The epic space story of a sci-fi dream that changed spaceflight forever. Told by the Nasa astronauts and team who made it happen. Our multi-award-winning podcast is back, hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock. She tells the story of triumph and tragedy - of a dream that revolutionised modern space travel forever.
You can listen to the trailer here. To hear episodes, search for 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service.
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.
Archive:
Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office.
This week, Cameroon’s Paul Biya announced his plan to run for an 8th term as president at the grand old age of 92. So, we have elected to investigate the science of ageing.
First, we ask if a 60-year-old brain is as sharp as a 20-year-old one. Then, we find out about parts of the world that boast impressively long life expectancies. Have these places found the secret to longevity, or are they not what they seem?
Next up, we talk to Professor Thomas Boothby from the University of Wyoming about tiny, eight-legged animals called tardigrades, and what they could teach us about living longer.
We also dig into the story behind a recently uncovered ancient Peruvian city, before finding out the science behind so-called ‘old wives’ tales’.
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Camilla Mota and Phillys Mwatee
Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, with Margaret Sessa-Hawkins, Lucy Davies and Robbie Wojciechowski
Whether you love spiders or can't be within 10 feet of them, you probably think of them crawling around on land. Historically, most researchers would probably say the same thing: Based on the fossil record, they've thought the earliest arachnid ancestors existed around 450 million years ago, living and diversifying exclusively on land. But a new study out this week in the journal Current Biologysuggests arachnid brains may have originated much earlier in the ocean.
Want to hear more stories about the history of animals on Earth? Email us and let us know 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.
Have we found Betelgeuse’s ‘Betelbuddy?’ An astronomical mystery seems to be solved as the long-predicted stellar companion to the bright star Betelgeuse has been detected by a team of researchers led by Steve Howell of the NASA Ames Research Center using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii. Steve discusses this breakthrough alongside astronomer Andrea Dupree of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who has discussed the predictions of this star on previous Science in Action programmes.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the parasite plasmodium that kills more than half a million people each year. George Dimopoulos of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute is using gene editing and gene drive technology to target the parasites as they develop in the guts of mosquito. Can this new method disrupt the malaria parasite life cycle safely and sustainably?
Our gut microbiomes are linked to our brains, but how can the bacteria in our colon communicate with our nervous system? M. Maya Kaelberer of the University of Arizona explains this neurobiotic sense, suggesting that the microbes in our large intestine communicate with specialised sensory cells in the gut. These cells send signals up to our brain and regulate our appetite. So, who really decides when you're hungry? Is it you, or is it your microbiome?
Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Imaan Moin with Alex Mansfield
Production Coordinator: Jana Bennet-Holesworth
(Image: Betelgeuse and Its Stellar Companion in Orion. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Image Processing: M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab))
President Trump unveiled his approach to the development of AI. Surrounded by some of the biggest names in tech, he signed three executive orders. One targets what Trump called "ideological bias" in AI chatbots, another aims to make it easier to build massive AI data centers and the third encourages the export of American AI tech. Amna Nawaz discussed the implications with Will Oremus. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
Eating disorders are complicated illnesses that skyrocketed among teenagers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatrician Eva Trujillo says they "literally rewire the brain," decrease brain size, and make it harder to concentrate and to regulate emotions. Malnutrition can slow the metabolism, impact bone density and even lead to cardiac arrest. But Eva says, with the right treatment, people can also recover fully. She's the president of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals and co-founder of Comenzar de Nuevo, a leading treatment facility in Latin America. Today on the show, host Emily Kwong talks about the physical and mental impacts of eating disorders with Dr. Trujillo and Moorea Friedman, a teen mental health advocate and host of the podcast Balancing Act. Plus, how to recover in a world steeped in diet culture.
Want us to cover more mental health topics? Tell us by emailing shortwave@npr.org! We'd love to know what you want to hear from us!
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.
Earlier this year, the White House proposed a nearly 24% cut to NASA's 2026 fiscal year budget — the largest in the agency's history. The trims are largely aimed at the NASA's fundamental science research and would halt science that has already been partially paid for, like the Mars sample return and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Many scientists and policy experts are also worried that the reduced funding would cause a scientific brain drain. But within the last month, Congress has started to discuss appropriations packages that may not severely contract the budget after all. So, in this episode, Regina reports on the important hypotheticals: What programs might be affected? Are these cuts likely to happen? If so, when?
Want to hear more stories about space and policy? Let us know 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.
For this week's Sea Camp, we're diving below the ocean's surface to explore the sunlight zone, the portion of ocean that's 0-200 meters deep. Here, we zoom in on some spineless inhabitants envied for their "superpowers." Marine biologist Drew Harvell tells us about stealthy sea slugs, sea stars with super strength and life-saving sponges.
Also,exciting news!! WE HAVE A NEWSLETTER! It lets you go even deeper with the marine research each week of Sea Camp. Sign up here!
Want to hear more stories about underwater marvels? Email us and let us know 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.
The U.S. produces more plastic waste than any other country in the world. Last year, more than 35,000 tons of it was shipped to Malaysia, which received more discarded plastic from rich nations than any other developing country. But in June, Malaysian leaders effectively banned future shipments. John Yang speaks with Anja Brandon, director of plastics policy at Ocean Conservancy, to learn more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
Your whole life is governed by spin. The rotation of our planet tells you when to wake up, and Earth’s orbit around the Sun is the reason why some of us dig out a jumper for half the year and a t-shirt for the rest. But what if that all changed?
That’s exactly what 8-year-old Geronimo in Ecuador wants to know. He and his dad, Fabian, have got themselves dizzy trying to figure out what would happen if the Earth stopped spinning, or better yet, started spinning in the opposite direction. Would everyone fly off into space? Would school be at night? Eager for answers, they decided to ask CrowdScience.
Presenter Anand Jagatia embarks on an interstellar journey, blasting off with the celestial origins of spin itself. Astronomer Amy Bonsor from the University of Cambridge in the UK explains how Earth’s rotation began, with collapsing clouds of gas, planetary pile-ups and crushing gravitational force.
At Keele Observatory, things get apocalyptic. Anand meets astronomer Jacco van Loon, who explains what would happen if Geronimo somehow waved a magic wand and brought Earth’s rotation to a halt. With months of unbroken daylight or darkness, devastating storms and even the loss of the Earth’s magnetic shield, it’s like the script of a disaster movie.
Wave that magic wand again and we imagine a world where the Earth not only stops... but starts spinning the other way. Meteorologist Joao Basso from the University of Leipzig in Germany walks us through a mind-bending 2018 study that tells us the surprising things that would happen to the global climate.
Presenter: Anand Jagatia
Producer: Harrison Lewis
Series Producer: Ben Motley
