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Berly McCoy

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Aaron Agosto
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Aaron Agosto

Berly McCoy

Producer, Short Wave

Kimberly (Berly) McCoy (she/her) is a producer for NPR's science podcast, Short Wave. The podcast tells stories about science and scientists, in all the forms they take.

McCoy started working with NPR as the program coordinator of the NPR Scicommers, a group founded by Joe Palca and Maddie Sofia to teach scientists and engineers how to better communicate and find community.

After lending a fact-checking hand to the Short Wave team on and off, they graciously taught McCoy the production ropes, where she now produces regularly, with stories ranging from axolotls to physics.

In another life, McCoy earned her PhD in biochemistry transforming viruses into nanoreactors. She dug through garbage to understand human recycling behavior, counted rattlesnake tongue flicks to gauge their diet preferences and caught endangered butterflies on mountain tops for population surveys.

She lives just outside of Glacier National Park and enjoys rock climbing, ice fishing, her rambunctious dogs and making food magically appear from dirt.

Story Archive

Friday

Narwhal sightings are rare. Scientists just saw them use their tusks in new ways

Narwhals are arctic whales that live in social groups called pods. CoreyFord/Getty Images hide caption

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CoreyFord/Getty Images

Short Wave

Narwhal sightings are rare. Scientists just saw them use their tusks in new ways

What are the narwhals up to? Generally, we don't really know! They are mysterious creatures. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce talks about new, rare drone footage scientists captured of arctic narwhals. The video sparked new ideas for how they use their tusks.

Narwhal sightings are rare. Scientists just saw them use their tusks in new ways

Listen · 12:09
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Friday

Do you have ADHD? That TikTok might not help you decide

In many ways, social media platforms like TikTok have helped democratize mental health discussions around things like ADHD. But researchers find the information is not always accurate. Fiordaliso/Getty Images hide caption

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Fiordaliso/Getty Images

Short Wave

Do you have ADHD? That TikTok might not help you decide

Ever diagnosed yourself with a mental health disorder based on a TikTok video? If so, you're not alone. "I personally don't think that there's anything more human than wanting to understand yourself and wanting to understand your own experiences," says Vasileia Karasavva. Vasileia is the lead author of a paper published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One that gets into why this kind of self-diagnosis can be such a double-edged sword.

Do you have ADHD? That TikTok might not help you decide

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Thursday

Science

This week in science: origins of life, birds speech, and how TikTok gets ADHD wrong

In this week's Short Wave roundup, Berly McCoy and Regina Barber talk about the origins of life on Earth, what bird brains illuminate about human speech and how ADHD is mischaracterized on TikTok.

Short Wave News Roundup 3-20-25

Listen · 7:59
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Friday

Love fruit? Thank dinosaur mass extinction

In the Cretaceous period, sauropods were major ecosystem engineers. They knocked down trees and distributed nutrients through their poop, dramatically altering the landscape of ancient Earth. Joe Regan/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Regan/Getty Images

Short Wave

Love fruit? Thank dinosaur mass extinction

Move over, TikTokers. It's time to shine a spotlight on some of the earliest influencers around: dinosaurs. When these ecosystem engineers were in their heyday, forest canopies were open and seeds were small. But around the time most dinosaurs were wiped out, paleontologists noticed an interesting shift in the fossil record: Seeds got bigger — much bigger. There was a fruit boom. Did the death of these dinosaurs have something to do with it? And who are the modern day equivalent of dinosaur influencers? To find out, host Emily Kwong talks to Chris Doughty, an ecologist at Northern Arizona University.

Love fruit? Thank dinosaur mass extinction

Listen · 11:30
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Wednesday

How is sex determined? Scientists say it's complicated
Malte Mueller/Getty Images

Short Wave

How is sex determined? Scientists say it's complicated

Biological sex is all over the news lately. Whether it's via President Trump's executive order affecting passport policy, moving trans inmates between prisons or shifting the requirements for women in sports — appeals to "the biological reality of sex" are constant. In truth, biological sex, like a lot of scientific categories, is nuanced. It's defined by multiple criteria – including chromosomal, chemical and physical factors – that can, and do, change over a person's lifetime. And it's a reality that's definitely not limited to male and female.

