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Short Wave 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.

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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.

If you're hooked, try Short Wave Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/shortwave

Most Recent Episodes

Why a changing climate may mean less chocolate in the future

The price of cocoa has reached historic highs, forcing chocolate manufacturers to adjust their products — through price increases and shrinking package sizes. Huizeng Hu/Getty Images hide caption

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Huizeng Hu/Getty Images

Why a changing climate may mean less chocolate in the future

Last year, we reported how extreme weather events may be dwindling the future of chocolate. Just last week, we saw an inkling of that: The Hershey Company announced it would significantly raise the cost of its candy in the face of historically high cocoa prices. So, we're revisiting host Emily Kwong's conversation with Yasmin Tayag, a food, health and science writer at The Atlantic. They get into the cocoa shortage: What's causing it, how it's linked to weather and poor farming conditions and what potential solutions exist. Plus, they enjoy a chocolate alternative taste test.

Why a changing climate may mean less chocolate in the future

Listen · 13:27
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Optical illusions are a brain feature, not a bug. Here's the science behind them

Illusions are perceptual experiences created by the brain that do not match physical reality. PeterHermesFurian/Getty Images hide caption

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PeterHermesFurian/Getty Images

Optical illusions are a brain feature, not a bug. Here's the science behind them

A grayscale ballerina who appears to be moving. A human who can fit in a doll box. A black-and-white prism that appears to change shape when viewed from three different directions. Those are the top winners of the 2024 Best Illusion of the Year Contest, open to illusion makers around the world and co-created by neuroscientist Susana Martinez-Conde. Today on the show, we get lost in the magic and science of visual illusions.

Optical illusions are a brain feature, not a bug. Here's the science behind them

Listen · 11:36
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Summers are getting hotter. Here's how experts say to cope with it

Ice cream cones aren't the only things that struggle to manage summer heat. Heat waves around the world are getting more frequent and more deadly... this summer will be one of the coolest of our lives. Artur Debat/Getty Images hide caption

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Artur Debat/Getty Images

Summers are getting hotter. Here's how experts say to cope with it

Much of the country is deep in the middle of a heat wave right now. And every summer, Duane Stilwell's town in Arizona seems to get hotter. It has him worried — and he's not the only one. Since 1980, the average number of heat waves in the U.S has doubled and the average length of a heat wave season has increased from 40 days to 70. Future summers, experts say, will be even hotter. But why exactly is that happening, and what can people do to protect themselves from the heat?

Summers are getting hotter. Here's how experts say to cope with it

Listen · 13:47
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How the largest daily migration on Earth stores carbon in the ocean

Lanternfish are one of the many residents of the ocean's twilight zone, which is known for being very dark and housing likely the majority of the sea's fish. 3dsam79/Getty Images hide caption

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3dsam79/Getty Images

How the largest daily migration on Earth stores carbon in the ocean

The twilight zone of the ocean is a mysterious place. At 200-1000 meters below the surface, it's a tough place to study. That's why, during World War II, people reading sonograms from this zone were perplexed when it looked as if the ocean floor was moving up. Every day. And then back down again before dawn. In this latest installment of Sea Camp, we explore what this historical mystery has to do with the Earth's ability to cycle and store carbon in the ocean's watery depths.

How the largest daily migration on Earth stores carbon in the ocean

Listen · 12:47
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Did spiders' ancestors come from the ocean?

Illustration of what the Mollisonia animal would have looked like at the time it lived, more than 500 million years ago. Nick Strausfeld hide caption

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Nick Strausfeld

Did spiders' ancestors come from the ocean?

Whether you love spiders or can't be within 10 feet of them, you probably think of them crawling around on land. Historically, most researchers would probably say the same thing: Based on the fossil record, they've thought the earliest arachnid ancestors existed around 450 million years ago, living and diversifying exclusively on land. But a new study out this week in the journal Current Biology suggests arachnid brains may have originated much earlier in the ocean.

Did spiders' ancestors come from the ocean?

Listen · 8:51
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Eating disorder recovery in a world of diet culture

Eating disorders are complicated illnesses. They impact almost every part of the body, including the heart, brain and even emotions. nicoletaionescu/Getty Images hide caption

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nicoletaionescu/Getty Images

Eating disorder recovery in a world of diet culture

Eating disorders are complicated illnesses that skyrocketed among teenagers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatrician Eva Trujillo says they "literally rewire the brain," decrease brain size, and make it harder to concentrate and to regulate emotions. Malnutrition can slow the metabolism, impact bone density and even lead to cardiac arrest. But Eva says, with the right treatment, people can also recover fully. She's the president of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals and co-founder of Comenzar de Nuevo, a leading treatment facility in Latin America. Today on the show, host Emily Kwong talks about the physical and mental impacts of eating disorders with Dr. Trujillo and Moorea Friedmann, a teen mental health advocate and host of the podcast Balancing Act. Plus, how to recover in a world steeped in diet culture.

Eating disorder recovery in a world of diet culture

Listen · 13:45
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Will federal budget cuts affect space science?

Earlier this year, the White House proposed a nearly 24% cut to NASA's 2026 fiscal year budget — the largest in the agency's history. The trims are largely aimed at the NASA's fundamental science research and would halt science that has already been partially paid for, like the Mars sample return and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Many scientists and policy experts are also worried that the reduced funding would cause a scientific brain drain. But within the last month, Congress has started to discuss appropriations packages that may not severely contract the budget after all. So, in this episode, Regina reports on the important hypotheticals: What programs might be affected? Are these cuts likely to happen? If so, when?

Will federal budget cuts affect space science?

Listen · 13:05
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Is better human health hidden in the sea?

Many invertebrates living in the sunlight zone of the ocean have "superpowers," as marine biologist Drew Harvell calls them: They can regenerate limbs, are especially strong or can even steal the abilities of other animals. Roberto Moiola/Sysaworld/Getty Images hide caption

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Roberto Moiola/Sysaworld/Getty Images

Is better human health hidden in the sea?

For this week's Sea Camp, we're diving below the ocean's surface to explore the sunlight zone, the portion of ocean that's 0-200 meters deep. Here, we zoom in on some spineless inhabitants envied for their "superpowers." Marine biologist Drew Harvell tells us about stealthy sea slugs, sea stars with super strength and life-saving sponges.

Is better human health hidden in the sea?

Listen · 13:00
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Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media

Act now to ensure public media remains free and accessible to all. Your donation will help this essential American service survive and thrive. Visit donate.npr.org now.

Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media

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With help from AI, this threatened frog is making a comeback

How do scientists monitor the population and mating habits of the threatened California red-legged frog? With careful listening—and a little help from AI. Paula Sternberg Rodriguez/San Diego Natural History Museum hide caption

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Paula Sternberg Rodriguez/San Diego Natural History Museum

With help from AI, this threatened frog is making a comeback

If you were a miner in California during the Gold Rush, you might have dined on a California red-legged frog. The largest native frog in the western United States, this Golden State denizen used to be found as far inland as the Sierra Nevada mountains and south, into Baja California. But today, they're listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Conservationists have worked to translocate new populations of the red-legged frog back to California in hopes that their numbers can be restored. But how do they monitor those populations' growth? Enter AI.

With help from AI, this threatened frog is making a comeback

Listen · 13:33
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