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Gisele Grayson Gisele Grayson is an editor on NPR's Science desk.
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Gisele Grayson

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Monday

This researcher says we're in a "Scorpion Renaissance"

Harper Forbes (left), Prakrit Jain (right), and Academy Curator of Arachnology Lauren Esposito, PhD, (center) search for scorpions. Gayle Laird/California Academy of Sciences hide caption

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Gayle Laird/California Academy of Sciences

Short Wave

This researcher says we're in a "Scorpion Renaissance"

Scorpions: They're found pretty much everywhere, and new species are being identified all the time. Arachnologist Lauren Esposito says there's a lot to love about this oft-misunderstood creature. Most are harmless — they can't even jump — and they play a critical role in their diverse ecosystems as a top invertebrate predator. (encore)

This researcher says we're in a "Scorpion Renaissance"

Listen · 12:24
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Monday

Chemistry says tender meat is cooked low and slow

Smoking has been used around the world as a method to preserve food for thousands of years. This episode, we explore why it's also the key to tender, juicy meat. MIGUEL MENDEZ/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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MIGUEL MENDEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Short Wave

Chemistry says tender meat is cooked low and slow

Chefs will tell you, cooking is not just an art — it's a science. And the spirit of summer barbecues, NPR science correspondent Sydney Lupkin brings us this piece about how understanding the chemistry of cooking meat can help you perfect your barbeque. It's all about low and slow cooking.

Chemistry says tender meat is cooked low and slow

Listen · 12:08
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Sunday

Sunday

Friday

We asked, you answered: How do you feel about the end of the COVID-19 'emergency'

A face mask languishes in the grass in Krakow, Poland. With the state of emergency over, some people are relishing freedom from masks while others believe masking up is still a wise preventive measure. Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption

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Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

We asked, you answered: How do you feel about the end of the COVID-19 'emergency'

With the WHO and CDC lifting the COVID-19 pandemic "emergency," we asked readers what was on their minds at this inflection point. Their reflections run the gamut, and also reveal some clear themes.

Thursday

Food

The art and science of cooking low and slow barbecue

Achieving the perfect brisket takes cooking it for a long time at such low temperatures. Today, a look at the chemistry behind transforming this tough cut of meat to juicy deliciousness.

The art and science of cooking low and slow barbecue

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Friday

Move over Beatles, Lemurs are here with music lessons

An indri—a species of lemur in Madagascar—sings from a tree branch. Filippo Carugati hide caption

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Filippo Carugati

Short Wave

Move over Beatles, Lemurs are here with music lessons

There's a lot for scientists to learn about the origins of humans' musical abilities. In the last few years, though, they've discovered homo sapiens have some company in our ability to make musical rhythm. That's why today, producer Berly McCoy brings the story of singing lemurs. She explains how their harmonies could help answer questions about the beginnings of humans' musical abilities, and what all of this has to do with Queen.

Move over Beatles, Lemurs are here with music lessons

Listen · 12:01
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Sunday

Wednesday

Allergic to cats? There may be hope!

Two orange kittens at 13 weeks old. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images hide caption

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Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

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Allergic to cats? There may be hope!

Katie Wu is a bona fide cat person. She has two of them: twin boys named Calvin and Hobbes. Every night, they curl up in bed with her, bonking their little noses together, rubbing their fur and whiskers everywhere, and leaving behind inevitable cat residue. It's certifiably cute ... and a little bit gross.

Allergic to cats? There may be hope!

Listen · 13:40
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Tuesday

This Pi Day, how to BAKE pi(e) — and have mathematical fun

Eugenia Cheng is a mathematician and author of the book How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics. Throughout the book, she uses baking as a vehicle for better understanding mathematics concepts. Basic Books hide caption

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Basic Books

Short Wave

This Pi Day, how to BAKE pi(e) — and have mathematical fun

This March 14, Short Wave is celebrating pi ... and pie! We do that with the help of mathematician Eugenia Cheng, Scientist In Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and author of the book How to Bake Pi. We start with a recipe for clotted cream and end, deliciously, at how math is so much more expansive than grade school tests.

