Category: ScienceNews

Short Wavers, we hear your requests. You want MORE! SPACE! So this is the first installment of a new segment focusing only on space news. First, we talk about the new sci-fi film Project Hail Mary 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 Regina G Barber, known space enthusiast and host of All Things Considered Scott Detrow and NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel. 

Interested in more on space? Check out our whole summer series, Space Camp. Or email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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CrowdScience listener Po wants to know whether AI could one day replace all human jobs. And while he requests that CrowdScience continues to be hosted by people, it made presenters Caroline Steel and Anand Jagatia wonder – could an AI really present this show?

To find out more about how AI models work and what they’re capable of, Caroline Steel speaks to AI journalist Alex Hern from The Economist. She creates an AI version of herself with Nicky Birch, Innovation Lead for the BBC’s generative AI program, and hears how the BBC is attempting to navigate the ethical use of this new technology.

Anand Jagatia speaks to phonetician Prof James Kirby about how synthetic AI voices have become so convincing, as well as why they still sound slightly unnatural. And Anand and Caroline ponder whether there could ever be a place for AI presenters on the airwaves.

Presenters: Caroline Steel and Anand Jagatia

Producer: Anand Jagatia

Additional production: Lorna Stewart

Editor: Ben Motley

(Photo: Mirror image of presenter Caroline holding microphone Credit: BBC)

Japanese pedestrians have been forcefully colliding with each other in a spate of butsukari otoko – or ‘bumping man’ – incidents and the Unexpected Elements team has been inspired to investigate some bumpy science.

First, what does your heart desire? Well, at a cellular level, the perfect match! We hear how your heart is built by cells going speed dating. Then, we discuss how birds avoid in-flock collisions, and we learn all about mesmerising murmurations.

Next, we’re joined by science journalist and author Robin George Andrews, who tells us about NASA’s mission to avoid a city-killing disaster by bumping into an asteroid before it can bump into us.

Also, a colourful question about migraines, a surprising new treatment for them, and the scientists who took antimatter for a test drive.

All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Sophie Ormiston, with Ella Hubber, Katie Tomsett, Imy Harper and Lucy Davies

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 psychology. Experts call this resistance “the yuck factor.” We chat with water journalist Peter Annin about some history behind water recycling – and why more cities could adopt the solution soon.


This is part of a whole series on the world’s dwindling water supply. Check out the rest of the water series:
Part 1: When the wells run dry
Part 2: The world’s groundwater problem
Part 3: Freshwater’s growing salt problem


Email us your questions about water, the wider environment – or anything else to do with science at shortwave@npr.org. We may turn it into an episode in the future!


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.


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This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Aru Nair checked the facts. The audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.

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A massive heat dome has been spreading across much of the United States this month, with temperatures reaching historic highs. But it's not an isolated spike. In recent weeks, the country has grappled with a series of extreme weather events. Ali Rogin spoke with Bernadette Woods Placky of Climate Central for our series, Tipping Point. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

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. 

This is part of a whole series on the world’s dwindling water supply. Check out part one and part two of this water series!

Email us your questions about water, the wider environment – or anything else to do with science at shortwave@npr.org. We may turn it into an episode in the future!

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.


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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.

Today, producer Berly McCoy dives into the state of the world’s groundwater and asks: What happens when people pull too much? And can the damage be reversed?

This is part of a whole series on the world's dwindling water supply. Check out the rest of the water series:
Part 1: When the wells run dry
Part 2: The world's groundwater problem
Part 3: Freshwater's growing salt problem


Interested in more water 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.

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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. 

Interested in more science behind current events? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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Nearly 60 years after NASA sent the first humans to ever land on our moon, the U.S. is going back with a series of increasingly difficult missions. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores the Artemis program and what new discoveries NASA is hoping to find with PBS News science correspondent Miles O'Brien, Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society and retired astronaut and engineer Leroy Chiao. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

CrowdScience listener Doug has been experimenting with holding his wireless garage key to his chin. Why? Because he's testing a strange trick of physics. The range of a key can apparently double when held against your head rather just being held in your hand. Could this really be true, and if so why? Presenter Caroline Steel goes on a wavy journey of self-experimentation with antennas. She follows the story of Doug as he wanders the streets of Calgary in Alberta, Canada testing the key on his head from different distances and even testing it on his dog Maura’s head. To understand the physics behind all this, Caroline meets Dr Lina Mohjazi, Lecturer of Autonomous Systems and Connectivity at the University of Glasgow and Guy Vandenbosch, Professor of Electromagnetic Radiation at KU Leuven University in Leuven, Belgium. Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Tom Bonnett Editor: Ben Motley

(Photo: Hand holding a car key remote in front of a red car - stock photo Credit: vadishzainer via Getty Images)