• Short Wave

  • By: NPR
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Short Wave

By: NPR
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  • Summary

  • New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — in just under 15 minutes. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber for science on a different wavelength.

    If you're hooked, try Short Wave Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/shortwave
    Copyright 2019-2021 NPR - For Personal Use Only
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Episodes
  • How The Brain Experiences Pleasure — Even The Kind That Makes Us Feel Guilty

    How The Brain Experiences Pleasure — Even The Kind That Makes Us Feel Guilty
    Apr 15 2024
    We've all been there: You sit down for one episode of a reality TV show, and six hours later you're sitting guiltily on the couch, blinking the screen-induced crust off your eyeballs.

    Okay. Maybe you haven't been there like our team has. But it's likely you have at least one guilty pleasure, whether it's playing video games, reading romance novels or getting swept into obscure corners of TikTok. It turns out that experiencing – and studying – pleasure is not as straightforward as it might seem. And yet, pleasure is quite literally key to the survival of humanity. So today on the show, we explore the pleasure cycle: What it is, where it lives in the brain and how to have a healthier relationship with the things that make us feel good.

    Want more on the brain? Email us the neuroscience you want us to talk about at shortwave@npr.org! (Also please email us if you would like to gush about any of the books you've been loving — romantasy or otherwise!)

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    14 mins
  • What To Know About The New EPA Rule Limiting 'Forever Chemicals' In Tap Water

    What To Know About The New EPA Rule Limiting 'Forever Chemicals' In Tap Water
    Apr 12 2024
    Wednesday the Environmental Protection Agency announced new drinking water standards to limit people's exposure to some PFAS chemicals. For decades, PFAS have been used to waterproof and stain-proof a variety of consumer products. These "forever chemicals" in a host of products — everything from raincoats and the Teflon of nonstick pans to makeup to furniture and firefighting foam. Because PFAS take a very long time to break down, they can accumulate in humans and the environment. Now, a growing body of research is linking them to human health problems like serious illness, some cancers, lower fertility and liver damage. Science correspondent Pien Huang joins the show today to talk through this new EPA rule — what the threshold for safe levels of PFAS in tap water is, why the rule is happening now and how the federal standards will be implemented.

    Read more of Pien's reporting on the EPA's first ever rule on PFAS in drinking water.

    Want to hear more about health and human safety? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might cover your question on a future episode!

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    13 mins
  • The Order Your Siblings Were Born in May Play a Role in Identity and Sexuality

    The Order Your Siblings Were Born in May Play a Role in Identity and Sexuality
    Apr 10 2024
    It's National Siblings Day! To mark the occasion, guest host Selena Simmons-Duffin is exploring a detail very personal to her: How the number of older brothers a person has can influence their sexuality. Scientific research on sexuality has a dark history, with long-lasting harmful effects on queer communities. Much of the early research has also been debunked over time. But not this "fraternal birth order effect." The fact that a person's likelihood of being gay increases with each older brother has been found all over the world – from Turkey to North America, Brazil, the Netherlands and beyond. Today, Selena gets into all the details: What this effect is, how it's been studied and what it can (and can't) explain about sexuality.

    Interested in reading more about the science surrounding some of our closest relatives? Check out more stories in NPR's series on The Science of Siblings.

    Email us at     shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you.

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    12 mins
Politics & Government Astronomy Biological Sciences
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