Author: NPR

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Short Wave - Worm Blobs From The Bowels Of The Earth

In the toxic waters of Sulphur Cave in Steamboat Springs, Colo. lives blood-red worm blobs that have attracted scientific interest from around the world. We don special breathing gear and go into the cave with David Steinmann, the spelunking scientist who first documented the worms, along with a trio of science students from Georgia Tech, to collect worms and marvel at the unique crystals and cave formations (ever heard of snottites??) that earned Sulphur Cave a designation as a National Natural Landmark in 2021. Then we learn about how extremophiles like these worms are helping scientists search for new antibiotics, medicines, or in the case of the Georgia Tech team, models for worm blob robots that can explore uneven, dangerous terrain, like caves on other planets.

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NPR's Book of the Day - Magical realism and identity explored in Salman Rushdie’s books

This episode features two different books by one author: Salman Rushdie. And while the two stories differ, recurrent themes of magical realism and the supernatural accompany them both. First, Rushdie, in a discussion of his book The Golden House, tells Ari Shapiro how escaping your past can lead to disillusionment And then, in an interview with Scott Simon about the fantasy elements in Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, he says that to combine magic and realism, you need the ability to think and to dream.
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Consider This from NPR - Still Reeling, Uvalde Goes Back To School

Students in Uvalde, Texas are going back to school for the first time since a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School back in May. But parents and kids are still worried about security in the district — and some families are opting to homeschool instead of going back in-person.

NPR's Juana Summers spent a week in Uvalde speaking with families about how the community is trying to move forward — and balance education with the need to keep students safe.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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Short Wave - The Stars That Settled The Great Debate

It may seem obvious now that other galaxies lie beyond the Milky Way, but less than 100 years ago, some astronomers held a view of our universe that was a little more ... self-centered. In the 1920s, astronomers were locked in the "Great Debate" — whether Earth was center of the universe and if the universe was just the Milky Way. Today, Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber talks to Dr. Vicky Scowcroft about the stars that ended astronomy's Great Debate.

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NPR's Book of the Day - In ‘Electable,’ Ali Vitali explores the glass ceiling for women in politics

In Electable: Why America Hasn't Put a Woman in the White House... Yet, author Ali Vitali explores why the glass ceiling separating women from the highest office is still intact. Vitali and Juana Summers talk about why it wasn't possible to elect a woman in 2020 – and the importance of female representation in politics for America's future.
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Planet Money - SUMMER SCHOOL 8: Productivity & Getting Lit

Productivity is our economic measure for how far our work goes, as individuals and as a society over all. It plays an important role in determining our quality of life, the prices of our goods and services, and, to some extent, the amount of free time we have. Today, we explore how thousands of years of productivity advancements transformed something now so standard that we take it for granted: light. | At this Summer School, phones ARE allowed during class... Check out this week's PM TikTok! | Listen to past seasons of Summer School here.

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Consider This from NPR - As Climate Change Drives More Disasters, What Can We Learn From ‘Katrina Babies’?

It's been 17 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, permanently changing life for many people across the country.

Over a thousand were killed, and many more were displaced. The city suffered billions of dollars of damage.

New Orleans has slowly recovered over the years, but for many, the trauma of the natural disaster lingers on.

NPR's Juana Summers talks with filmmaker Edward Buckles Jr. about his new documentary, 'Katrina Babies,' which explores the trauma experienced by families and children from Hurricane Katrina.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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NPR's Book of the Day - Emma Donoghue revisits isolation and faith (with many birds) in new book ‘Haven’

Author Emma Donoghue "seem to enjoy the stimulus of going to an entirely new place." That's precisely what she does in her new book 'Haven'; it's about three Irish monks in the middle ages who choose to live a life of isolation on a rocky island. In an interview with Ari Shapiro, Donoghue explains why she has recurrent themes of isolation and faith in her stories.