Short Wave

In 1928, a chance contaminant in Scottish physician Alexander Fleming’s lab experiment led to a discovery that would change the field of medicine forever: penicillin. Since then, penicillin and other antibiotics have saved millions of lives. With one problem: the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. Today on Short Wave, host <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1082526815/regina-g-barber"target="_blank" >Regina G. Barber</a> talks to biophysicist <a href="https://nano.huji.ac.il/people/nathalie-questembert-balaban"target="_blank" >Nathalie Balaban</a> about the conundrum — and a discovery her lab has made in bacteria that could turn the tides.<br/><br/><br><strong>Check out our episodes on </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/02/05/1229167010/yellowstone-bacteria-hot-springs-microbes-relationship"target="_blank" ><strong>extreme bacteria in Yellowstone</strong></a><strong> and </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/01/17/1225172117/life-species-luca-ancestors"target="_blank" ><strong>the last universal common ancestor</strong></a><strong>. </strong><br/><br/><br><em>Interested in more science behind our medicines? Email us your question at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>This episode was produced by Berly McCoy, edited by our showrunner Rebecca Ramirez and fact checked by Tyler Jones. Jimmy Keeley was the audio engineer. </em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

Rhythm is everywhere. Even if you don’t think you have it, it’s fundamental to humans’ biological systems. Our heartbeat is rhythmic. Speech is rhythmic. Even as babies, humans can track basic rhythm. Researchers wanted to find out if there were more layers to this: Could babies also track melody and more complicated rhythms? So they played Bach for a bunch of sleeping newborns and monitored the babies’ brains to see if they could predict the next note. What they found offers clues about whether melody and rhythm are hard-wired in the human brain or learned over time. We also get into what powers the eating habits of some snakes and chameleons, and insights into the role of sleep in problem-solving.<br/><br/><br><em>Have a scientific question you want us to answer? Email us at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to Short Wave on </em><a href="https://n.pr/3HOQKeK"target="_blank" ><em>Spotify</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://n.pr/3WA9vqh"target="_blank" ><em>Apple Podcasts</em></a><em>. </em><br/><br/><br><em>This episode was produced by Jordan-Marie Smith and Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez and Christopher Intagliata. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineers were Jimmy Keeley and Hannah Gluvna.</em> <br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

Olympic sliding sports – bobsled, luge and skeleton – are known for their speed. Athletes chase medals down a track of ice at up to 80 or 90 mph. With this thrill comes the risk of “sled head.” Athletes use the term to explain the dizziness, nausea, exhaustion and even blackouts that can follow a brain-rattling run. Untreated, this can turn into concussions and subconcussions. But there’s still a lot more to learn about this condition. So today, host <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/767284140/emily-kwong"target="_blank" >Emily Kwong</a> speaks with two experts about the medical research into sled head – and how the sport would need to change to protect athletes’ brain health.<br/><br/><strong>Check out more of </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-104526/2026-olympics"target="_blank" ><strong>NPR’s Olympics coverage</strong></a><strong>.</strong><br/><br/><em>Interested in more Olympic science? Email us your question at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

Autism has a long history of misinformation that continues to today. The Trump administration has perpetuated some of this misinformation in the last year. Among other things, officials have claimed certain groups of people don’t get the condition and that taking Tylenol while pregnant causes autism to later develop in children. Today, NPR Science Correspondent <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/2100615/jon-hamilton"target="_blank" >Jon Hamilton</a> sets the record straight with host <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/767284140/emily-kwong"target="_blank" >Emily Kwong</a> on what scientists do and don’t know about autism. <br/><br/><br><strong>If you liked this episode, check out our episodes on an </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/09/24/nx-s1-5522134/autism-tylenol-trump-research-pain-pregnacy"target="_blank" ><strong>Autism researcher’s take on Trump’s claims about Tylenol</strong></a><strong> and </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/05/05/993838102/a-fragile-x-treatment-may-be-on-the-horizon"target="_blank" ><strong>a Fragile X treatment</strong></a><strong> that may be on the horizon.</strong><br/><br/><br><em>Interested in more science in the news? Email us your question at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><em>This episode was produced by Berly McCoy. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Damian Herring.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

PFAS make pans nonstick, clothes waterproof and furniture stain resistant. They're so ubiquitous, they're even <em>inside</em> of us. Now, researchers are looking for more insights in firefighters' blood.<br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

