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Short Wave New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — in just under 15 minutes. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber for science on a different wavelength.

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New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — in just under 15 minutes. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber for science on a different wavelength.

If you're hooked, try Short Wave Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/shortwave

Most Recent Episodes

The Rubik's cube is turning 50. This is how the iconic puzzle really works

Over 500 million Rubik's Cubes have been sold. vitranc via Getty Images hide caption

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vitranc via Getty Images

The Rubik's cube is turning 50. This is how the iconic puzzle really works

The Rubik's Cube was created 50 years ago by Hungarian inventor Ernő Rubik. Since then, over 500 million of them have been sold. We dive into this global phenomenon that's captured the imagination of countless people around the world and inspired all kinds of competitions — even solving with your feet! But no matter the cube, the process of solving one involves math — specifically, algorithms. Roman Chavez loved Rubik's Cubes so much, he founded the Jr. Oakland Cubers in high school. Now a mathematics student at Cornell University, Roman talks to host Emily Kwong about how to solve the cube and what life lessons he's learned from the cube.

The Rubik's cube is turning 50. This is how the iconic puzzle really works

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The curious case of the supermassive black hole

This illustration depicts a supermassive black hole consuming the matter around it. NASA/Aurore Simonnet (Sonoma State Univ.) hide caption

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NASA/Aurore Simonnet (Sonoma State Univ.)

The curious case of the supermassive black hole

Black holes are one of the most mysterious cosmological phenomena out there. Astrophysicist Priya Natarajan calls them "the point where all known laws of physics break down."

The curious case of the supermassive black hole

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We hate to tell you this, but there are leeches that can jump

There are over eight hundred species of leeches, but researchers estimate that only ten percent of all leeches are terrestrial. Auscape/Contributor/Getty Images hide caption

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Auscape/Contributor/Getty Images

We hate to tell you this, but there are leeches that can jump

Generally, we at Short Wave are open-minded to the creepies and the crawlies, but even we must admit that leeches are already the stuff of nightmares. They lurk in water. They drink blood. There are over 800 different species of them. And now, as scientists have confirmed ... at least some of them can jump!

We hate to tell you this, but there are leeches that can jump

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What chimpanzee gestures reveal about human communication

Two chimpanzees groom each other — a behavior that can involve several gestures. Anup Shah/Getty Images hide caption

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Anup Shah/Getty Images

What chimpanzee gestures reveal about human communication

Chimpanzees are humans' closest living relatives. But does much of their communication resembles ours? According to a new study published earlier this week in the journal Current Biology, chimpanzees gesture back-and-forth in a similar way to how humans take turns speaking. The research presents an intriguing possibility that this style of communication may have evolved before humans split off from great apes, and tells researchers more about how turn-taking evolved.

What chimpanzee gestures reveal about human communication

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Dancing yeti crabs, morphing cuttlefish, other stories from the deep sea

A cuttlefish swims on seagrass. Cuttlefish can change the color and texture of their bodies. cinoby/Getty Images hide caption

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cinoby/Getty Images

Dancing yeti crabs, morphing cuttlefish, other stories from the deep sea

As a kid, Sabrina Imbler loved the ocean. They'd swim and snorkel, following around parrotfish in the water. Later, they tried to learn everything they could about the brightly-colored tropical fish – how some create a mucus cocoon at night to protect it from parasites, or how they help keep coral reefs healthy.

Dancing yeti crabs, morphing cuttlefish, other stories from the deep sea

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Outer space changes you, literally. Here's what it does to the human body

Gemini IV spacewalk, June 3, 1965. NASA astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space. NASA hide caption

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NASA

Outer space changes you, literally. Here's what it does to the human body

Lower gravity. Higher radiation. No ER access. These are just a few of the challenges that humans face in outer space. Emily and Regina talk to a NASA astronaut (and astronaut scientist) about the impact of spaceflight on the human body. Plus, we learn about telomeres (hint: They change in space)!

Outer space changes you, literally. Here's what it does to the human body

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The brain makes a lot of waste. Here's how it cleans itself up

New insights into the brain's waste-removal system could one day help researchers better understand and prevent many brain disorders. Mihaela Rosu/Getty Images hide caption

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Mihaela Rosu/Getty Images

The brain makes a lot of waste. Here's how it cleans itself up

Scientists have long studied the relationship between sleep and the brain, and why poor sleep is linked to neurological diseases like Alzheimer's. NPR science correspondent Jon Hamilton talks to host Regina G. Barber about the brain's washing system and the particular sound researchers have found that seems to turn it on in mice.

The brain makes a lot of waste. Here's how it cleans itself up

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India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

Once completed, India's National River Linking Project will transfer an estimated 200 billion cubic meters of water around the country each year. STRDEL / Stringer/Getty Images hide caption

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STRDEL / Stringer/Getty Images

India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

More than a hundred years ago, a British engineer proposed linking two rivers in India to better irrigate the area and cheaply move goods. The link never happened, but the idea survived. Today, due to extreme flooding in some parts of the country mirrored by debilitating drought in others, India's National Water Development Agency plans to dig thirty links between rivers across the country. It's the largest project of its kind and will take decades to complete. But scientists are worried what moving that much water could do to the land, the people — and even the weather. Host Emily Kwong talks to journalist Sushmita Pathak about her recent story on the project.

India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

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The magic — and science — of synchronous firefly displays

Synchronous fireflies, known as Photuris frontalis, blink in the woods near the Congaree River on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. Sam Wolfe for NPR hide caption

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Sam Wolfe for NPR

The magic — and science — of synchronous firefly displays

Every year for two weeks between mid-May and mid-June, Congaree National Park in South Carolina is home to a fairy-tale-like display of flashing lights. These rhythmic performances happen all because of thousands of fireflies, flashing their belly lanterns at exactly the same time. According to the National Park Service, there are just three types of these synchronous fireflies in North America, making the experience all the more magical for the lucky visitors who get the chance to see them.

The magic — and science — of synchronous firefly displays

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This mysterious energy is everywhere. Scientists still don't know what it is

NASA's Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope is set to launch in 2027. This innovative telescope is designed to investigate long-standing astronomical mysteries, such as dark energy, the force behind the universe's expansion. NASA hide caption

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NASA

This mysterious energy is everywhere. Scientists still don't know what it is

The universe — everything in existence — is expanding every second! It's only been about a hundred years that humanity has known this, too — that most galaxies are traveling away from us and the universe is expanding. Just a few decades ago, in the late 1990s, scientists started to notice another peculiar thing: The expansion of the universe is speeding up over time. It's like an explosion where the debris gets faster instead of slowing down. The mysterious force pushing the universe outward faster and faster was named dark energy. Cosmologist Brian Nord joins host Regina G. Barber in a conversation that talks about what dark energy could be and what it implies about the end of our universe.

This mysterious energy is everywhere. Scientists still don't know what it is

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