Category: ScienceNews

This week the Unexpected Elements team has travelled Down Under to sunny Sydney where we discover some wonderfully Australian science with the help of some wonderfully Australian panellists.

First, we discuss the surprising American origins of Australia’s iconic marsupials and Marnie gets up close and personal with Pez the Tasmanian Devil.

We also talk to Andy Flies from the University of Tasmania who is working on a vaccine to combat a deadly contagious cancer spreading through Australia’s Devil population.

Next, we’re joined by Susan Sawyer from the University of Melbourne as we delve into the debate surrounding Australia’s social media ban for under 16-year-olds. Are the kids alright? Plus, we find out about the tree that seems to be adding fuel to the country’s recent wildfires.

All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Katie Silver and Jonathan Webb Producers: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins, with Ella Hubber, Sophie Ormiston and Lucy Davies

Wanna know where tech is headed this year? MIT Technology Review has answers. They compile an annual list called "10 Breakthrough Technologies". Today, host Regina G. Barber speaks with executive editor Amy Nordrum about the list, and they get into everything from commercial space stations and base-edited babies to batteries that could make electric vehicles even more green. We also do a lightning round of honorable mentions you won't want to miss out on!


Check out the full list from MIT Technology Review.

Interested in more science? Check out our episode on last year’s top 10 technologies to watch and our episode on building structures in space.

Email us your questions at shortwave@npr.org.

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.

This episode was produced by Berly McCoy. It was edited and fact-checked by Rebecca Ramirez. The audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez.

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There’s this idea that something happens in the human brain when we turn 25. Suddenly, we can rent a car without fees. Make rational decisions. We may even regret some of our past… indiscretions. All because we’re developed…right? Well, a recent paper in the journal Nature suggests that may not be the case. Neuroscientists found four distinct turning points in brain development across the human lifespan – and that the brain may be in its “adolescent” phase until about the age of 32. 


Interested in more of the science inside your brain? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.


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This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Kwesi Lee.

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So you want to change a habit — or maybe start something new. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Charles Duhigg's book, "The Power of Habit," explores how habits are made, and the cues and rewards that shape our behavior. He spoke with Amna Nawaz about how to make habits that actually stick as well as his most recent book, "Supercommunicators." PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In the mid-1980s, scientists published a startling finding–a giant hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. That’s the protective shield that blocks large amounts of harmful UV radiation. And without it, the rate of cancer, cataracts and crop failure would skyrocket. Today on the show, we dive into ozone science and examine how scientists successfully sounded the alarm and solved an Antarctic mystery.

Check out our episode on an Antarctic plankton mystery. And, listen to our monthly series Nature Quest.

Interested in more atmospheric science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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.

This episode was produced by Berly McCoy. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Becky Brown.

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Microbes are little alchemists that perform all manner of chemical reactions. A team of microbiologists co-founded a non-profit to try to harness those abilities to solve some of the world’s big problems — from carbon capture to helping coral reefs to cleaning up waste. Recently, the team turned their attention to the microbes living in people’s homes — on and in shower heads, drip pans, and hot water heaters. These rather extreme environments may have pressured microorganisms into surviving in ways that could be advantageous to humans. Science reporter Ari Daniel takes us on a treasure hunt in miniature.

This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez.


Interested in learning more about the weird and wonderful world of microbes? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.


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Monarch butterflies make one of the most extraordinary migrations in the natural world, often traveling thousands of miles across North America. Now, scientists are using new tracking technology to get a greater understanding of those journeys. Ali Rogin speaks with Dan Fagin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who teaches science journalism at New York University, to learn more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Crowdscience listener Ryosuke grew up in Japan, and spent his childhood summers catching cicadas in the park. For people in Japan, the sound of their chirping signals the first true summer day. But until they emerge, these enigmatic insects live underground - often for many years. Ryosuke wants to know how they know the time is right, and CrowdScience is on the case.

Presenter Anand Jagatia pieces together the story of the species, and meets the small but dedicated group of academics worldwide who’ve been able to study them.

In a field near Girona, Spain, he meets a scientist who’s spent the last twenty years counting them. How will a temperature probe help us work out when they might emerge, and what are they doing underground for so many years anyway?

In nearby Barcelona, another scientist cuts open the stem of a tomato plant and Anand watches as the sap flows out. Could this be a clue to how cicadas sense what’s going on above ground?

And he meets a cicada breeder in the US who has discovered a link between the life cycle of cicadas and the fruiting of a peach tree. Armed with that knowledge, can you really make time move faster for tree and insect alike?

Presenter: Anand Jagatia

Producer: Robbie Wojciechowski

Editor: Ben Motley

(Photo:Cicada on Hosta Leaf - stock photo Credit: KenWiedemann via Getty Images)

We take a look at some exciting science of the near future. First, the latest developments in animal-to-human organ transplants and the ambitious goals of eliminating cervical cancer around the world.

We are then joined by plasma physicist Dr Fatima Ebrahimi from the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, who breaks down the mysteries behind nuclear fusion energy and how ambitious scientists are trying to channel the power of the Sun on Earth, in the hope of creating a massive source of clean energy.

Next, we investigate what blue-light-blocking glasses can do and consider what future scientists will think of the fossils of our civilisation!

Presenter: Caroline Steel, with Phillys Mwatee and Edd Gent Producer: Imaan Moin

Most astronomers agree that young galaxy clusters should be relatively cool compared to older ones. But researchers recently found a very young cluster that’s hotter than the surface of the sun. More on why the finding is so shocking, plus elephant’s remarkable sniffing abilities and a new discovery about butterfly migration in this episode of Short Wave. 

Interested in more science news? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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