How is sex determined? Scientists say it's complicated

Listen · 14:37
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Monday

Here's how tourists are solving a plankton puzzle in Antarctica

In the summer, there are enough phytoplankton to feed the millions of tons of krill that then feed the migratory whales that tourists travel very far to see in Antarctica. Andrew Peacock/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Peacock/Getty Images

Short Wave

Here's how tourists are solving a plankton puzzle in Antarctica

Tourists to Antarctica are fueling research on some of the tiniest, most influential organisms on Earth: phytoplankton. These itty bitty critters make their own food and are the base of the food web in most of the ocean, but tracking how well they're doing is historically tricky. So, researchers with the program FjordPhyto are using samples collected by these tourists to understand how the balance of power in the Antarctic food web could be shifting — could ripple across the food web of the entire ocean.

Here's how tourists are solving a plankton puzzle in Antarctica

Listen · 13:14
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Wednesday

How a dog's nose became a powerful tool for science and conservation

Conservation detection dogs help biologists find a range of hard-to-find targets, from invasive and endangered species, to animal scat to poachers. Collette Yee hide caption

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Collette Yee

Short Wave

How a dog's nose became a powerful tool for science and conservation

On their second job ever, Collette Yee and her partner were assigned a difficult job: locate transient whale poop in the ocean before it sinks. Luckily, Collette was partnered with Jack, a blue heeler mix trained to sniff out cryptic odors from things that conservation biologists have trouble collecting on their own. Producer Berly McCoy reports on Jack and the growing field of dog detection conservation that helps science by sniffing out everything from invasive crabs to diseased plants to endangered species.

How a dog's nose became a powerful tool for science and conservation

Listen · 13:41
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Monday

Two patients navigate the new Alzheimer's drugs

Susan Bell plays with a fidget toy at her home as part of her physical therapy on September 16, 2024 in St. Charles, Mo. The toys help provide Susan with cognitive stimulation. Michael B. Thomas for NPR / @miketphotog hide caption

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Michael B. Thomas for NPR / @miketphotog

Short Wave

Two patients navigate the new Alzheimer's drugs

There are now two fully approved drugs on the market that can, sometimes, slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Both have been shown to slow down the mental decline of Alzheimer's by more than 25%. But that's in a group of patients—an individual may do much better, or not be helped at all. NPR Science Correspondent Jon Hamilton has been talking to people who've taken these drugs. Today he has the story of two patients to receive them.

Two patients navigate the new Alzheimer's drugs

Listen · 12:51
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Wednesday

How Jocelyn Bell once made a discovery that changed the field of astronomy

At the center of this image made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory is a very young and powerful pulsar, known as PSR B1509-58, or B1509 for short. NASA/CXC/SAO/P.Slane, et al. hide caption

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NASA/CXC/SAO/P.Slane, et al.

Short Wave

How Jocelyn Bell once made a discovery that changed the field of astronomy

In 1967 Jocelyn Bell Burnell made a discovery that revolutionized the field of astronomy. She detected the radio signals emitted by certain dying stars called pulsars. This encore episode: Jocelyn's story. Host Regina G. Barber talks to Jocelyn about her winding career, her discovery and how pulsars are pushing forward the field of astronomy today.

How Jocelyn Bell once made a discovery that changed the field of astronomy

Listen · 12:18
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Monday

What happens to your body when you're under anesthesia?

Anesthesia can be administered through a mask while patients undergo surgery. czardases/Getty Images hide caption

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Short Wave

What happens to your body when you're under anesthesia?

Picture a relaxing scene. Maybe a beach in Tahiti, your toes in the sand, a cold drink in hand. Now imagine your favorite music playing in the background.

What happens to your body when you're under anesthesia?

Listen · 14:01
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Friday

Room for dessert? Here's why your brain says yes to sugar

One of the ways the body signals fullness after a meal involves satiety neurons located in the hypothalamus. Sugar seems to hijack that system. Horasiu Vasilescu / 500px/Getty Images hide caption

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Short Wave

Room for dessert? Here's why your brain says yes to sugar

Ever eat a full meal ... and find you still have room for dessert? If so, you're not alone. Sugar is a quick form of energy that many people crave — even when they're full. Today, hosts Emily Kwong and Regina G. Barber dive into a new study on the neural origins of the "dessert brain."

