Party In Peru: New Critters Just Dropped
Short Wave
by NPR
5h ago
What happens when a team of scientists and local Awajún guides go on a 38-day trip into the Alto Mayo region of Peru? Over 2000 species are identified, of course! Tucked in this lush landscape where the Amazon basin meets the Andes mountains, were 27 species of animals previously unknown to science. It makes us wonder, what else is out there that the scientific community hasn't seen? And who already knows about it? Check out photos of all the critters we mentioned — and more! Other ecosystems or critters you think would make a good episode? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org! Listen ..read more
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When AI Cannibalizes Its Data
Short Wave
by NPR
1d ago
Asked ChatGPT anything lately? Talked with a customer service chatbot? Read the results of Google's "AI Overviews" summary feature? If you've used the Internet lately, chances are, you've consumed content created by a large language model. These models, like DeepSeek-R1 or OpenAI's ChatGPT, are kind of like the predictive text feature in your phone on steroids. In order for them to "learn" how to write, the models are trained on millions of examples of human-written text. Thanks in part to these same large language models, a lot of content on the Internet today is written by generative AI. Tha ..read more
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Could This Particle 'Clean Up' A Cosmic Mystery?
Short Wave
by NPR
2d ago
Physics has a bit of a messy problem: There's matter missing in our universe. Something is there that we can't see but can detect! What could this mysterious substance be? A lot of astronomers are searching for the answer. And some, like theoretical particle physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, think a hypothetical particle called the axion may make this problem a little ... tidier. That's right: hypothetical. Scientists have never seen one, and don't know if they exist. So today, we point our cosmic magnifying glasses towards the axion and ask how scientists could find one — and if it could b ..read more
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Lessons in Love From Voles
Short Wave
by NPR
5d ago
For years, scientists have known that oxytocin is important in facilitating the feeling of love in humans. How do they know? Prairie voles. For years, scientists have relied on the cuddly rodents to help us humans understand how this protein works in our brains. But within the past few years, research has complicated that understanding, prompting the question: Can love prevail without the "love" hormone? (encore) Help shape the future of Short Wave by taking our survey: npr.org/shortwavesurvey Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Sh ..read more
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Stopping A Deadly Disease On Apache Lands
Short Wave
by NPR
1w ago
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is one of the deadliest tickborne diseases in the United States, often killing people within about a week if left untreated. At one point, the San Carlos Apache Reservation had rates of infection 150 times the national average. But now, they've achieved a huge milestone — no deaths from the disease in at least five years. NPR science correspondent Pien Huang and producer Megan Lim visited the reservation to see the program that led to their success. Read Pien's full story here. Interested in hearing more science success stories? Email us at shortwave@npr.org. Lis ..read more
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What Happens Inside A Top-Secret U.S. Nuclear Facility?
Short Wave
by NPR
1w ago
The U.S. tested nuclear weapons until the early 1990s. Since then, scientists have been using supercomputers and experiments to simulate nuclear test detonations, without detonating any nukes. But there are signs the world's nuclear powers may be readying to test again: Russia, China and the U.S. are all upgrading their nuclear test sites. NPR's science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel was among a small group of journalists allowed to tour an underground laboratory where this research happens. Read more of science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel's reporting here. Help shape the future of Short Wav ..read more
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The Dangers Of Mirror Cell Research
Short Wave
by NPR
1w ago
For people with two hands, one is usually dominant. On a molecular level, life takes this to the extreme. All of the DNA in earthly living things twists to the right, whereas the protein building blocks favor a kind of left-handed chemistry. But in recent years, scientists have worked toward a kind of mirror version of life. The technology to make mirror life likely won't exist for at least a decade. Still, a group of concerned scientists published a 299-page technical report calling for a stop to the science. New York Times science columnist Carl Zimmer explains how a mirror microbe could wre ..read more
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How Physics Could Make Big Crowds Safer
Short Wave
by NPR
1w ago
What do large crowds of people and water have in common? They both act like fluids. When crowds cheer, sway and clump together, the movements look like ripples of water. Researchers hope insights from physics like this one could help officials and engineers create safer crowds at festivals. Help shape the future of Short Wave by taking our survey: npr.org/shortwavesurvey Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Poli ..read more
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Microbes: It's Complicated
Short Wave
by NPR
2w ago
For a long time, microbes like the ones in Yellowstone's hot springs were studied in isolation. Molecular ecologist Devaki Bhaya says we should be studying them in community. Here's why. If you liked this episode, check out our episode on the last universal common ancestor in the tree of life. Plus, make sure you never miss a new episode by following us on whichever podcasting platform you're listening from. Or leave us a review! It really helps the show. This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn, edited by our showrunner, Rebecca Ramirez, and fact-checked by Tyler Jones. Jimmy Keeley was t ..read more
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Why Black Holes Are More Than They Seem
Short Wave
by NPR
2w ago
Black holes are notorious for gobbling up, well, everything. They're icons of destruction, ruthless voids, ambivalent abysses from which nothing can return — at least, according to pop culture. But black holes have another side: Astrophysicists have seen powerful jets, sometimes millions of light-years long, shooting out of supermassive black holes – including the one at the center of our own galaxy. So today, we're getting to know the other side of black holes, and the powerful role they may play in creating and shaping the cosmos. Read more about the Blandford-Znajek process. Got other cos ..read more
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