This Pi Day, how to BAKE pi(e) — and have mathematical fun

Listen · 13:04
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Thursday

Honoring the 'hidden figures' of Black gardening

Abra Lee is a horticulturalist who studies U.S. gardening history. She fondly remembers her own relatives' gardens as holding a special place in horticultural history. Carlos Alejandro/Abra Lee hide caption

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Carlos Alejandro/Abra Lee

Short Wave

Honoring the 'hidden figures' of Black gardening

When Abra Lee became the landscape manager at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, she sought some advice about how to best do the job. The answer: study the history of gardening. That led to her uncovering how Black involvement in horticulture in the U.S. bursts with incredible stories and profound expertise, intertwined with a tragic past. She's now teaching these stories and working on a book, Conquer the Soil: Black America and the Untold Stories of Our Country's Gardeners, Farmers, and Growers. Abra Lee talks with former Short Wave producer Eva Tesfaye about uncovering Black horticultural history and several of the hidden figures who shaped it.

Honoring the 'hidden figures' of Black gardening

Listen · 14:48
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Tuesday

What DNA kits leave out: race, ancestry and 'scientific sankofa'

Population geneticist Dr. Janina Jeff is the host and executive producer of "In Those Genes," a hip-hop inspired podcast that uses genetics to uncover the those lost identifies of African descended Americans through the lens of Black culture. Jas Thomas/Janina Jeff hide caption

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Jas Thomas/Janina Jeff

Short Wave

What DNA kits leave out: race, ancestry and 'scientific sankofa'

Population geneticist Dr. Janina Jeff is the host and executive producer of In Those Genes, a hip-hop inspired podcast that uses genetics to uncover the those lost identifies of African descended Americans through the lens of Black culture.

What DNA kits leave out: race, ancestry and 'scientific sankofa'

Listen · 15:29
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Tuesday

These cute critters mate for life, even without the "love hormone"

Prairie voles do not need oxytocin receptors to form pair bonds, a new study finds. Nastacia Goodwin hide caption

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Nastacia Goodwin

Short Wave

These cute critters mate for life, even without the "love hormone"

You may have heard of the "love hormone," or oxytocin. But you may not know that scientists have relied on cuddly rodents like the prairie vole to help us understand how this protein works in our brains.

These cute critters mate for life, even without the "love hormone"

Listen · 11:19
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Sunday

Wednesday

Meet the mathematical minds behind Oscar-nominated 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

The directors of Everything Everywhere All At Once credit their "math brain" for this genre bending story, about laundromat owner Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) battling for the fate of the multiverse. A24 hide caption

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A24

Short Wave

Meet the mathematical minds behind Oscar-nominated 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

Film directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively: Daniels) reimagined the multiverse movie in their breakout film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Tuesday, the film received 11 Oscar nominations for the 95th Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. This episode, the Daniels share how science played a starring role.

Meet the mathematical minds behind Oscar-nominated 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

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Tuesday

A course correction in managing drying rivers

The Colorado River is imperiled, parched by droughts exacerbated by climate change. According to a 2017 study, waterflow could drop 30% by 2050 and 55% by 2100 due to greenhouse gas emissions. RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The/Denver Post via Getty Images hide caption

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RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The/Denver Post via Getty Images

Short Wave

A course correction in managing drying rivers

Historic drought in the west and water diversion for human use are causing stretches of the Colorado and Mississippi rivers to run dry. "The American West is going to have to need to learn how to do more with less," says Laurence Smith, a river surveyor and environmental studies professor at Brown University. He recently dropped in for a chat with Short Wave co-host Emily Kwong about how scientists are turning a new page on managing two of The United States's central waterways, the Colorado and Mississippi Rivers.

A course correction in managing drying rivers

Listen · 13:25
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Wednesday

How Glaciers Move

Meltwater from the surface of Helheim Glacier in Greenland percolates down to the bed and lubricates the ice's movement. Jessica Mejia/Jessica Mejia hide caption

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Jessica Mejia/Jessica Mejia

Short Wave

How Glaciers Move

There's always a moment of intense isolation when Jessica Mejía gets dropped off on the Greenland ice sheet for a multi-week research stint. "You know you're very much alone," said Jessica, a postdoctoral researcher in glaciology at the University of Buffalo. Glaciers such as those that cover Greenland are melting due to climate change, causing sea levels to rise. That we know. But these glaciers are also moving. What we don't know is just how these two processes – melting and movement – interact and ultimately impact how quickly sea levels will rise. Jessica joins Short Wave's Aaron Scott to explain what it's like to live on a glacier for a month, and what her research could mean for coastal communities all over the world.

How Glaciers Move

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Tuesday

Zircon: The Keeper Of Earth's Time
Stanford University/Getty Images

Short Wave

Zircon: The Keeper Of Earth's Time

The mineral zircon is the oldest known piece of Earth existing on the surface today. The oldest bits date back as far as 4.37 billion years — not too far from the age of Earth itself at about 4.5 billion years old. And, unlike other minerals, zircon is hard to get rid of. This resilience enables scientists to use zircon to determine when major geological events on Earth happened. As part of our series on time, host Aaron Scott talks to science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce about why this mineral is often considered a geologic clock and has earned the nickname "Time Lord."

Zircon: The Keeper Of Earth's Time

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Monday

Redlining's Ripple Effects Go Beyond Humans

In urban areas, redlining has continuing effects on wildlife as well as people. Ali Majdfar/Getty Images hide caption

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Ali Majdfar/Getty Images

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Redlining's Ripple Effects Go Beyond Humans

When Dr. Chloé Schmidt was a PhD student in Winnepeg, Canada, she was studying wildlife in urban areas. She and her advisor Dr. Colin Garroway came across a 2020 paper that posed a hypothesis: If the echos of systemic racism affect the human residents of neighborhoods and cities, then it should affect the wildlife as well. Short Wave Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber talks to Chloé and Colin about their findings of how redlining and biodiversity are intertwined.

Redlining's Ripple Effects Go Beyond Humans

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Thursday

The Period Talk (For Adults)

The menstrual cycle is a multi-stage process lasting an average of 28 days. The menses phase of the cycle, when the uterine lining is shed and vaginal bleeding occurs, typically lasts about 3 to 5 days. Getty Images/Westend61 hide caption

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Getty Images/Westend61

Short Wave

The Period Talk (For Adults)

Every month, 1.8 billion people menstruate globally. For those people, managing periods is essential for strong reproductive and emotional health, social wellbeing and bodily autonomy. But a lot of people haven't been educated about periods or the menstrual cycle since they were kids — if at all.

The Period Talk (For Adults)

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Monday

A Holiday Fact Exchange!

Happy holidays from Short Wave! And may you stay virus (snowflake) free! Gisele Grayson hide caption

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Gisele Grayson

Short Wave

A Holiday Fact Exchange!

Host Emily Kwong and editor Gisele Grayson exchange the gift of facts - in this quick hello from us to you, our wonderful listeners!

A Holiday Fact Exchange!

Listen · 5:19
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Thursday

Can COP 15 Save Our Planet's Biodiversity?

Canadian Minister of the Environment and climate change Steven Guilbeault and other delegates listens to COP President Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu (unseen) at a plenary meeting during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Quebec, on December 19, 2022. LARS HAGBERG/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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LARS HAGBERG/AFP via Getty Images

Short Wave

Can COP 15 Save Our Planet's Biodiversity?

This week, the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) wrapped up in Montreal, Canada. Nations from around the world came together to establish a new set of goals to help preserve the planet's biodiversity and reduce the rate of loss of natural habitats. The last time biodiversity targets were set was in 2010, at COP 10. In the 12 years since, the world collectively failed to meet any of those biodiversity benchmarks.

Can COP 15 Save Our Planet's Biodiversity?

Listen · 14:41
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Tuesday

You Know That Gut Feeling You Have?...

The human body evolved to have a tight connection between the brain and the gut. SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/Getty Images/Science Photo Libra hide caption

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SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/Getty Images/Science Photo Libra

Short Wave

You Know That Gut Feeling You Have?...

TFW when you're so excited you get those butterflies in your stomach - or maybe when you see something icky, you feel ill. On today's show, producer Berly McCoy looks at this relationship between our gut and our brain. Berly talks to host Emily Kwong about how the organs evolved to have a tight connection - connections that go beyond transient feelings of excitement or disgust. In fact, an increasing body of research shows links between the gut and conditions we typically associate mostly with the brain – like anxiety and Parkinson's Disease.

You Know That Gut Feeling You Have?...

Listen · 13:36
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Friday

DART: The Impacts Of Slamming A Spacecraft Into An Asteroid

Illustration of DART, from behind the NEXT–C ion engine NASA/Johns Hopkins APL hide caption

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NASA/Johns Hopkins APL

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DART: The Impacts Of Slamming A Spacecraft Into An Asteroid

If an asteroid were hurling through space, making a beeline straight to Earth, how would humans prevent it from doing what it did to the dinosaurs? Would we bomb it? Would we shoot lasers at it like a scene from Hollywood's latest sci-fi flick? Well, the folks at NASA have designed and tested a theory.

DART: The Impacts Of Slamming A Spacecraft Into An Asteroid

Listen · 14:07
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