Room for dessert? Here's why your brain says yes to sugar

Listen · 8:07
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Wednesday

How an Apache tribe drove down cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever

San Carlos Animal Control project manager Harty Bendle, Sr. and his daughter Chante Bendle greet a puppy and a mom dog on Dec. 6, 2024 on the San Carlos Apache Nation. Caitlin O'Hara for NPR hide caption

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Caitlin O'Hara for NPR

Short Wave

How an Apache tribe drove down cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is one of the deadliest tickborne diseases in the United States, often killing people within about a week if left untreated. At one point, the San Carlos Apache Reservation had rates of infection 150 times the national average. But now, they've achieved a huge milestone — no deaths from the disease in at least five years. NPR science correspondent Pien Huang and producer Megan Lim visited the reservation to see the program that led to their success.

How an Apache tribe drove down cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever

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Tuesday

Inside an underground facility where the U.S. tests nuclear weapons

A tunnel in the underground PULSE laboratory in Nevada, where scientists conduct experiments to test nuclear weapons without detonating them. NNSS/NNSA hide caption

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NNSS/NNSA

Short Wave

Inside an underground facility where the U.S. tests nuclear weapons

The U.S. tested nuclear weapons until the early 1990s. Since then, scientists have been using supercomputers and experiments to simulate nuclear test detonations, without detonating any nukes. But there are signs the world's nuclear powers may be readying to test again: Russia, China and the U.S. are all upgrading their nuclear test sites.

Inside an underground facility where the U.S. tests nuclear weapons

Listen · 13:30
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Monday

What are 'mirror cells' and why do some scientists warn against creating them?

Scientists can make mirror molecules in the lab, but are still at least a decade away from creating a mirror cell. Alena Butusava/Getty Images hide caption

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Short Wave

What are 'mirror cells' and why do some scientists warn against creating them?

For people with two hands, one is usually dominant. On a molecular level, life takes this to the extreme. All of the DNA in earthly living things twists to the right, whereas the protein building blocks favor a kind of left-handed chemistry. But in recent years, scientists have worked toward a kind of mirror version of life. The technology to make mirror life likely won't exist for at least a decade. Still, a group of concerned scientists published a 299-page technical report calling for a stop to the science. New York Times science columnist Carl Zimmer explains how a mirror microbe could wreak havoc on life on Earth in the future.

What are 'mirror cells' and why do some scientists warn against creating them?

Listen · 13:22
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Monday

After land abandonment, should we tend nature or set it free?

What happens to biodiversity when people abandoned farmland? Ecologist Gergana Daskalova is studying abandoned lands in her home country, Bulgaria to find out. Dan Charles hide caption

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Dan Charles

Short Wave

After land abandonment, should we tend nature or set it free?

Ecologist Gergana Daskalova moved back to the small Bulgarian town of her childhood. It's a place many people have abandoned — and that's the very reason she returned. At the same time as land is being cleared around the world to make room for agriculture, elsewhere farmland is being abandoned for nature to reclaim. But what happens when people let the land return to nature? This episode, science reporter Dan Charles explains why abandoned land has conservationists and researchers asking: If we love nature, do we tend it or set it free?

After land abandonment, should we tend nature or set it free?

Listen · 12:22
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Friday

Generative AI and other innovations topping MIT Technology Review's 2025 list

For decades, editors at MIT Technology Review have set themselves the annual challenge of trying to predict which emerging technologies will be the most impactful that year. This year's list includes the Vera Rubin Telescope, a supplement to make cows burp less and generative AI search. Ari Liloan/MIT Technology Review hide caption

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Ari Liloan/MIT Technology Review

Short Wave

Generative AI and other innovations topping MIT Technology Review's 2025 list

In a world brimming with innovation and limited time, it can be hard to tell what technology has the potential to really shift life. Yet, every year, MIT Technology Review undertakes this very task and puts out an annual list to magazine readers of 10 Breakthrough Technologies. Today, host Regina G. Barber hops through highlights from the list with Amy Nordrum, an executive editor at the publication.

Generative AI and other innovations topping MIT Technology Review's 2025 list

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Wednesday

Why some astronomers are excited about the search for alien life
Bettymaya Foott/National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Short Wave

Why some astronomers are excited about the search for alien life

Around the turn of the century, 3.8 million people banded together in a real-time search for aliens — with screensavers. It was a big moment in a century-long concerted search for extraterrestrial intelligence. So far, alien life hasn't been found. But for people like astronomer James Davenport, that doesn't mean the hunt is worthless — or should be given up.

