published on 7 months, 1 week ago

Will Trump Unleash Energy Dominance Or Damage?

Episode 1276

The Trump administration is rewriting policies and reducing funding for multiple agencies that handle climate change, including NOAA, EPA and FEMA. We asked NPR reporters Lauren Sommer and Alejandra …

Published on 7 months, 1 week ago

Could Wormholes Exist?

Episode 1275

In science fiction, wormholes are hyperspace subway tubes linking one part of a galaxy directly to another, distant point. But could they actually exist? To find out, we talk to theoretical physicist…

Published on 7 months, 1 week ago

Orange Cat Lovers, Rise Up!

Episode 1274

Approximately 80% of orange cats are males, including the four orange cats owned by the Short Wave team. Scientists have long suspected that orange color was a sex-linked trait — hiding somewhere on …

Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago

How Baby Bats Learn To Eavesdrop On Dinner

Episode 1273

Most bats use echolocation to navigate and hunt, but some use their ears for another trick: eavesdropping.

"And then these frog-eating bats, for example, they are actually listening in on the mating …

Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago

Learning A Second Language As An Adult

Becoming fluent in a second language is difficult. But for adults, is it impossible? Science says no. In this encore episode, Short Wave host Emily Kwong dissects the "critical period hypothesis," a …

Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago

The Indicator: American Science Brain Drain

Episode 1271

Today, we're airing an episode of NPR's daily economics podcast, The Indicator from Planet Money. It's about a group of people we know well: scientists.

President Trump's federal cuts and scrutiny of…

Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago

Could AI Go Green?

Episode 1270

Google, Microsoft and Meta have all pledged to reach at least net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. Amazon set their net-zero deadline for 2040. To understand how these four tech companies could possibl…

Published on 7 months, 3 weeks ago

What's The Environmental Cost Of AI?

Episode 1269

By 2028, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory forecasts that U.S. data centers could use as much as 12% of the nation's electricity. The reason: generative AI. Since 2022, AI innovation by four lead…

Published on 7 months, 3 weeks ago

Science Can Make You More Creative!

Episode 1268

Do you consider yourself a creative person? If not, you may be holding yourself back. Psychologist Zorana Ivcevic Pringle says creativity isn't a trait. Creativity is a choice. After studying creativ…

Published on 7 months, 3 weeks ago