Short Wave

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>