Why some astronomers are excited about the search for alien life

Listen · 12:13
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Monday

The science behind the FDA ban on food dye Red No. 3

A bright red drink with a lemon and a stainless steel straw. The petroleum-based dye known as Red No. 3 is found in candy, snacks, and juice beverages, among other food and drink. Naomi Rahim/Getty Images hide caption

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Naomi Rahim/Getty Images

Short Wave

The science behind the FDA ban on food dye Red No. 3

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced it is banning the dye called Red No. 3, a food dye additive in many processed foods, like sodas, sweets and snacks. Recently, it and other dyes were linked to behavior issues in children. But high levels of Red No. 3 were linked to cancer in rats decades ago. So why is the ban happening now?

The science behind the FDA ban on food dye Red No. 3

Listen · 10:13
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Friday

Life as we know it descended from a single cell. What do we know about LUCA?

Who was the "last universal common ancestor" of all life on Earth? LUCA may have already had the core components of modern cells some 4.2 billion years ago. Robert Neubecker/Quanta Magazine hide caption

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Robert Neubecker/Quanta Magazine

Short Wave

Life as we know it descended from a single cell. What do we know about LUCA?

Imagine the tree of life. The tip of every branch represents one species, and if you follow any two branches back through time, you'll hit an intersection. If you keep going back in time, you'll eventually find the common ancestor for all of life. That ancestor is called LUCA, the last universal common ancestor, and there is no fossil record to tell us what it looked like.

Life as we know it descended from a single cell. What do we know about LUCA?

Listen · 13:07
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Saturday

As his funeral service begins, a look at Jimmy Carter's Guinea worm legacy

Following his presidency, former President Carter devoted much of his life to creating a better world through attention to global health challenges, particularly "neglected" tropical diseases. The Carter Center hide caption

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The Carter Center

Short Wave

As his funeral service begins, a look at Jimmy Carter's Guinea worm legacy

Funeral services begin today for former President Jimmy Carter. He died Sunday, at 100-years-old. Carter brought attention to global health challenges, particularly "neglected" tropical diseases like Guinea worm. With reporter Jason Beaubien, we look at that decades-long effort and how science was central to Carter's drive for a better world.

As his funeral service begins, a look at Jimmy Carter's Guinea worm legacy

Listen · 12:40
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Tuesday

Ghost particles are blasting through you. Can they solve an antimatter mystery?

Matter and its weird, opposite antimatter annihilate each other "in a blaze of glory," says Jessica Esquivel, an experimental particle physicist at Fermilab. PeteDraper/Getty Images hide caption

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PeteDraper/Getty Images

Short Wave

Ghost particles are blasting through you. Can they solve an antimatter mystery?

At the beginning of the universe, annihilation reigned supreme. Equal amounts of matter and antimatter collided. There should have been nothing left. And, yet, here we all are. Matter won out. The question is: why? Scientists are probing the mysteries of a ghostly subatomic particle for answers. To do it, they'll need to shoot a beam of them 800 miles underground.

Ghost particles are blasting through you. Can they solve an antimatter mystery?

Listen · 12:18
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Monday

To save the grizzlies, scientists are thinking like bears
Jack Vanden Heuvel/Getty Images

Short Wave

To save the grizzlies, scientists are thinking like bears

Grizzly bears in the contiguous United States have been taken off — then put back on — the endangered species list twice since they were first labeled as threatened almost 50 years ago. Now, the issue is on the table again. Today, we get into the complicated science behind grizzly recovery, how humans have sliced up their habitat and what it will take to stitch that habitat back together again.

To save the grizzlies, scientists are thinking like bears

Listen · 13:12
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Friday

Scientists attach video cameras to sea lions to map the ocean floor

Researchers glued cameras and tracking instruments to small pieces of neoprene, that they then glued to the fur of the sea lions Nathan Angelakis hide caption

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Nathan Angelakis

Short Wave

Scientists attach video cameras to sea lions to map the ocean floor

How do you study unmapped areas of the ocean and identify critical habitat for an endangered species? You include the study animal in the scientific process! Researchers from the University of Adelaide fitted endangered Australian sea lions with cameras and tracking devices to better understand where they spent their time. The information could help scientists protect critical sea lion habitat and could give researchers a new tool for mapping the ocean.

Scientists attach video cameras to sea lions to map the ocean floor

Listen · 8:58
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Thursday

Science

This week in science: the moon's atmosphere, sea lion cartographers and the Perseids

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Regina Barber and Berly McCoy of Short Wave about the formation of the moon's wispy atmosphere, sea lion cameras and the Perseid meteor shower.

This week in science: the moon's atmosphere, sea lion cartographers and the Perseids

Listen · 8:15
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