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Sweat: A Human Superpower
Episode 450
Sweating is critical to helping humans avoid overheating, and it's different than how most animals cool down. Sarah Everts wanted to understand more about how humans came to sweat like we do, and wro…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
Can We Predict Earthquakes? (Hint: No)
Episode 449
It's a listener questions episode! Chuck, Short Wave fan, asks, "What is the current state of earthquake prediction systems?"
For some answers, Emily Kwong chats with Wendy Bohon, a geologist and Sen…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
The Great California Groundwater Grab
Episode 448
California is in the middle of a terrible drought. The rivers are running low, and most of its farmers are getting very little water this year from the state's reservoirs and canals. And yet, farming…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
Who Runs The World? Squirrels!
Episode 447
Squirrels are everywhere — living in our suburban neighborhoods to our city centers to our surrounding wilderness. Rhitu Chatterjee talks with researcher Charlotte Devitz about squirrels and how stud…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
How Tall Is Mount Everest? Hint: It Changes
Episode 446
We talk to NPR's India correspondent Lauren Frayer about the ridiculously complicated science involved in measuring Mount Everest, the world's highest peak. And why its height is ever-changing. (Enco…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
The Delta Variant And The Latest Coronavirus Surge
Episode 445
COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the last month due to the Delta variant. NPR correspondent Allison Aubrey talks with Emily Kwong about where the virus is resurging, how some public health officials…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
Building A Shark Science Community For Women Of Color
Episode 444
As a kid, Jasmin Graham was endlessly curious about the ocean. Her constant questioning eventually led her to a career in marine science studying sharks and rays. But until relatively recently, she h…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
The Joy Of Ice Cream's Texture
Episode 443
July is National Ice Cream Month — and Sunday, July 18 is National Ice Cream Day (in the US)! Flavors range from the classics — vanilla and chocolate — to the adventurous — jalapeño and cicada. But f…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
Three Guidelines To Understanding The Delta Variant
Episode 442
Delta is quickly becoming the dominant coronavirus variant in multiple countries. The variant has spread so fast because it is more contagious than the variants that came before it. At the same time,…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
What Science Fiction Gets Wrong About Space Travel
Episode 441
Contrary to sci-fi depictions in shows like Iron Man and Star Wars, getting from point A to point B in space is a tough engineering problem. NPR Science Correspondent Geoff Brumfiel explains how spac…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago