The anti-aging product market was worth roughly 53 BILLION dollars in 2024. One of the latest big trends: red light therapy. Social media is rampant with claims about all sorts of purported health benefits to using directed red light regularly … but does the research really live up to all the hype?
For answers, we turn to cosmetic chemist and science communicator Michelle Wong. Together, she and host Regina G. Barber sift through the thin (albeit growing) research on red light therapy to find out which claims are clearly backed by the literature – and which still need a bit more experimental data.
Interested in more science behind skincare products? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1444: ThrustSSC : 763 MPH
Episode: 1444 In which ThrustSSC passes the sound barrier on land. Today, a very fast car.
Global News Podcast - Trump hails Charlie Kirk as a “martyr”
President Trump has hailed Charlie Kirk as an American martyr. More than sixty thousand people attended a memorial service for the right-wing activist which was also described as a political rally. He was called a MAGA warrior and his widow, Erika, delivered a tearful speech in which she spoke of forgiveness. Also: Israel says there will never be a Palestinian state despite its recognition by western countries, South Korea's president says that the North could temporarily keep its existing nuclear weapons as part of a deal, the BBC gains rare access to war-torn Sudan, and Europe's busiest shopping street goes traffic-free for a day but can this change the fortunes of London's Oxford Street?
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.
It Could Happen Here - An Inside Look at the Asylum Process
James sits down with Frances to hear firsthand what it is like for families of people in the asylum system right now and how even U.S. citizens can have their families torn apart by the Trump administration’s anti-asylum policies.
Sources:
https://x.com/ConsulMexCho/status/1966636249910738951
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/09/12/dhs-statement-ice-officer-seriously-injured-line-duty-and-shooting-chicago-during
https://unraveledpress.com/what-happened-to-silverio-villegas-gonzalez/
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.284773/gov.uscourts.dcd.284773.37.0_2.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.284773/gov.uscourts.dcd.284773.41.0.pdf
https://calmatters.org/inside-the-newsroom/2025/04/calmatters-partners-with-evident-media-on-a-documentary-exposing-truth-behind-border-patrol-raid/
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/09/16/us/tyler-robinson-charges.html
https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/exclusive-leaked-messages-from-charlie
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/business/media/abc-jimmy-kimmel.html
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 World in Brief from The Economist - Britain, Canada and Australia recognise Palestinian statehood; Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, and more
The leaders of Australia, Britain and Canada said their countries formally recognised Palestinian statehood.
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The Economics of Everyday Things - 107. Megachurches
They have thousands of congregants and millions of dollars in income. Zachary Crockett passes the collection plate.
- SOURCES:
- Julie Roys, founder of the Roys Report.
- Scott Thumma, professor of sociology of religion at Hartford International University, director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
- RESOURCES:
- "The faithful see both crisis and opportunity as churches close across the country," by Scott Neuman (NPR, 2023).
- "Million Dollar Homes Become Status Symbols of Televangelists and Pastors," by Barry Bowen (Trinity Foundation, 2022).
- "Megachurch 2020," by Scott Thumma and Warren Bird (Hartford Institute for Religion Research, 2020).
- Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches, by Scott Thumma and Dave Travis (2007).
- "Ministers' Compensation & Housing Allowance," (IRS).
- MinistryWatch.
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PBS News Hour - World - News Wrap: Four Western nations formally recognize a Palestinian state
In our news wrap Sunday, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Portugal formally recognized a Palestinian state, Trump plans to nominate a senior White House aide as the new U.S. attorney in Virginia, the federal government’s annual report on hunger in America is being canceled, and California became the first state to ban law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings while on duty. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
PBS News Hour - Science - Why the planet is drying out much faster than before, according to a new study
According to a new study, the planet is drying at an unprecedented pace, presenting a critical threat to humanity. Researchers found that “continental drying is having profound global impacts” that “threaten water availability” across the globe. To learn more, Ali Rogin speaks with ProPublica climate investigations editor Abrahm Lustgarten for our series, Tipping Point. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
PBS News Hour - Health - How West Virginians are navigating the state’s new artificial food dye ban
Earlier this year, West Virginia became the first of a number of politically conservative states to ban artificial food dyes. It’s part of the larger “Make America Healthy Again” effort championed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. For a look at how the new law is playing out, Ali Rogin reports from the Mountain State. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
Newshour - UK formally recognises Palestine state
Portugal has joined Britain, Canada and Australia in formally recognising Palestinian statehood. It comes after their growing criticism of Israel's military offensive in Gaza -- and is meant to revive hopes of a two-state solution to the conflict. Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a Palestinian state would not happen and denounced recognition as a huge reward to terrorism. Palestinian leaders welcomed recognition. We will hear from Palestinians and an Israeli official.
Also in the programme: We will hear from the Hollywood star Leonardo Di Caprio about his new film; Martin Luther King the Third on political violence in America and trying to bridge the divide; and talking statues of the gardens of Versailles.
(Photo credit: PA)