On Jan. 28, 1986, NASA’s 25th space shuttle mission, Challenger, left the launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Seventy-three seconds into flight, Challenger exploded over the Atlantic Ocean as millions of people watched. All seven people on board died. Now, forty years later, journalist Adam Higginbotham chronicles what went wrong. His book <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Challenger/Adam-Higginbotham/9781982176617"target="_blank" ><em>Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space</em></a> pieces together stories from key officials, engineers and the families of those killed in the explosion – and details how its legacy still haunts spaceflight today. <br/><br/><br><em>Consider</em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/03/25/1198909547/nasa-international-space-station-loral-ohara-research-human-health"target="_blank" ><em> checking out our episode</em></a><em> speaking to </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/03/25/1198909547/nasa-international-space-station-loral-ohara-research-human-health"target="_blank" ><em>an astronaut while she’s in space</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Have a scientific question you want us to answer? Email us at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to Short Wave on </em><a href="https://n.pr/3HOQKeK"target="_blank" ><em>Spotify</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://n.pr/3WA9vqh"target="_blank" ><em>Apple Podcasts</em></a><em>. </em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

This past weekend, Winter Storm Fern struck the States. Sleet, snow and ice battered Americans all the way from New Mexico to New York. Scientists predicted its arrival in mid-January, and in anticipation of the storm, more than 20 state governors issued emergency declarations. But how did scientists know so much, so early, about the approaching storm? NPR climate reporter <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/384067907/rebecca-hersher"target="_blank" >Rebecca Hersher</a> says it has to do with our weather models… and the data we put into them. Which begs the question: Will we continue to invest in them?<br/><br/><em>Interested in more science behind the weather? Check out our episodes on </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/10/10/nx-s1-5570121/weather-island-science-forecast-storm"target="_blank" ><em>better storm prediction</em></a><em> in the tropics and how the </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1249800806"target="_blank" ><em>Santa Ana winds impact the fire season</em></a><em> this time of year. </em><br/><br/><br><em>Have a question we haven’t covered? Email us at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>. We’d love to consider it for a future episode! </em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by our showrunner Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones and Rebecca Hersher checked the facts. The audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez. </em><br/><br/><em>News clips were from CBS Boston, Fox Weather, Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, and PBS Newshour.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

Listener Shabnam Khan has a problem: Every time she works in her garden, she’s visited by lizards and frogs. Shabnam has lived in the metro Atlanta area for decades, and she says this number of scaly, clammy visitors has exploded over the past few years. Frogs croak at night; lizards sun on the cement. And she wants to know, where did all of these animals come from? It turns out, there are a number of potential answers – from small-scale environmental changes like natural plants and new water sources to large-scale shifts like urbanization and development displacing local wildlife. On this month’s <em>Nature Quest</em>, host <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/767284140/emily-kwong"target="_blank" >Emily Kwong</a> and producer <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1255819925/hannah-chinn"target="_blank" >Hannah Chinn</a> discuss the possibilities – and impacts – of these changes.<br/><br/>If you live in the Atlanta area and are interested in volunteering with MAAMP (the Metro Atlanta Amphibian Monitoring Program), you can <a href="https://amphibianfoundation.typeform.com/MAAMP?typeform"target="_blank" >sign up for training here</a>.<br/><br/>This episode is part of Nature Quest, our monthly segment that brings you a question from a fellow listener who is noticing a change in the world around them.<br/><br/><strong>Send a voice memo to </strong><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><strong>shortwave@npr.org</strong></a><strong> telling us your name, location and a question about a change you’re seeing in nature – it could be our next Nature Quest episode!</strong><br/><br/><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

There’s an ongoing, near-total blackout of the internet in Iran. The shutdown is part of a response by the government to ongoing protests against rising inflation and the value of the nation’s currency plummeting. Since protests began more than two weeks ago, only an estimated 3% of Iranians have stayed online through the satellite internet system Starlink. Doing so is a crime. So, today on the show: Iran offline. We get into how the internet works, how a government can shut it down and how scientists are monitoring the nation’s connectivity from afar. <br/><br/><strong>Check out more of NPR's coverage of Iran: </strong><br/><br/>- <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/01/22/nx-s1-5684033/iran-2026-protests"target="_blank" >Iran Protests Explained</a><br/><br/>- <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/01/15/nx-s1-5678567/iran-internet-blackout-starlink"target="_blank" >There's an internet blackout in Iran. How are videos and images getting out?</a><br/><br/>- <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/01/22/nx-s1-5680784/iran-blocked-the-internet-amid-deadly-protests-some-voices-are-still-getting-through"target="_blank" >Iran blocked the internet amid deadly protests. Some voices are still getting through</a><br/><br/><em>Interested in more science behind the headlines? Email us your question at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em> – we may tackle it in a future episode!</em><br/><br/><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><em>This episode was produced by Berly McCoy, edited by Rebecca Ramirez and fact checked by Tyler Jones. Robert Rodriguez was the audio engineer.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

