Category: ScienceNews

What better time to contemplate the conundrum that is zero than the start of a new year? Zero is a fairly new concept in human history and even more recent as a number. It wasn't until around the 7th century that zero was used as a number. That's when it showed up in the records of Indian mathematicians. Since then, zero has, at times, been met with some fear — at one point the city of Florence, Italy banned the number.

Today, scientists seek to understand how much humans truly comprehend zero — and why it seems to be different from other numbers. That's how we ended up talking to science writer Yasemin Saplakoglu in this encore episode about the neuroscience of this number that means nothing.


Read more of Yasemin's reporting on zero for Quanta Magazine. Plus, check out our episode on why big numbers break our brains.
Interested in more math episodes? Let us know what kind of stories you want to hear from us in 2026 by emailing shortwave@npr.org!
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Science in the United States took some big hits this year. The Trump Administration disrupted federal funding for all kinds of scientific pursuits. Administration officials say those changes were a step towards reinvigorating federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health. But many scientists disagree. NPR health and science correspondents Rob Stein and Katia Riddle chat with host Emily Kwong about what these cuts could mean for the future of science.

Interested in more stories on the future of science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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The private space economy is growing significantly and the year ahead could be a big one. The first private space station is expected to launch next spring, new commercial space flights will be offered and SpaceX is considering a public stock offering. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports on a space start-up in New Zealand catching some attention of its own. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Gen Z and younger millennials are generally the most climate literate generations. As an age cohort that started learning about climate change in school, they're worried about how to plan for their future jobs, houses and, yes, kids. With climate-related disasters and global warming likely to worsen, climate anxiety is giving way to reproductive anxiety. So, what do experts say about how to navigate the kid question?

On this encore episode of Nature Quest, Short Wave speaks to Alessandra Ram, a journalist covering climate change, who just had a kid. We get into the future she sees for her newborn daughter and ask, how do we raise the next generation in a way that's good for the planet?

Here are the resources recommended by the experts we interviewed for this story:

Action Tools and Community Resources

• The High-Impact Climate Action Guide by Kimberly A. Nicholas
• The Climate Mental Health Network and Climate Emotions Wheel
• The Climate Café® Hub - for finding a local group

Books and Research Papers

• Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question: Deciding Whether to Have Children in an Uncertain Future, by Jade S. Sasser
• Parenting in a Changing Climate: Tools for cultivating resilience, taking action, and practicing hope in the face of climate change, by Elizabeth Bechard
• Under the Sky We Make: How to Be Human in a Warming World, by Kimberly A. Nicholas
• The role of high-socioeconomic-status people in locking in or rapidly reducing energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions, Nielsen, K.S., Nicholas, K.A., Creutzig, F. et al. 
  

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This year, the development and spending around artificial intelligence has been perhaps the most significant business and economic story. AI spending is driving one of the most explosive periods for the tech industry and playing a big role in overall economic growth. But there are very real questions about the boom. Geoff Bennett discussed the potential bubble with Cade Metz of The New York Times. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Kratom and 7-OH products are available in many smoke shops. But earlier this year, the FDA recommended certain 7-OH products be scheduled alongside opioids. This isn’t the first time kratom has come under scrutiny. Nearly a decade ago, the DEA wanted to make certain active ingredients in kratom controlled substances. Meaning products would go from being widely available to highly restricted. After a massive wave of protest, the DEA decided not to move forward. Producer Rachel Carlson joins host Emily Kwong to talk about what could happen this time around, and what scientists know – and don’t know – about kratom and 7-OH. 


Interested in more of the science behind drugs and supplements? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.


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In movies and literature, a wolf's haunting howl can signify danger or untamed nature. In real life, researchers in Yellowstone National Park are analyzing those howls with cutting-edge AI technology to better monitor and track wolves. Matt Standal of PBS Montana reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

The Trump administration says it plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, which is the nation's premier atmospheric science center. The center was founded in 1960 and has facilitated generations of breakthroughs in climate and weather science. William Brangham discussed the move with climate scientist Kim Cobb and meteorologist Matthew Cappucci. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In 2025, the crack team of intrepid presenters here on CrowdScience have been on some incredible adventures. They’ve wondered whether water is wet, and gone a hunt for a missing tangerine. They’ve wondered why animals swallow rocks, imagined what would happen if the earth spun backwards and pondered whether atoms are immortal.

But, as the year draws to a close, Anand Jagatia is wondering… have they REALLY been paying attention? Time to put them to the test!

In this special programme, Anand gathers the other four presenters into a studio together – Caroline, Alex, Marnie and Chhavi, for an end-of-year quiz – and you can join in at home!

Presenters: Anand Jagatia, Caroline Steel, Alex Lathbridge, Marnie Chesterton and Chhavi Sachdev

Producer: Emily Knight

Editor: Ben Motley

(Photo: CrowdScience presenters in the studio with purple background Credit: BBC)

This Boxing Day and holiday season, our present to you is the science of gifts.

First, we investigate the health benefits of donating blood, and find out about the predator sharing a feast of food in the Arctic.

We’re then joined in the studio by physicist Dr Krishma Singal from Rice University, who unravels the soft-matter physics and brilliant engineering potential of knitting.

Next, we discuss the reputation of piranhas, enquire about the uniqueness of our sneezes, and break down how salting roads makes them safer in the winter.

All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.

Presenter: Alex Lathbridge, with Camilla Mota and Meral Jamal Producer: Imaan Moin