New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — in just under 15 minutes. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber for science on a different wavelength. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for Short Wave.

PodSkip has analyzed 30 episodes of Short Wave, averaging 3.0 ads per episode (9% of runtime).

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What the world's leading researchers think about saunas
Oct 19, 2026
Saunas have gone from a Scandinavian tradition to a global wellness phenomenon. But how long should a person endure heat? Do saunas actually work? And if so, what are their benefits? NPR health…
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The terrifying physics of prehistoric sea monsters
Oct 16, 2026
While dinosaurs roamed the earth, giant monsters roamed the sea. Mosasaurs were like the deadly T-rexes of the ocean: They grew up to the size of a bus and chased down their smaller prey. A recent…
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What's at stake if we can't regrow our forests
Oct 15, 2026
In 2022, parachutist Luigi Cani dropped 100 million seeds over the Amazon rainforest while skydiving. He did it to raise awareness about deforestation and help regrow the forest. But there has been…
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What Flock cameras really see – and how
Oct 14, 2026
Police departments across the U.S. are installing Flock cameras, saying the surveillance devices help deter theft and solve crimes, like helping find stolen property and missing people. But as the…
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The sound of fear: Why so many animals scream
Oct 13, 2026
It's Halloween season — and what better way to celebrate October 13th than to explore the haunting sound of fear? That's exactly what we do in this episode, where host Regina G. Barber and NPR…
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One of the toughest parts of ADHD is left out of the diagnosis
Oct 09, 2026
ADHD diagnoses are on the rise in the United States, but what if professionals are missing a key part of the disorder? In the 1970s, some clinicians recognized a lot of their ADHD patients had…
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What's missing from the lethal injection conversation
Oct 07, 2026
You might have seen the news that Christa Pike, a convicted murderer in Tennessee, did not die from the injections given to her as part of her death penalty sentence last week. After her failed…
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Science-backed guidance for healthy screen time
Oct 06, 2026
We’re all aware – and wary – of doomscrolling. Lots of screen time can be bad for us. But what if that’s not always the case? We spoke with the author of a study that found a positive relationship…
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The genetic secret helping bats survive a deadly epidemic
Oct 05, 2026
We’re easing you into Halloween season with an episode about bats. There’s a silent serial killer decimating little brown bats as they hibernate. White nose syndrome has driven populations across the…
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Eating alone may be secretly spiking your blood sugar
Oct 02, 2026
Being more social has a ton of benefits: lower stress, decreased inflammation – even living a longer life! Recently, some scientists have added lowering your blood sugar to the list. To figure it…
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How much of Earth's life is still undiscovered?
Sep 30, 2026
If you, like us, clicked on the cute cat photos posted everywhere recently, announcing the discovery of the first new cat species in more than a century, you might have wondered how rare it is to…
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What social media gets wrong about inflammation
Sep 29, 2026
Inflammation is all over our feeds. Influencers claim it’s the reason you're bloated or fatigued, the source of digestive problems and the cause of more serious illnesses like Alzheimer's or…
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A fall mystery: why do only certain leaves turn red?
Sep 28, 2026
Leaves turn yellow in the fall because Chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the yellow pigment that was there all along. But why red? Red is a different story altogether. Leaves have to make a new…
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'Super' El Niño is coming. What should you expect?
Sep 25, 2026
The world is bracing for the worst effects of a Super El Niño. Or a Godzilla El Niño. But what does that really even mean?For millennia El Niño has shaped weather across the globe, fueling flooding…
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Vaccinated or not, we’re on the brink of a measles epidemic
Sep 23, 2026
Measles is making a comeback. Ongoing outbreaks in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah have documented hundreds of cases, mostly among unvaccinated people. And while local and federal…
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The science of self-worth (and how to boost yours)
Sep 22, 2026
Your self-worth today can be affected by your memories. But you have power over those memories – when you re-experience them. By doing that, you can reshape your self-esteem for the better and change…
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Why we should all be 'bookmaxxing'
Sep 18, 2026
Remember your mom, dad and teachers telling you to read because it’s good for you? Well, a compilation of the latest research shows they were right. “Reading is one of the simplest and most…
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The latest on AI panic — and whether it's justified
Sep 18, 2026
AI is in the news again – for its potential to end civilization. A researcher at Anthropic resigned very publicly last week, citing concerns about the accelerating capabilities of AI and what he…
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When batteries get a facelift, so does renewable energy
Sep 16, 2026
For years, renewable energy companies have faced a problem: How to store the mass amounts of energy they produce for later use. Batteries may be just the solution. In California, there's now enough…
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Why you'll probably be misdiagnosed in your lifetime
Sep 15, 2026
Nearly every person will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime. That means either a delayed diagnosis, a wrong diagnosis – or no diagnosis at all. That’s according to a report by…
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Should race affect BMI guidelines? Doctors are split
Sep 14, 2026
BMI is a quick, cheap way for doctors to estimate body fat and screen for conditions like heart disease and diabetes. But medicine has long known that BMI is problematic and unnuanced. By using it…
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How scientists discovered that animals are doctors, too
Sep 11, 2026
When people are sick, we seek out medications and treatments to help heal. For a long time, scientists thought that was a uniquely human ability. But it turns out, many other animals do a version of…
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Lindsay Clancy and postpartum psychosis
Sep 09, 2026
The trial around Lindsay Clancy may be over for now, but it still leaves us with questions. On today’s episode, we talk to psychiatrists and patients to answer them: What is postpartum psychosis…
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How hurricanes triggered lizard evolution
Sep 08, 2026
Hurricane season is upon us and it turns out that these powerful storms can quickly affect the biology of animals. After hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the islands that make up Turks and Caicos about…
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When is your brain actually 'adult'?
Sep 07, 2026
Summer is winding down and school is back. And all of that has us thinking about this idea that something happens in the human brain when we turn 25. Suddenly, we can rent a car without fees. Make…
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A new investigation shows heat is even deadlier than we thought
Sep 04, 2026
Hot weather isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s killing thousands more Americans than show up in official records. That’s the finding from a new NPR investigation, in partnership with Boston…
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The science of emotional regulation — and how to do it better
Sep 02, 2026
Do you ever feel like your emotions control you instead of you controlling them? Maybe you lash out at someone after a long day at work or indulge to avoid a stressful situation. It’s called…
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What can seashells teach us about the health of our oceans?
Sep 01, 2026
Seashells: They're beautiful remnants to carry home from the beach—and so much more! According to environmental journalist Cynthia Barnett, seashells record history more accurately than the humans…
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Football is here – and so is a new study on CTE
Aug 31, 2026
The NFL season begins this week, but America’s favorite sport has been on our minds for other reasons recently. New research released in the journal BMJ reveals that 1 in 4 former NFL players in this…
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NASA's newest telescope has a top secret past
Aug 28, 2026
The new Nancy Grace Roman space telescope is slated to launch this weekend. It was originally built for the National Reconnaissance Office as a spy satellite, but was never launched. Instead, NRO…
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