Category: ScienceNews

Parkinson’s Disease affects around a million people in the United States. And that number is on the rise, in part because our population is getting older. 


Dr. Claire Henchcliffe, chair of neurology at the University of California, Irvine, is one of the scientists at the forefront of Parkinson’s research. She's working toward new treatment options for Parkinson’s, including recent discoveries about the potential use of stem cells. 


Science correspondent Jon Hamilton dives into this research — and even a future where scientists can prevent the disease altogether — on the show with Henchcliffe. 


Interested in more on the future of brain science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org – we may feature it in an upcoming episode!


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Rhinoplasty is one of the most common facial plastic surgeries performed today. And it turns out, the ability to reconstruct a nose with living tissue has been known for a very long time – over 2500 years! But what spurred our ancestors to master this reconstructive technique? Well, there’s quite a range of answers – everything from adultery to duels and syphilis. Short Wave host Regina G. Barber speaks with bioengineer and Princeton University professor Daniel Cohen about the surprisingly long history of rhinoplasty – and how this art was lost and found throughout the ages.

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CrowdScience listener Kerry started thinking about his sentimental attachment to his possessions when he began sorting through an old trunk, full of objects from his past. He wants to know why we get so attached to things that often have no use anymore and why it’s so hard to give them away.

Anand Jagatia investigates why the objects we accumulate during our lives mean so much to us.

He talks to psychologists Mary Dozier and Melissa Norberg and finds out that our possessions offer stability and comfort from the earliest age. That keepsake you brought home from your holiday may also stir memories about days gone by - and that’s one reason why we may find it hard to part with the things we own, because they help us to access our emotions. And the items we collect through our lives can come to represent our identity too.

Anand visits the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia, where people from all over the world have donated possessions from relationships that ended, whether romantic or family, and discovers that sentimental attachment is universal.

Presenter Anand Jagatia

Producers Jo Glanville and Imaan Moin

Editor Ben Motley

(Photo: Memories box in book shelf - Credit: Jan Hakan Dahlstrom via Getty Images)

The inauguration of Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam has us looking at how we decide when, where, and even whether to build dams.

But humans aren’t the only ones building dams – Loren Taylor of the Beaver Institute joins us to talk all about nature’s hydroengineers and the wide-spread benefits beavers (and their dams!) have on ecosystems.

Also on the program, how close are we to clean energy from space, the science behind holding your breath for a really, really, really, REALLY long time, and how natural sounds can be turned into musical instruments. All that, plus more unexpected elements.

Presenter: Alex Lathbridge with Andrada Fiscutean and Katie Silver Producers: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell and Robbie Wojciechowski.

Was there ever life on Mars? Planetary scientists think there could have been but there hasn’t been any direct evidence. After years of roaming Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover saw spots on Mars rocks. These spots could be the most likely clue that Mars had organic life millions of years ago. Host Regina G. Barber speaks with recent PhD graduate and planetary scientist Hemani Kalucha. She explains why the size, shape and color of these spots – as well as the location of these rocks on Mars – point to ancient life.


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


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Scientists’ latest plans for welcoming interstellar visitor 3I/Atlas next month, and arranging a rendezvous with comet Apophis in 2029, as heard this week at the EPSC-DPS international planetary science joint meeting in Helsinki.

Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Ella Hubber, with Alex Mansfield Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

(Image: The asteroid Donaldjohanson as seen by the L'LORRI. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL/NOIRLab).

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are surgically implanted devices that link the brain to a computer. They can be helpful for people who’ve lost the ability to move or speak. 


And they’re making progress. New generations of BCIs could go as far as to detect a person’s inner monologue.


But that progress is raising questions about the future privacy of our brains, and has some scientists asking, “What happens when you want to keep some things to yourself?”


NPR brain correspondent Jon Hamilton talks to Short Wave’s Emily Kwong about the future of BCIs.


Read more of Jon’s reporting on brain implants.


Interested in more on the future of brain science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org – we may feature it in an upcoming episode!


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Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar was a phenomenon in 2014. Set in the future, Earth has been struck by a global crop blight. Former NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is pulled into a NASA mission to transport the human race to a new planet, via wormhole. Back on Earth, Cooper’s daughter, Murph (Jessica Chastain), attempts to complete an equation that will allow this mass-transport of humanity from Earth. 


Many scientists praised the film, particularly for its depiction of black holes. In this episode co-hosts Regina G. Barber and Emily Kwong talk about Interstellar with Star Trek scientific advisor and astrophysicist Erin Macdonald. They walk through wormholes, black holes and all the ways space-time stretches in the film. 


Interested in more on the science behind science fiction? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org – we may feature it in an upcoming episode!


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Atlantic puffins face an increasingly precarious foothold due in part to a loss of habitat and to troubles tied to warming ocean waters and climate change. But an effort off the coast of Maine continues to provide a crucial nesting habitat for these seabirds and a place for them to thrive. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien traveled to the colony for our series, Tipping Point. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

U.S. consumers spend more than $10 billion a year on sports drinks, according to Beverage Industry, a trade publication. And we can’t lie that sometimes a Gatorade or electrolyte tablet sounds really appealing in the quest to hydrate daily – especially since it’s been a very hot, long summer. But the question is: Are we even sweating enough to warrant all these sugary electrolyte-filled drinks? NPR health correspondent Pien Huang has been on the case, and she brings us answers she’s racked up in her reporting today.


Read more of Pien’s reporting on electrolytes and hydration.


Interested in more consumer health or human biology stories? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org – we may feature it in an upcoming episode!


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