Short Wave

NASA’s Artemis II mission is set to launch this week, which could bring humanity close to the moon for the first time since 1972. It’s a mission that’s over twenty years in the making – and even though it’s not the first venture out to the moon, it still involves a lot of firsts. If all goes to plan, the mission will bring the first woman, person of color and non-American close to the moon. But why are we embarking on a sequel space mission to begin with? And while they’re up in space, what could scientists learn about the possibility of life in space for those of us still on Earth?<br/><br/><em>Interested in more science behind current events? 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

Do you ever wish you could predict the future? The National Park Service in Washington D.C. does it every year when they forecast when the Capitol’s cherry blossoms will reach peak bloom. People travel from all over the world to enjoy the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival and to glimpse these fragile flowers before they are gone. On this month’s Nature Quest, we learn the ins and outs of cherry tree blossoms, how scientists make that big prediction every year — and why all this focus on blooms can help scientists better understand climate change. <br/><br/><strong>This episode is part of Nature Quest, our monthly segment from listeners noticing a change in the world around them. To participate, send a voice memo to </strong><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><strong>shortwave@npr.org</strong></a><strong> with your name, location and your question about a change you're seeing in nature!</strong><br/><br/><em>Want to learn more about nature’s calendar? Check out our first Nature Quest episode on </em><a href="https://lnk.to/RwKnWs"target="_blank" ><em>whether flowers are blooming early</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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

Short Wavers, we hear your requests. You want MORE! SPACE! So this is the first installment of a new segment<em> </em>focusing <em>only </em>on space news. First, we talk about the new sci-fi film <em>Project Hail Mary</em> and the accuracy of the science in the movie. Then, we move on to data centers in orbit, if they are better for the environment and why even send them up into space. Finally, we round out the conversation with a quick update about the upcoming Artemis II launch. The space nerds assembled for this conversation are host and astrophysicist <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1082526815/regina-g-barber"target="_blank" >Regina G Barber</a>, known space enthusiast and host of<em> All Things Considered </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/people/444796749/scott-detrow"target="_blank" >Scott Detrow</a> and NPR science correspondent <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/279612138/geoff-brumfiel"target="_blank" >Geoff Brumfiel</a>. <br/><br/><em>Interested in more on space? Check out our whole summer series, </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-3299/short-wave-space-camp"target="_blank" ><em>Space Camp</em></a><em>. Or 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

Would you drink recycled wastewater? It could be a solution to the global water crisis. But not everyone is ready to jump onboard. They say it’s not technology that’s keeping more cities from recycling their wastewater, but <em>psychology</em>. Experts call this resistance “the yuck factor.” We chat with water journalist <a href="https://www.burkectr.org/peter-annin"target="_blank" >Peter Annin</a> about some history behind water recycling – and why more cities could adopt the solution soon.<br/><br/><br><strong>This is part of a whole series on the world’s dwindling water supply. Check out the rest of the water series:</strong><br><a href="http://lnk.to/Ty93au"target="_blank" >Part 1</a>: When the wells run dry<br><a href="http://lnk.to/os7Fci"target="_blank" >Part 2</a>: The world’s groundwater problem<br><a href="https://lnk.to/7Mz2Ng"target="_blank" >Part 3</a>: Freshwater’s growing salt problem<br/><br/><br><em>Email us your questions about water, the wider environment – or anything else to do with science at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>. We may turn it into an episode in the future!</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 Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Aru Nair checked the facts. The audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.</em><br/><br/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

Around the world, the planet’s freshwater is getting saltier. And it’s because of people. For decades, salting roads, fertilizer run-off and evaporation driven by human-caused climate change have upped the salinity of lakes, rivers and groundwater. All that salt is detrimental to a lot of aquatic life and can be problematic for drinking water, too. But there’s still time to reverse course. In fact, many people have already started to change their ways. Today, producer Berly McCoy is on the case to see what solutions exist. <br/><br/><strong>This is part of a whole series on the world’s dwindling water supply. Check out </strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4td08QhjafDwUR1xeRsIAQ?si=69992763f6b04d2d"target="_blank" ><strong>part one</strong></a><strong> and </strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6UovZsufoNVJJfDpayLXut?si=e961070a8e774b40"target="_blank" ><strong>part two</strong></a><strong> of this water series!</strong><br/><br/><em>Email us your questions about water, the wider environment – or anything else to do with science at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>. We may turn it into an episode in the future!</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/><br/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

Groundwater is responsible for about half of the water people use globally. It’s drying up. Hayes Kelman started noticing the family farm in western Kansas was slowly getting less water around the time he was in high school. Now, as an adult and co-owner of Kelman farms, he is acutely aware that there’s a problem: the aquifer he uses to water his crops is being drained faster than it can be refilled. If something doesn’t change, someday it will run out of water.<br/><br/>Today, producer <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/985775371/berly-mccoy"target="_blank" >Berly McCoy</a> dives into the state of the world’s groundwater and asks: What happens when people pull too much? And can the damage be reversed?<br/><br/><strong>Check out part 1 of our water series, </strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4td08QhjafDwUR1xeRsIAQ?si=nzF8R9r6Qeyz_ltGSQmdrQ"target="_blank" ><strong>Day Zero: When the wells run dry</strong></a><strong>.</strong><br/><br/><em>Interested in more water 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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 honor of World Water Day, Short Wave is exploring the ways water touches our lives. From increasing water shortages around the world, to how it’s affecting agriculture and aquifers. We’re starting with “day zero”: the day a city or place runs out of water. Cape Town, Mexico City, Chennai in India are just a few places that have come close to day zero events. Today, we talk to experts and hear from someone who lived in Cape Town during the crisis about why we’re overdue for rethinking our relationship to water. <br/><br/><em>Interested in more science behind current events? 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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 multi-year megadrought in the Western U.S. has claimed untold populations of wild plants. Amid the conditions, some have survived. Scientists have produced a stunningly complete picture about how populations of one particular flower – the scarlet monkeyflower – made it through. <br/><br/><a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu0995"target="_blank" >In a new study published in the journal Science</a>, a team of scientists spent decades studying and sampling select populations of scarlet monkeyflowers in California and Oregon. Through genetic sequencing, the team discovered that the populations that did best went through genetic changes in a short time period. This is known as rapid evolution. <br/><br/>The team found that three of the populations that recovered the BEST adapted their stomata to open less, so they could conserve more water. Stomata act like a plant’s pores, managing gas exchange and water loss. This allowed the scarlet monkeyflowers to hunker down in the drought and survive. <br/><br/><em>Interested in more stories about rapid evolution? 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/><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/><em>This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre, Rachel Carlson and Hannah Chinn. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Rebecca Ramirez. Aru Nair checked the facts. The audio engineers were Becky Brown and Robert Rodriguez.</em><br/><br/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

The <a href="https://realfood.gov/"target="_blank" >new food pyramid</a> was released earlier this year. It emphasizes protein, full-fat dairy and what Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calls “healthy fats.” These guidelines influence the standards for  school lunches, food labeling and programs like SNAP. Today on the show, Short Wave co-host Emily Kwong chats with registered dietitian nutritionist <a href="https://www.thenutritiontea.com/about"target="_blank" >Shana Spence</a>, and <a href="https://profiles.ucsf.edu/sarah.kim"target="_blank" >Dr. Sarah Kim</a>, a diabetes specialist, about the new guidelines. Plus, NPR’s Reflect America fellow <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-90680/kadin-mills"target="_blank" >Kadin Mills</a> unpacks how the new food pyramid could change school lunch trays. <br/><br/><strong>Check out </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/05/nx-s1-5691598/school-lunch-food-pyramid-usda-dietary-guidelines"target="_blank" ><strong>more of Kadin’s coverage</strong></a><strong> about the changes in dietary guidelines.</strong><br/><br/><em>Interested in more health 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

US-Israeli airstrikes on oil depots culminated in ‘black rain’ in Iran early last week – a phenomenon usually caused by large amounts of soot, carbon and other pollutants in the air. Usually, rain leaves the atmosphere cleaner than it was before. But in this case, the rain left Tehran’s residents with sore throats and burning eyes. Oily, sooty residue was all over the city. So, we talked to an environmental pollution expert to find out: What’s in this ‘black rain’, what are its potential short- and long-term environmental and health effects, and what could recovery look like?<br/><br/><em>Interested in more science behind current events? 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

