Becoming fluent in a second language is difficult. But for adults, is it impossible? Science says no. In this encore episode, Short Wave host Emily Kwong dissects the "critical period hypothesis," a theory which linguists have been debating for decades — with the help of Sarah Frances Phillips, a Ph.D. student in the linguistics department at New York University. Together, Emily and former Short Wave host Maddie Sofia explore where the theory comes from, how it applies to second-language acquisition and what it means for Emily's efforts to learn Mandarin Chinese as an adult.
Have a linguistics or neuroscience question? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
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1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: The Crypto President?
President Donald Trump has been clear about wanting to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world. What's becoming clearer is how much Trump is personally invested in the industry succeeding.
A new report from State Democracy Defenders Action finds that Trump's crypto holdings represent nearly 40 percent of his net worth. The president has his own meme coin and is offering a dinner and private White House tour to the highest investors.
Meanwhile, a recent deal by the Trump family's crypto firm, World Liberty Financial, to an Emirati state backed venture fund has raised eyebrows.
On Tuesday, Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California blocked a joint hearing on cryptocurrency policy. On Thursday, a key cryptocurrency bill stalled over concerns of the president's crypto dealings.
We get into all of this during our latest installment of, "If You Can Keep It."
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A new report from State Democracy Defenders Action finds that Trump's crypto holdings represent nearly 40 percent of his net worth. The president has his own meme coin and is offering a dinner and private White House tour to the highest investors.
Meanwhile, a recent deal by the Trump family's crypto firm, World Liberty Financial, to an Emirati state backed venture fund has raised eyebrows.
On Tuesday, Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California blocked a joint hearing on cryptocurrency policy. On Thursday, a key cryptocurrency bill stalled over concerns of the president's crypto dealings.
We get into all of this during our latest installment of, "If You Can Keep It."
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
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Consider This from NPR - Why Bill Gates is giving away his money faster
Last week, the Gates Foundation announced it would spend more than $200 billion over the next 20 years — including nearly all the personal wealth of chair Bill Gates — and sunset operations in 2045.
The Foundation says its goals are combating maternal and infant mortality, treating infectious diseases and lifting millions out of poverty.
The announcement comes at a time when the U.S. is drastically reducing foreign aid commitments under the Trump administration, and other wealthy nations are also cutting global health funding.
But in an interview with NPR about his decision, Gates said he remains optimistic that new scientific advances create opportunities to save lives.
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The Foundation says its goals are combating maternal and infant mortality, treating infectious diseases and lifting millions out of poverty.
The announcement comes at a time when the U.S. is drastically reducing foreign aid commitments under the Trump administration, and other wealthy nations are also cutting global health funding.
But in an interview with NPR about his decision, Gates said he remains optimistic that new scientific advances create opportunities to save lives.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Consider This from NPR - Why Bill Gates is giving away his money faster
Last week, the Gates Foundation announced it would spend more than $200 billion over the next 20 years — including nearly all the personal wealth of chair Bill Gates — and sunset operations in 2045.
The Foundation says its goals are combating maternal and infant mortality, treating infectious diseases and lifting millions out of poverty.
The announcement comes at a time when the U.S. is drastically reducing foreign aid commitments under the Trump administration, and other wealthy nations are also cutting global health funding.
But in an interview with NPR about his decision, Gates said he remains optimistic that new scientific advances create opportunities to save lives.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Foundation says its goals are combating maternal and infant mortality, treating infectious diseases and lifting millions out of poverty.
The announcement comes at a time when the U.S. is drastically reducing foreign aid commitments under the Trump administration, and other wealthy nations are also cutting global health funding.
But in an interview with NPR about his decision, Gates said he remains optimistic that new scientific advances create opportunities to save lives.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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State of the World from NPR - Poland prepares for war
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and President Trump's efforts to change the U.S. relationship with Europe and NATO have caused some European countries to rethink their own defense. One example is Poland, which shares a 500-mile border with Russia and Russian ally Belarus. Poland is preparing to repel a Russian invasion, and this preparation includes a plan to train every adult male in the country to be ready for war. We go to Poland to see what the preparations look like.
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Up First from NPR - Trump In The Middle East, Hamas Hostage Release, Mulling Medicaid Cuts
President Trump chose Saudi Arabia - again - for the first state trip of his second term. What does that say about his foreign policy? Hamas says it will release the last living American hostage held in Gaza, Edan Alexander. And as Republicans look for massive budget cuts, what could happen to Medicaid?
Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ryland Barton, Krishnadev Calamur, Carrie Kahn, Kelsey Snell, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ana Perez, Nia Dumas and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from David Greenberg, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
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Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ryland Barton, Krishnadev Calamur, Carrie Kahn, Kelsey Snell, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ana Perez, Nia Dumas and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from David Greenberg, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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NPR's Book of the Day - Isabel Allende’s latest historical novel draws from her time at a women’s magazine
While crafting her latest novel, Isabel Allende says she wanted to tell the story of the Chilean Civil War of 1891 from the perspective of a neutral party. She decided to make her protagonist a female writer who uses a male pen name and convinces an editor to hire her as a war correspondent. In today's episode, Allende joins Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes to talk about My Name is Emilia Del Valle. They discuss the feminist spirit throughout the author's body of work, their shared interest in pushing back against dominant narratives, and Fernandes' personal relationship to Allende's work.
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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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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The Indicator from Planet Money - It’s actually really hard to make a robot, guys
Robots have been a thing for a long time, but they've never quite met expectations. While AI has changed the game for chatbots, it's not quite so clear for robots. NPR science desk correspondent Geoff Brumfiel spoke to our colleagues over on our science podcast Short Wave on how humanoid robots are actually developing with the help of artificial intelligence. It was a fascinating discussion and so we are sharing that conversation with you today on the Indicator.
Related episodes:
Is AI underrated? (Apple / Spotify)
Is AI overrated? (Apple / Spotify)
Dial M for Mechanization (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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Related episodes:
Is AI underrated? (Apple / Spotify)
Is AI overrated? (Apple / Spotify)
Dial M for Mechanization (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Short Wave - The Indicator: American Science Brain Drain
Today, we're airing an episode of NPR's daily economics podcast, The Indicator from Planet Money. It's about a group of people we know well: scientists.
President Trump's federal cuts and scrutiny of academic institutions are forcing some U.S. scientists to head for the border. On today's show, an entomologist keeping America's farms safe from pests reconsiders America. And a CEO of a Canadian hospital explains how they are benefiting from the exodus.
Want to learn more about the intersection of science and the economy? Email us 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.
Clarification: Armando Rosario-Lebrón, who was working at the Smithsonian Institution, is the Eastern region vice president of the National Association of Agriculture Employees. All NAAE union representatives are employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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President Trump's federal cuts and scrutiny of academic institutions are forcing some U.S. scientists to head for the border. On today's show, an entomologist keeping America's farms safe from pests reconsiders America. And a CEO of a Canadian hospital explains how they are benefiting from the exodus.
Want to learn more about the intersection of science and the economy? Email us 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.
Clarification: Armando Rosario-Lebrón, who was working at the Smithsonian Institution, is the Eastern region vice president of the National Association of Agriculture Employees. All NAAE union representatives are employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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Consider This from NPR - Looking for clues from Pope Leo XIV’s sermons
The election of the first American pope is a remarkable moment in the two thousand year history of the Catholic Church. But in choosing his name, it's clear Leo is looking forward.
NPR's Scott Detrow and Jason DeRose look at what his selection means for Catholics and non-Catholics alike, in both the U.S. and around the world.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
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NPR's Scott Detrow and Jason DeRose look at what his selection means for Catholics and non-Catholics alike, in both the U.S. and around the world.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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