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Fixing Our Failing Electric Grid... On A Budget
Episode 941
It's no secret that our electric grid is a flaming hot mess — and in order to reduce emissions, the U.S. needs to get a lot more renewables onto the grid. But there's a problem: Our electric grid is …
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
The Key To Uncovering An Ancient Maya City? Lasers
Episode 940
Today we enter into the plot of a summer blockbuster adventure movie. Regina talks to NPR reporter Emily Olson about the recently uncovered ancient Maya city, Ocomtun. The large site, which researche…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
Is Math Real?
Episode 939
Kids ask, "Why?" all the time. Why does 1+1=2? Why do we memorize multiplication tables? Many of us eventually stop asking these questions. But mathematician Dr. Eugenia Cheng says they're key to unc…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
Sperm Can't Really Swim And Other Surprising Pregnancy Facts
Episode 938
There's the birds and the bees. And then there's what happens after. The process that leads to the beginning of pregnancy has a lot more twists and turns than a happenstance meeting. Today on Short W…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
The Fish That Conceal Themselves To Hunt
Episode 937
All Things Considered host Juana Summers joins Regina G. Barber and Berly McCoy to nerd-out on some of the latest science news buzzing around in our brains. They talk NASA shouting across billions of…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
The Science Of Happiness Sounds Great. But Is The Research Solid?
Episode 936
How do we really get happier? In a new review in the journal Nature Human Behavior, researchers Elizabeth Dunn and Dunigan Folk found that many common strategies for increasing our happiness may not …
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
Black Metallurgists, Iron And The Industrial Revolution
Episode 935
The ability to create wrought iron cheaply has been called one of the most significant innovations in the British Industrial Revolution. It's known today as the Cort process, named after British bank…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
This Sausage-Shaped Part Of Your Brain Causes Out-Of-Body Experiences
Episode 934
Ever felt like you were watching yourself and the rest of the world from outside of your body? Or floating above yourself? Well, scientists finally know what part of your brain is causing that sensat…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
The Secrecy Of The Horseshoe Crab Blood Harvest
Episode 933
For decades, humans have harvested the blood of horseshoe crabs, which is used to test whether many of our vaccines and medicines are contaminated with harmful bacterial toxins. But the horseshoe cra…
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago
Christmas in July! Celebrate With Hilarious Research
Episode 932
Would you survive as a doctor in The Sims 4? What's the appropriate amount of free food to take from a public sample station before it's considered greedy? And how much of an impact do clock towers h…
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago