Short Wave

It's Election Day in the United States. Across the nation, millions of ballots are being cast. But what would happen if the rules of our electoral system were changed? Certain states are about to find out. This year, several places have alternative voting systems up for consideration on their ballots, and those systems could set an example for voting reform throughout the rest of the country. Short Wave producer Hannah Chinn and host Emily Kwong dive into three voting methods that are representative of those systems: Where they've been implemented, how they work, and what they might mean for elections in the future. What to hear more about the math powering our lives? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your idea on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

How did life start on Earth? The answer is a big scientific mystery scientists are actively investigating. After talking with many scientists, host Regina G. Barber found that an abundance of water on Earth is most likely key, in some way, to the origin of life — specifically, in either deep sea hydrothermal vents or in tide pools. It's for this reason some scientists are also exploring the potential for life in so-called "water worlds" elsewhere in the solar system, like some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. This episode, Regina digs into two water-related hypotheses for the origin on life on Earth — and what that might mean for possible alien life. Have another scientific mystery you want us to cover on a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might feature your idea on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

For years, we've been asking, "Which came first: the chicken or the egg?" Maybe what we should have been asking is, "Which came first: the frog or the tadpole?" A new paper in the journal Nature details the oldest known tadpole fossil. Ringing in 20 million years earlier than scientists previously had evidence of, this fossil might get us closer to an answer. Have another scientific discovery you want us to cover on a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might feature your idea on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

NOTE: This episode contains multiple high-pitched noises (human and other animals) that some listeners might find startling or distressing. In this episode, host Regina G. Barber and NPR correspondent Nate Rott dive into the science behind the sound of fear. Along the way, they find out what marmot shrieks, baby cries and horror movie soundtracks have in common — and what all of this tells us about ourselves. If you like this episode, check out our episode on fear and horror movies. Curious about other science powering the human experience? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your topic on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Humans have seen a significant increase in life expectancy over the past 200 years — but not in overall lifespan. Nobody on record has lived past 122 years. So, for this early Halloween episode, host Regina G. Barber asks: Why do we age and why do we die? Microbiologist Venki Ramakrishnan explains some of the mechanisms inside of our bodies that contribute to our decay — and tells us if it's possible to intervene in the process. Curious about other biology news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your topic on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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 Hannah Chinn reports how apples are selected, bred, grown ... and the discoveries that could change that process. Plus, what's a "spitter"? Want to know how science impacts other food you eat? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your food of choice on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

More than a million species are at risk of extinction, many within decades, because of human actions. Among them? The kāhuli, Hawaii's native tree snails that are some of the most endangered animals on the planet. At one point, there used to be about 750 species of snails in Hawaii — almost all of them found nowhere else. Now, they are rapidly disappearing. NPR climate reporters Lauren Sommer and Ryan Kellman join host Emily Kwong to tell the story of the small team caring for the last of some of these snail species — and their fight against extinction. Read more of Lauren and Ryan's reporting. Curious about other biodiversity news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your topic on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

For the past 70 years, schizophrenia treatments all targeted the same chemical: dopamine. While that works for some, it causes brutal side effects for others. An antipsychotic drug approved last month by the FDA changes that. It triggers muscarinic receptors instead of dopamine receptors. The drug is the result of a chance scientific finding ... from a study that wasn't even focused on schizophrenia. Host Emily Kwong and NPR pharmaceutical correspondent Sydney Lupkin dive into where the drug originated, how it works and what it might shift for people with schizophrenia. Read more of Sydney's reporting. Curious about other drug treatments in the news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your topic on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Every American red wolf alive right now is descended from only 14 canids. In the 1970s, humans drove the red wolf to the brink of extinction. Because of that, red wolves today have low genetic diversity. But what if we could recover that diversity ... using "ghost genes"? That's right, today's episode is a ghost story. Along the way, we get into gene dictionaries, the possibilities of poo and how a photo of a common Texas coyote started it all. Have another animal you want us to dig into for a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Calling all foragers! The new board game Undergrove, co-designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and Mark Wooten, is all about the symbiotic relationships between trees and fungi. Players assume the role of mature Douglas fir trees and partner with mushrooms, which represent the mycorrhizal network. P.S. If the name "Elizabeth Hargrave" sounds familiar — she also designed the bird-collecting game Wingspan. Have another science-backed board game you'd like us to play? Email us at shortwave@npr.org! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

In the humid rainforests of northern and eastern Madagascar reside seven newly described frog species. They often hang out near fast, flowing rivers. These treefrogs' high-pitched, "futuristic" sounds may help male frogs attract females over the sound of nearby rushing water. They also are what inspired their Star Trek-themed names. Have another animal you want us to dig into for a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

NASA's Europa Clipper mission launched Monday, beginning its years-long journey to the distant icy moon it's named after. This mission is designed to tell scientists more about the structure, the interior and the habitability of Europa, one of the four large moons of Jupiter. Host Regina G. Barber talks with astrobiologist and friend of the show Mike Wong about why their mutual love for this fascinating moon and what it means for the search for life outside of Earth. Plus, they talk about other icy moons that may also have the trifecta of ingredients needed to sustain life: liquid water, specific elements and an energy source. Want to hear more space science? Let your voice be heard by emailing shortwave@npr.org! Also, if you liked this episode, check out our episodes on NASA's future missions to Uranus and our episode on whether Dune could really exist! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

In honor of our show turning 5 (!!) today... 5 Short Wave staffers answer 5(x2) questions from some of our 5-year-old listeners and explain the science ... like they're 5. SPOILER ALERT: The questions are brilliant, delightful and span everything from how colors work to insects, the formation of Earth and space. Want to know more about the science of the world? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might cover it on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Host Regina G. Barber talks with Rosalyn LaPier about ethnobotany--what it is and how traditional plant knowledge is frequently misunderstood in the era of COVID and psychedelics. And, how it's relevant and important for reproductive health today. (encore) Have a topic you want us to cover on a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Even though there are more than 10,000 rock glaciers in the western United States, most people would look at one without knowing it. Unlike the snowy glaciers we're more familiar with, rock glaciers are under-researched and hiding in plain sight. But inside these glaciers covered with rocks is a little bit of climate hope. Read more of science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce's reporting here. Want to know more about the hidden science of the world? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might cover it on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

In human history, fear kept us safe when running from predators and anxiety kept us from going back to that lion-infested area. But what happens when these feelings get out of hand in humans today? And why do some of us crave that feeling from scary movies or haunted houses? For answers, we turn to Arash Javanbakht, a psychiatrist from Wayne State University. He likes studying fear so much, he wrote a whole book called Afraid. This episode, he gets into the difference between fear and anxiety, many of the reasons people feel afraid and why things like scary movies could even be therapeutic. Want to know more about the science behind what keeps you up at night? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might cover it on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

For over a century, we've been inventing technology to catch liars in the act. To this end, the polygraph was invented and became wildly popular in the mid-20th century. Then, there was an era of "micro-expression training," which claimed person could be caught lying through a skilled analysis of their face. Now, there's talk of using artificial intelligence to analyze the human voice. But do any of these methods even work? And if not ... what are the risks? Emily and Gina investigates how deception research has changed and why it matters. Check out our episode page, where Emily linked to the experts she talked to and the papers she discussed. Got another human behavior you want us to investigate using science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Fruit fly brains are smaller than a poppy seed, but that doesn't mean they aren't complex. For the first time, researchers have published a complete diagram of 50 million connections in an adult fruit flies brain. The journal Nature simultaneously published nine papers related to this new brain map. Until now, only a roundworm and a fruit fly larva had been mapped in this way. Read more of science correspondent Jon Hamilton's reporting here. Want to know more about the future of brain science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might cover it on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Lightning: It happens all the time, and yet the exact details of how it's made has long eluded scientists. That is, until now. New research out this week in the journal Nature holds new insights into the precursor to lightning. To figure it out, researchers flew a NASA ER-2 – essentially the research version of a spy plane – over several tropical thunderstorms. What they found: The same high energy radiation is found in places like neutron stars and around black holes. Want to hear more stories about the science behind natural phenomena? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Years ago, astronomy professors started noticing something that troubled them: Many of their students didn't understand climate change and the science supporting it. So a small group of professors decided to do something about it — teach climate change in their introductory astronomy courses. Want to hear more stories about climate change? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy