The male European fiddler crab attracts his mate by performing a courtship dance. New research published in the Journal of Experimental Biology says that dance isn't just notable for its visuals — it's notable for its vibrations, too.
Researchers observed four different stages of the crab's courtship dance, each stage escalating the amount of seismic vibrational output. "It's 'come and find me in my underground house, ladies,'" says Beth Mortimer, a study author and biologist at the University of Oxford.
Interested in more seismic vibration communication? Send us an email at shortwave@npr.org.
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NPR's Book of the Day - Two new children’s books view the natural world as a site of personal growth
Two new picture books explore how the outside world can transform our relationships with our communities and ourselves. First, Kiese Laymon is out with a children's book about three Black boys who connect during a transformative summer in the South. With City Summer, Country Summer, Laymon says he wanted to explore the experience of getting lost as a kind of experimentation. In today's episode, the author speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about his wish to write a book about the emotional tenderness of Black boys. Then, The Littlest Drop is Sascha Alper's debut children's book, based on a parable from the indigenous Quechua people of South America. Brian Pinkney took over illustrations for the project after his father, Jerry Pinkney, died in 2020. In today's episode, NPR's Ayesha Rascoe brings Alper and Brian Pinkney together in conversation. The author and illustrator discuss the collaboration between father and son and Alper's desire to broaden the story beyond the climate crisis.
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To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - TBD | The U.S. vs Meta
This week, the FTC and Meta began a trial to determine if—by adding Instagram and WhatsApp to its portfolio with Facebook over a decade ago—the company became a monopoly in social media. If Meta loses, it could be forced to split up, losing Instagram—and its substantial ad revenue.
Guest: Paresh Dave, senior writer at WIRED.
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1A - Game Mode: The Switch 2 And The Future Of Gaming
The successor to the Nintendo Switch is (almost) here. But it's arrived at an awkward time for both Nintendo and gamers alike.
The Switch 2 was initially announced in January, but fans learned much more about it during a Nintendo Direct livestream a few weeks ago. It included information about the system's launch date (June 5), its hardware specs, the games Nintendo fans could expect to play at release, and, perhaps most importantly, prices for both the Switch 2 and its games.
That last part has put a damper on some of the enthusiasm for the system's launch. It will retail for $449.99. The price of Nintendo's games is also climbing.
Nintendo is citing a rise in the cost of the console's production as well as economic uncertainties like President Donald Trump's tariffs as reasons for the price hikes.
We dig into the latest for this installment of our series, "Game Mode."
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The Switch 2 was initially announced in January, but fans learned much more about it during a Nintendo Direct livestream a few weeks ago. It included information about the system's launch date (June 5), its hardware specs, the games Nintendo fans could expect to play at release, and, perhaps most importantly, prices for both the Switch 2 and its games.
That last part has put a damper on some of the enthusiasm for the system's launch. It will retail for $449.99. The price of Nintendo's games is also climbing.
Nintendo is citing a rise in the cost of the console's production as well as economic uncertainties like President Donald Trump's tariffs as reasons for the price hikes.
We dig into the latest for this installment of our series, "Game Mode."
Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
What Could Go Right? - The Progress Report: Brazil Could Go Right!
In this episode of the Progress Report, Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas dig into some seriously overlooked good news. Brazil and South Korea have both pushed back against anti-democratic power grabs—and won. From Bolsonaro facing trial to South Korea's president getting the boot after a wild six-hour martial law stunt, democracy is holding its ground. Emma also pulls a gem from a dense World Bank report: more people than ever now have some form of social protection, like pensions or cash transfers. Plus, a surprising stat from Nepal shows extreme poverty has plummeted—though the story behind it is a bit complicated. It’s a reminder that while progress doesn’t always make headlines, it’s definitely happening.
What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.
For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org
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Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1355: George Squire
Episode: 1355 Major General George Squire, Muzak, and struggling to be generous. Today, a story about altruism and Muzak.
The Government Huddle with Brian Chidester - 179: The One with the Metrostar Distinguished Technical Fellow
Hannah Hunt, Distinguished Technical Fellow at MetroStar and former Chief of Product at the Army Software Factory joins the show to share how her government experience is now shaping her impact from the private sector. She also offered candid insights on software factory success metrics, the challenges of scaling innovation within bureaucracy, and how emerging technologies like generative AI can be aligned with mission needs. Finally, we unpacked lessons learned from standing up transformative programs inside the Department of Defense and the importance of storytelling, empathy, and data in delivering value to government customers.
The Stack Overflow Podcast - Generating components, not tokens
Bit lets you generate composable software simplicity, speed and quality.
Connect with Laly on LinkedIn.
Congrats to Lifeboat badge winner and blog contributor Charlie Martin for their answer to How does this proof, that the halting problem is undecidable, work?
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It Could Happen Here - Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #12
The gang talks about concentration camps in El Salvador, an ICE arrest of another green card holder, and RFK Jr.’s autism eugenics. Plus updates on tariffs and DOGE.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/14/investing/us-stock-market/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/15/nx-s1-5355896/doge-nlrb-elon-musk-spacex-security
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/dispatch-border-wall
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cwy03j9vddlt?post=asset%3Aaff18753-80c9-4445-963e-03b9438ef121#post
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
array(3) { [0]=> string(184) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/78d30acb-8463-4c40-a5ae-ae2d0145c9ff/ed47f15d-d7b5-4924-8b9a-b2c20115b433/image.jpg?t=1744908805&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }Global News Podcast - Trump and Meloni talk up chances of US trade deal with Europe
US President Donald Trump says he's 100% sure that he'll strike a trade deal with the European Union, after hosting the Italian PM Giorgia Meloni in Washington. Also: Rico the sloth gets surgery to cure toothache.