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Science

Wednesday

Some researchers say the African coral tree has a racial slur embedded in its name. This month, scientists at an international meeting voted to have that epithet removed.

Some researchers say the African coral tree has a racial slur embedded in its name. This month, scientists at an international meeting voted to have that epithet removed. tree-species/Flickr hide caption

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tree-species/Flickr

Some plant names can be racist. Scientists are looking to rename them

An international group of researchers has voted to modify the scientific names of more than 200 plant species whose names carry a derogatory word.

Researchers are revising botanical names to address troubling connotations

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The Rubik's cube is turning 50. This is how the iconic puzzle really works

Over 500 million Rubik's Cubes have been sold. vitranc via Getty Images hide caption

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vitranc via Getty Images

Short Wave

The Rubik's cube is turning 50. This is how the iconic puzzle really works

The Rubik's Cube was created 50 years ago by Hungarian inventor Ernő Rubik. Since then, over 500 million of them have been sold. We dive into this global phenomenon that's captured the imagination of countless people around the world and inspired all kinds of competitions — even solving with your feet! But no matter the cube, the process of solving one involves math — specifically, algorithms. Roman Chavez loved Rubik's Cubes so much, he founded the Jr. Oakland Cubers in high school. Now a mathematics student at Cornell University, Roman talks to host Emily Kwong about how to solve the cube and what life lessons he's learned from the cube.

The Rubik's cube is turning 50. This is how the iconic puzzle really works

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Tuesday

The curious case of the supermassive black hole

This illustration depicts a supermassive black hole consuming the matter around it. NASA/Aurore Simonnet (Sonoma State Univ.) hide caption

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NASA/Aurore Simonnet (Sonoma State Univ.)

Short Wave

The curious case of the supermassive black hole

Black holes are one of the most mysterious cosmological phenomena out there. Astrophysicist Priya Natarajan calls them "the point where all known laws of physics break down."

The curious case of the supermassive black hole

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Monday

Edith Bouvier Beale at her home "Grey Gardens" in January 1972 in New York.

Edith Bouvier Beale at her home "Grey Gardens" in January 1972 in New York. A 1975 documentary by that name explores the reclusive lives of Beale and her mother, living in their dilapidated house with over 50 cats. Tom Wargacki/WireImage hide caption

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Tom Wargacki/WireImage

Pop Culture

JD Vance went viral for ‘cat lady’ comments. The centuries-old trope has a long tail

Vance lamented the country being run by "a bunch of childless cat ladies," including Vice President Harris. The trope has dogged women since the Middle Ages.

Tested: Unfair Advantage?
Dani Pendergast for NPR

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Tested: Unfair Advantage?

Episode 5: A battle over science and ethics unfolds. World Athletics releases and then tweaks multiple policies impacting DSD athletes, while critics cry foul. In this episode, World Athletics doubles down on its claims, Caster Semenya challenges the rules again, and we dig deep on a big question: what constitutes an "unfair" advantage on the track?

Tested: Unfair Advantage?

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A key protein called Reelin may help stave off Alzheimer's disease, according to a growing body of research.

A key protein called Reelin may help stave off Alzheimer's disease, according to a growing body of research. GSO Images/The Image Bank/Getty Images hide caption

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GSO Images/The Image Bank/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

A protein called Reelin keeps popping up in brains that resist aging and Alzheimer's

Early in life, the protein Reelin helps assemble the brain. Later on, it appears to protect the organ from Alzheimer's and other threats to memory and thinking.

Alzheimer's resilience

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We hate to tell you this, but there are leeches that can jump

There are over eight hundred species of leeches, but researchers estimate that only ten percent of all leeches are terrestrial. Auscape/Contributor/Getty Images hide caption

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Auscape/Contributor/Getty Images

Short Wave

We hate to tell you this, but there are leeches that can jump

Generally, we at Short Wave are open-minded to the creepies and the crawlies, but even we must admit that leeches are already the stuff of nightmares. They lurk in water. They drink blood. There are over 800 different species of them. And now, as scientists have confirmed ... at least some of them can jump!

We hate to tell you this, but there are leeches that can jump

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Sunday

Saturday

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, wearing Boeing spacesuits, wave as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center for Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to board the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft for the Crew Flight Test launch, on June 5.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams wave as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to board the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on June 5. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images

Opinion

Simon Says

Opinion: Think you have a rough travel story? Try 52 days stuck in space

Two astronauts have been hanging out on the International Space Station since last month, waiting for the Boeing capsule that got them there to be repaired to bring them home.

ESSAY 7-27-2024

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Friday

I avoided plastic for a week. Here is what I learned about a plastic-free life

Plastic free July Elizabeth Gillis/NPR hide caption

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Elizabeth Gillis/NPR

Environment

I avoided plastic for a week. Here is what I learned about a plastic-free life

Plastic is everywhere, but we ditched it for a week. Here are some tips from our experiment that you can use to cut back your own plastic use.

Could you go a whole week without buying new plastic?

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What chimpanzee gestures reveal about human communication

Two chimpanzees groom each other — a behavior that can involve several gestures. Anup Shah/Getty Images hide caption

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Anup Shah/Getty Images

Short Wave

What chimpanzee gestures reveal about human communication

Chimpanzees are humans' closest living relatives. But does much of their communication resembles ours? According to a new study published earlier this week in the journal Current Biology, chimpanzees gesture back-and-forth in a similar way to how humans take turns speaking. The research presents an intriguing possibility that this style of communication may have evolved before humans split off from great apes, and tells researchers more about how turn-taking evolved.

What chimpanzee gestures reveal about human communication

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Thursday

In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13.

In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13. NASA/via AP hide caption

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NASA/via AP

Space

NASA still doesn't know when two astronauts will be able to come home

NASA still is not sure when two astronauts might come home in Boeing's new Starliner spacecraft.

Boeing Starliner return date is delayed indefinitely

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A bipartisan bill seeks to ban octopus farming in the U.S., outlawing a practice that has drawn controversy in Spain. Here, an octopus is seen at the Oceanopolis sea center in Brest, western France.

A bipartisan bill seeks to ban octopus farming in the U.S., outlawing a practice that has drawn controversy in Spain. Here, an octopus is seen at the Oceanopolis sea center in Brest, western France. Fred Tanneau/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Fred Tanneau/AFP via Getty Images

Animals

Octopus farming in the U.S. would be banned under a new bill in Congress

The OCTOPUS Act would ban farming the animal, and imports of farmed meat. It was introduced by a senator whose office says he learned about the plan through a story on NPR.

A view from the Oak Tree Grove June 28, 2024 in Dos Rios State Park in Modesto, California.

The sun rises, shedding light onto an oak grove along the western edge of Dos Rios. Geloy Concepcion for NPR hide caption

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Geloy Concepcion for NPR

Environment

California's newest state park is like a time machine

California's newest state park just opened this summer — and a visit is like stepping into a time machine as its creators reimagine what a state park can be.

California's newest state park is like a time machine

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Tested: Running in Circles
Dani Pendergast for NPR

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Tested: Running in Circles

Episode 4: In 2009, South African sprinter Caster Semenya won gold at the World Championships. But instead of a celebration, she endured endless speculation about her body, her biology, and her gender. And soon, sports organizations would launch a new round of regulations, lead to multiple court cases, and require sporting organizations to justify their claim that DSD athletes have an unfair advantage.

Tested: Running in Circles

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