A new study shows penguins are <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.70201"target="_blank" >breeding earlier than ever</a> in the Antarctic Peninsula. This region is one of the fastest-warming areas of the world due to climate change, and penguins time their breeding period to environmental conditions. That’s everything from the temperature outside and whether there’s ice on the ground to what food is available. Changes in those conditions could contribute to mating changes. Plus, answers to a debate about how ice melts and how dirty diapers train parents in the art of disgust. <br/><br/><br><em>Have a scientific question you want us to answer? Email us at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to Short Wave on </em><a href="https://n.pr/3HOQKeK"target="_blank" ><em>Spotify</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://n.pr/3WA9vqh"target="_blank" ><em>Apple Podcasts</em></a><em>. </em><br/><br/><br><em>This episode was produced by Jason Fuller and Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez and Christopher Intagliata. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineers were Kwesi Lee and Hannah Gluvna.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

Cloud 9 is a failed galaxy. It’s a clump of dark matter, called a dark matter halo, that never formed stars. But this failure could be the key to a mystery almost as old as the universe itself: dark matter. Scientists don’t know what dark matter is, but Cloud 9 could offer new clues. Three researchers weigh in on this new discovery and why it could be a missing piece to the story on how the universe formed.<br/><br/><br><em>Check out our episode with astrophysicist Jorge Moreno on the </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/05/01/1198909922/great-attractor-universe-laniakea-milky-way-galaxy"target="_blank" ><em>mysterious Great Attractor</em></a><em> and our </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-3299/short-wave-space-camp"target="_blank" ><em>summer series on space</em></a><em>. </em><br/><br/><br><em>Have a scientific question you want us to answer? Email us at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

Medical drama <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31938062/"target="_blank" >The Pitt</a> is winning Golden Globes… and health care workers’ hearts. Medical experts say the show, which chronicles a fictional Pittsburgh hospital emergency department, is perhaps the most medically accurate show that’s ever been created. But what about The Pitt makes it so accurate… and does the second season hold up as well as the first? Stanford Global Health Media Fellow (and fourth-year medical school student) <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-75872/michal-ruprecht"target="_blank" >Michal Ruprecht</a> joins Short Wave to discuss.<br/><br/><em>Have a question about YOUR favorite show and whether science supports it? Email us at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Maggie Luthar.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

In today's episode, host Emily Kwong leads us on a night hike in Patuxent River State Park in Maryland. Alongside a group of naturalists led by Serenella Linares, we'll meet a variety of species with unique survival quirks and wintertime adaptations. We'll search out lichen that change color under UV light and flip over a wet log to track a salamander keeping warm under wet leaves. Emily may even meet the bioluminescent mushrooms of her dreams. Plus, we talk about community events to get outside, such as the City Nature Challenge and Great American Campout.<br aria-hidden="true"><br aria-hidden="true"><em>Do you have a question about changes in your local environment? Email a recording of your question to <a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" >shortwave@npr.org</a> — we may investigate it as part of an upcoming Nature Quest segment!<br aria-hidden="true"><br aria-hidden="true">Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org/shortwave</a>.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

Wanna know where tech is headed this year? MIT Technology Review has answers. They compile an annual list called "<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/12/1130697/10-breakthrough-technologies-2026/"target="_blank" >10 Breakthrough Technologies</a>". Today, host <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1082526815/regina-g-barber"target="_blank" >Regina G. Barber</a> speaks with executive editor <a href="http://www.amynordrum.com/"target="_blank" >Amy Nordrum</a> about the list, and they get into everything from commercial space stations and base-edited babies to batteries that could make electric vehicles even more green. We also do a lightning round of honorable mentions you won't want to miss out on!<br/><br/><br><strong>Check out </strong><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/12/1130697/10-breakthrough-technologies-2026"target="_blank" ><strong>the full list from MIT Technology Review</strong></a><strong>.</strong><br/><br/><strong>Interested in more science? Check out our episode on </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/01/31/1228085791/ai-artificial-intelligence-mit-cows-methane"target="_blank" >last year’s top 10 technologies</a><strong> to watch and our episode on </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/12/16/nx-s1-5608226/could-architecture-in-space-make-a-greener-earth"target="_blank" >building structures in space</a><strong>.</strong><br/><br/><em>Email us your questions at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><em>This episode was produced by Berly McCoy. It was edited and fact-checked by Rebecca Ramirez. The audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