It’s likely you have at least one “guilty pleasure.” Maybe it’s romance novels. Or reality TV… Playing video games… or getting swept into <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/02/08/1229783535/ultimate-world-cruise-tiktok-reality-show"target="_blank" >obscure corners of TikTok</a>. Neuroscientists say the pleasure response helps us survive as a species. So why do we feel embarrassed by some of the things we love the most? Even if you <em>don't </em>have these negative emotions, experiencing – and studying – pleasure is not as straightforward as it might seem. For a long time, neuroscientists thought the concept of "pleasure" referred to a singular system in the brain. But as research into the subject grew, scientists realized that pleasure is really a cycle of "wanting" and "liking" – each with separate neural mechanisms. Today on the show, producer <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1112796909/rachel-carlson"target="_blank" >Rachel Carlson</a> explores this cycle with researchers, who weigh in on the science of pleasure. Even the kind that makes us feel guilty. <br/><br/><strong>Read more of </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/06/15/nx-s1-5006168/guilty-pleasure-meaning-brain-science"target="_blank" ><strong>Rachel’s story</strong></a><strong> on guilty pleasures. </strong><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/><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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

When producer <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/985775371/berly-mccoy"target="_blank" >Berly McCoy</a> was out on her local frozen lake, she saw something she'd never seen before. There were dark spidery, star-shaped patterns in the ice and they freaked her out. So, we called an expert to find out more about them. In today’s episode, geophysicist <a href="https://vivo.brown.edu/display/vtsai2"target="_blank" >Victor Tsai</a> tells us about lake stars and how he became the first person to scientifically prove how they form. Plus, he explains how knowing more about lake stars can potentially give us clues about the presence of water on Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons.<br/><br/><strong>Read Victor Tsai’s </strong><a href="https://www.whoi.edu/cms/files/Victor_21243.pdf"target="_blank" ><strong>full paper on lake stars here</strong></a><strong>.</strong><br/><br/><em>Have a question about something in the environment? 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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 1999 hundreds of gray whales washed up along the west coast of North America. More in 2000. They lost an estimated 25% of their population. But then the whale population recovered and people moved on. Until it happened again in 2019. And 2020, and 2021. It’s still happening today. Host <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1082526815/regina-g-barber"target="_blank" >Regina G. Barber</a> dives into this mystery with marine ecologist <a href="https://mmi.oregonstate.edu/people/joshua-stewart"target="_blank" >Joshua Stewart</a>, who explains how scientists like himself solved it – and the tough questions that came up along the way. <br/><br/><strong>Check out our </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-75877/short-wave-sea-camp"target="_blank" ><strong>Sea Camp series</strong></a><strong> and our </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/sea-camp"target="_blank" ><strong>limited run Sea Camp newsletter</strong></a><strong>, featuring deep dives into research, cute critters and games!</strong><br/><br/><em>Interested in more ocean mysteries? 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

Today, guest host <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/349308023/selena-simmons-duffin"target="_blank" >Selena Simmons-Duffin</a> is exploring a detail very personal to her: How the number of older brothers a person has can influence their sexuality.<br/><br/>Scientific research on sexuality has a dark history, with long-lasting harmful effects on queer communities. Much of the early research has also been debunked over time. But <em>not</em> this "fraternal birth order effect." The fact that a person's likelihood of being gay increases with each older brother has been found all over the world – from Turkey to North America, Brazil, the Netherlands and beyond. Today, Selena gets into all the details: What this effect is, how it's been studied and what it can (and can't) explain about sexuality.<br/><br/><br><strong>Interested in the science of our closest relatives? Check out more stories in NPR's series on </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/series/1241438370/the-science-of-siblings"target="_blank" ><strong>the Science of Siblings</strong></a><strong>.</strong><br/><br/><em>Email us at </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" ><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em> — we'd love to hear from you.</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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

