The evolutionary purpose of kissing has long eluded scientists. Smooching is risky, given things like pointy teeth, and inherently gross, given an estimated 80 million bacteria are transferred in a 10 second kiss. And yet, from polar bears to humans, albatrosses and prairie dogs, many animals kiss. So, what gives? Evolutionary biologist Matilda Brindle tells us the sordid details driving this behavior, what distinguishes different kinds of kissing and whether culture has anything to do with why people kiss.
Interested in more of the science behind love and connection? Email us your question 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.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Opening Arguments - We’ve Only Now Seen a Fascist Ice Memo Kept Secret Since May
OA1235 - Today on Rapid Response Friday: Matt’s still on island time, so it’s a good-news-only kind of day as we review (1) the historic termination of deportation proceedings against Tufts grad student Rumeysa Ozturk, (2) new judicial restraints on ICE, (3) a DC federal judge’s outstanding rebuke to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s attempt to deport 350,000 Haitians, and (4) a Republican revolt on Trump’s emergency tariffs. (Also: just how stupid is the super-secret memo which ICE has apparently been using to justify breaking into some immigrants’ homes without a judicial warrant?)
Finally in today’s footnote: Matt shares how his attempt to mail some pants from the U.S. Virgin Islands revealed a weird loophole in Trump’s emergency tariff orders which is now forcing some U.S. citizens to pay international duties on domestic shipments.
-
In re: Ruiz-Massieu, Int. Dec. #3400, Board of Immigration Appeals (June 11, 1999)
-
Whistleblower Aid letter detailing secret ICE memo allowing arrests without warrants (memo attached at Ex. 1)(Jan. 6, 2026)
-
D.C. District Court judge Ana Reyes’s decision in Moit v. Trump preserving Temporary Protected Status for Haitians in the U.S. (2/2/2026)
-
“Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries,” The White House (July 30, 2025)
Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1523: Lighthouses and Cabooses
Episode: 1523 On saying goodbye to lighthouses and cabooses. Today, we say goodbye to lighthouses and cabooses.
Global News Podcast - BNP set to win election in Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is claiming a "sweeping victory" after indications that it's heading for a landslide election win. It's the first poll since an uprising in 2024 that toppled the authoritarian leader, Sheikh Hasina. Also: President Trump has revoked an Obama-era law that underpinned US regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. Mr Trump said the move was the biggest act of deregulation in the country's history. The CIA has released a video designed to recruit disaffected Chinese military personnel, scientists, and other professionals as spies for the US. Jim Ratcliffe, who co-owns Manchester United Football Club, has apologised if his "choice of language" caused offence. He suggested the UK had been "colonised" by immigrants. And at the Berlin Film Festival, the world premiere of No Good Men, a romantic comedy set in a newsroom in Afghanistan.
The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
It Could Happen Here - Executive Disorder: Turning Point Halftime Show, Pam Bondi’s Epstein Hearing & ICE Detention of Liam Conejo Ramos
The gang discuss the All American Halftime Show featuring Kid Rock and Friends, a student walkout in Chicago protesting ICE, a Washington State bill restricting 3D printers, Pam Bondi’s congressional testimony on the mishandling of the Epstein files, and immigration updates.
Sources:
https://rumble.com/v75hvqg-tpusa-presents-the-all-american-halftime-show.html?e9s=rel_v2_ep
https://www.thebiglead.com/most-watched-super-bowl-halftime-shows-bad-bunny-v/
https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/2321.pdf?q=20260210145058
https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Gatalog%20Complaint_FINAL.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.miwd.116977/gov.uscourts.miwd.116977.67.0_1.pdf
https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2021292068065153476
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26708008-us-district-judge-fred-bierys-opinion-ordering-release-of-5-year-old-liam-arias-and-father/ https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/02/05/liam-conejo-ramos-dhs-requests-expedited-deportation-proceedings-for-family
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/10/g-s1-109413/maxwell-appeals-for-clemency
https://x.com/domarkus/status/2020882509525893536?s=46
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/casey-wasserman-epstein-fallout-1236500784/
https://www.foxla.com/news/la28-casey-wasserman-epstein-maxwell-investigation-results
https://apnews.com/live/trump-bondi-epstein-updates-2-11-2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcEXpOSBE7I
https://x.com/calltoactivism/status/2021617879750455415?s=46
https://x.com/antunes1/status/2021625934919369208?s=46
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2021661313429082564?s=46
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2021629409606676989?s=46
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
array(3) { [0]=> string(150) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/78d30acb-8463-4c40-a5ae-ae2d0145c9ff/image.jpg?t=1751824393&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }The Stack Overflow Podcast - Even your voice is a data problem
Recorded last December at AWS re:Invent, Ryan welcomes CEO and co-founder of Deepgram, Scott Stephenson, for a conversation on advancing voice AI technology. They cover how Deepgram is improving speech-to-text and text-to-speech capabilities using deep learning to take on challenges posed by dialects and noisy environments and the moral and ethical considerations voice AI companies have to make when it comes to voice cloning and synthetic data training.
Episode notes:
Deepgram builds accurate, scalable, and affordable large scale voice AI for speech recognition, generation, and AI Agents.
Connect with Scott on LinkedIn, Twitter, or email him at Scott@Deepgram.com
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The World in Brief from The Economist - Minnesota immigration operation to end; Bangladesh Nationalist Party eyes election victory, and more
Donald Trump’s “border czar”, Tom Homan, said that federal immigration agents would end their operation in Minnesota after more than two months.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Getting Hammered® - A250: Gunpowder, Protecting NYC, and Punctuality at the Continental Congress
On Feb. 12, 1776, the journals of the Continental Congress reveal that Major Gen. Lee is very worried about New York and that troops should be sent form Pennsylvania and New Jersey to aid him. The Congress also works on distribution of salt peter for the purposes of making gunpowder and blankets for a batallion. John Hancock urges Pennsylvania Delegate John Dickinson to get to Congress on time to vote the next day.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
State of the World from NPR - NATO coordinates Arctic defense plan. Japan’s teary goodbye to last pair of pandas.
NATO launches the mission in response to Russian and Chinese ambitions in the high North, and to President Trump’s threat of a US takeover of Greenland. Japan’s last pair of giant pandas returns to China.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Marketplace All-in-One - More K-shaped spending
When high earners ramp up their spending while low earners pull back, that’s a symptom of a "k-shaped" economy. But what about middle-income households? New evidence shows the middle class is also struggling in comparison to the wealthiest Americans. It’s sort of like a K shape within a K shape. After that: Newer firms are more likely to offer work-from-home options, Opera America has financial reasons for splitting from The Kennedy Center, and we check in with a few small businesses ahead of an upcoming inflation report.
Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.
Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.