Short Wave
Hosted by Emily Kopp & Regina G. Barber · 36 decoded episodes · newest Oct 7, 2026
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.<br><br><em> Support public media by joining NPR+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org</em></a><em>. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for Short Wave.</em>
Episodes 36
- Sep 16, 2026 · 14 minCheaper batteries push renewable power beyond the sunsetFalling battery costs are changing when renewable electricity can be used, while new chemistries could determine whether storage lasts hours or days.
- Sep 15, 2026 · 13 minWhy doctors miss diagnoses—and how they can improveDiagnostic errors can reshape patients’ lives, but better listening, case review, accountability, and trauma-informed care offer ways to make medicine safer.
- Sep 14, 2026 · 14 minBMI’s universal rules miss unequal diabetes riskThe episode weighs whether race-specific BMI thresholds could catch metabolic risk earlier without entrenching race as a medical shortcut.
- Sep 11, 2026 · 13 minAnimals build a shared pharmacy from natureAnimal self-medication reveals sophisticated behavior, points toward new medicines, and makes ecosystem protection part of human healthcare.
- Sep 9, 2026 · 14 minPostpartum psychosis remains dangerously misunderstoodThe episode shows how gaps in research, diagnosis, and care can obscure a serious condition while amplifying misconceptions about who is at risk.
- Sep 8, 2026 · 11 minHurricanes may accelerate evolution in island lizardsThe episode shows how sudden environmental shocks can leave measurable biological changes while widening the picture of heat-related risk and artifact fraud.
- Sep 7, 2026 · 14 minBrain development keeps changing past the supposed age of maturityThe findings challenge a simple age-25 cutoff while showing why brain development varies across people and unfolds over a much longer timeline.
- Sep 4, 2026 · 15 minHeat kills thousands more Americans than records showUndercounted heat deaths obscure the scale of a growing public-health threat and make it harder for communities to protect vulnerable residents.
- Sep 2, 2026 · 13 minEmotional skills can reshape decisions, relationships and healthThe episode frames emotional regulation as a learnable skill with consequences for judgment, relationships, coping and long-term health.
- Sep 1, 2026 · 13 minSeashells reveal oceans under pressureShells connect human history and commerce to a measurable warning about how carbon dioxide is changing marine life.
- Aug 31, 2026 · 15 minCTE study raises alarm while exposing major limitsThe findings highlight serious brain-injury concerns for former NFL players without showing how common CTE is among today’s athletes.
- Aug 28, 2026 · 14 minNASA turns spy-satellite hardware toward the universeRoman’s unusually broad surveys could test cosmic expansion, map dark matter, find distant planets, and expose discoveries its planners did not anticipate.