Paleontologists have often determined how old a dinosaur was by counting the growth rings in its bones. Just like with trees, it was thought that each ring corresponded to a single year of age. But researchers who studied crocodiles at an outdoor recreation center near Cape Town appear to have poked a hole in that approach. In the crocodiles, which are some of the closest living relatives of dinosaurs, there was more than one growth ring laid down per year. The results contribute to a growing debate over the best way to age animals.<br/><br/><strong>Read more of freelance science reporter Ari Daniel’s </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/01/17/g-s1-106007/hiv-vaccine-trial-south-africa"target="_blank" ><strong>story here</strong></a><strong>.</strong><br/><br/><em>Interested in more on the future of 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/><br/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

Teens aren’t getting enough sleep! And a two-decade study suggests it’s getting worse. Scientists found that the number of high schoolers getting insufficient sleep — less than seven hours a night — has increased from 69% to 77%. The throughline? There wasn’t one. Teens had bad sleep habits across most demographics, including race, gender and grade level. <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2845759"target="_blank" >The findings were published</a> this week in the journal JAMA.<br/><br/><em>Interested in more science behind recent headlines? 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>For more about earthquake science – and the Cascadia Fault in particular – check out our </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/11/25/nx-s1-5607262/oregon-japan-earthquake-pacific-northwest"target="_blank" ><em>recent episode on the Pacific Northwest’s Big One</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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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 his role as secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is changing how the United States approaches vaccines. But those changes aren’t limited to the United States. NPR global health correspondent <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/470414236/gabrielle-emanuel"target="_blank" >Gabrielle Emanuel</a> joins <em>Short Wave</em> to talk about two examples of how the global public health landscape may be shifting. First, the United States’ ultimatum to an international vaccine group. Second, the uncertain fate of a vaccine trial. Some researchers are calling the trial a “unique” opportunity, and others are calling it “unethical.” <br/><br/><br><strong>Read more of global health correspondent Gabrielle Emanuel’s work </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/people/470414236/gabrielle-emanuel"target="_blank" ><strong>here</strong></a><strong>.</strong><br/><br/><br><em>Interested in more global health? 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

If you’ve been on the internet in the past few weeks, chances are you’ve seen <em>him</em>: a tiny gray-brown monkey dragging a big, stuffed orangutan around Japan’s Ichikawa Zoo. His name? Punch-kun, or Punch for short. His story? Early abandonment by his mother, careful treatment from local zookeepers and instant social media fame. But are all the (human) primates jumping to Punch’s defense justified? And what’s normal for Japanese macaque society, anyway? To find out, NPR’s <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1128948946/katia-riddle"target="_blank" >Katia Riddle</a> chats with psychology professor and animal expert <a href="https://www.drlaurenrobinson.com/"target="_blank" >Lauren Robinson</a>.<br><p dir="ltr"><em>Interested in more animal 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

Lakes are freezing later, thawing earlier and experiencing dramatic temperature swings in between. And all that throws off the delicate balance of life below the surface. And that has a major impact on the roughly 1.7 million ice fishers in the U.S. who spend millions of dollars buying equipment and guide services each year. Producer <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/985775371/berly-mccoy"target="_blank" >Berly McCoy</a> explains how scientists are tracking those ecological changes by getting out on the ice — to fish. <br/><br/><br><em>Interested in more freshwater 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>

Over half a billion people live by lakes that freeze over in the winter. But as the climate warms, those lakes are losing whole days of ice cover. Winters are also getting weirder, with more intense temperature swings that lead to multiple freezes and thaws. Those fluctuations make the ice less safe, and more likely for people to fall through as they walk. So, today, producer <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/985775371/berly-mccoy"target="_blank" >Berly McCoy</a> gets into how these changes are altering culture, community and safety on the ice – plus, how firefighters train for rescues. <br/><br/><strong>This is the first in a two-part series on how lake ice is changing. Check out Monday’s episode for part two!</strong><br/><br/><a href="https://npr.org/sections/the-picture-show/2026/02/27/g-s1-111346/madison-wisconsin-frozen-assets-festival"target="_blank" ><strong>Check out photos</strong></a><strong> from Berly’s reporting trip to Madison, Wisconsin.</strong><br/><br/><em>Interested in more winter 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/>To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:<br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<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>