An estimated 5-10% of the U.S. population experiences a disorder with their TMJ, the joint that connects their jaw to their skull. The good news? Relief is possible. The secret? Go see your dentist. Today on the show, Emily talks with <a href="https://www.riversideoralsurgery.com/meet-us/meet-dr-richer/"target="_blank" >Justin Richer</a>, an oral surgeon, about the diagnosis and treatment of TMJ disorders.<br/><br/><em>Got a question about your teeth or dentistry? Email us at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

Emily Kwong is pretty sure she lacks an inner monologue, while the inner monologue of producer Rachel Carlson won’t stop chatting. But how well can a person know their inner self? And what does science have to say about it?<br/><br/><br>To learn more about Charles Fernyhough’s research on voice hearing, <a href="https://hearingthevoice.org/about-the-project/"target="_blank" >visit the project website</a>. <br/><br/><br><em>Interested in more science inside your brain? Email us your question at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

What's your favorite apple? Maybe it's the crowd-pleasing Honeycrisp, the tart Granny Smith or the infamous Red Delicious. Either way, before that apple made it to your local grocery store or orchard it had to be invented — by a scientist. So today, we're going straight to the source: Talking to an apple breeder. Producer <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1255819925/hannah-chinn"target="_blank" >Hannah Chinn</a> reports how apples are selected, bred, grown ... and the discoveries that could change that process. Plus, what's a "spitter"?<br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/10/28/1211596837/apple-orchard-picking-honeycrisp-fuji"target="_blank" ><em>Read more of Hannah's apple reporting</em></a>.<br/><br/><em>Want to know how science impacts other food you eat? Email us at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em> and we might cover your food of choice on a future episode!</em><br/><br/><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

Scientists have found the first compelling evidence that cognitive training can boost levels of a brain chemical that typically declines as people age. The results of this 10-week study back earlier animal research showing that environments that stimulate the brain can increase levels of certain neurotransmitters. And other studies of people have suggested that cognitive training can improve thinking and memory. So how does it all work? And by how much does it all work? Here to break everything down and help you understand how to keep your brain sharp is NPR science correspondent <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/2100615/jon-hamilton"target="_blank" >Jon Hamilton</a>.<br/><br/><em>Interested in more brain science? Email us your question at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/><br><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

<p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 13.6px;">This week, we’re sharing a special episode from TED Tech exploring Gen Z slang words like "unalive," "skibidi" and "rizz." Where do these words come from — and how do they get popular so fast? Linguist Adam Aleksic explores how the forces of social media algorithms are reshaping the way people talk and view their very own identities. <p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 13.6px;">Technology’s role in our lives is evolving fast. TED Tech helps you explore the riveting questions and tough challenges we’re faced with that sit at the intersection of technology and humanity. Listen in every Friday, with host, journalist Sherrell Dorsey, as TED speakers explore the way tech shapes how we think about society, science, design, business, and more. <p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 13.6px;">Listen to TED Tech wherever you get your podcasts or go to: <em><a href="https://link.mgln.ai/Ng9EKL"target="_blank" >https://link.mgln.ai/Ng9EKL</a> </em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.davidewingduncan.com/"target="_blank" >David Ewing Duncan</a> has spent the last 25 years being poked and prodded in the name of science. He’s signed up for hundreds of tests because, as a journalist, he writes about emerging health breakthroughs. He says one recent test contains more useful data than anything he’s seen to date. He talks to host <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/767284140/emily-kwong"target="_blank" >Emily Kwong</a> about his score on the Immune Health Metric, which was developed by immunologist <a href="https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/john-tsang/"target="_blank" >John Tsang</a>. Together, David and John explain why immune health is so central to overall health and how a simple blood test could one day predict disease before it starts.<p dir="ltr"><em><a href="https://www.humanimmunomeproject.org/"target="_blank" >Learn more</a> about the Human Immunome Project.</em><p dir="ltr"><em><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/09/1125376/how-healthy-am-i-my-immunome-knows-the-score/"target="_blank" >Read</a> David’s full article about his experience with the Immune Health Metric. The piece is a collaboration between MIT Technology Review and Aventine, a non-profit research foundation that creates and supports content about how technology and science are changing the way we live.</em><p dir="ltr"><em>Interested in more health science? Email us your question at <a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" >shortwave@npr.org</a>.</em><p dir="ltr"><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org/shortwave</a>.</em><br/><br/>Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a><br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>