Episodes

  • A new approach to brain health, one neuron at a time

    A new approach to brain health, one neuron at a time
    Apr 15 2026
    Neuroscientist Paul Nuyujukian likens the brain to a stadium full of people. To eavesdrop on the crowd you could put a microphone in the middle of the stadium. But to understand the conversations you need to record individual people. He thinks about the brain the same way. To understand brain disease, he studies neurons—one at a time. And his insights are shedding light on a big global issue—stroke. The World Health Organization predicts one in four adults will have a stroke in their lifetime. Strokes can cause death, or lead to paralysis or speech problems. But there’s still a lot researchers don’t know about how the brain recovers from an event like a stroke. Nuyujukian directs a lab at Stanford University that studies how the brain controls movement, including after neurological events like stroke. We get into how he does this, and why he hopes his research could eventually help people who’ve been paralyzed.

    Email us your questions about the brain – or anything else to do with science at shortwave@npr.org. We may turn it into an episode in the future!

    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.


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    13 mins
  • Is there still a gender gap in medical research?

    Is there still a gender gap in medical research?
    Apr 14 2026
    When you go to the doctor’s office, your doctor has to figure out which treatment is best for you. Physicians rely on medical research and clinical trials to make sure those treatments are safe and effective. But that research has not always been inclusive, which impacts patient care. Women and people of color were only required to be included in medical trials funded by the NIH starting in 1993. Now, studies are more inclusive – but how we study sex and gender in research is still controversial. In this episode, we unpack how medicine sorts the sexes – and why it’s not as simple as it seems.

    If you liked this episode, check out our previous one unpacking biological sex.

    Interested in more science behind medicine? Email us your questions 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.

    Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by our showrunner, Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. Kwesi Lee was the audio engineer.

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    13 mins
  • Are you pooping all wrong?

    Are you pooping all wrong?
    Apr 13 2026
    Talking about poop can be taboo, and this social norm may be hurting our health. Dr. Trisha Pasricha says around 40% of people in the U.S. have bathroom issues so bad it affects their daily lives. Pasricha, a gastroenterologist, says her patients' bathroom and bowel education ends during potty training and doesn’t continue into adulthood. This is why she wrote the book You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong. In this episode, Pasricha speaks with host Regina G. Barber about the three P’s of pooping: pliability, propulsion and pelvic floor. They address whether to squat and whether certain fiber is the answer to better bathroom breaks.

    If you liked this episode, check out our episodes on urine myths and recurring UTIs.

    Interested in more health science? 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.

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    13 mins
  • Who's to blame for all this plastic?

    Who's to blame for all this plastic?
    Apr 10 2026
    How did plastic become so ubiquitous? The answer lies deep beneath the surface of the earth. In her new book Plastic Inc., environmental journalist Beth Gardiner lays bare the key connection between plastics and the fossil fuel companies behind them. Today, we dive into the history of the multi-billion dollar industry that brought us plastic, their plans to create even more and what could be done to turn the plastic tide.

    Interested in more stories about the materials that make up our world? 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.

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    13 mins
  • Quantum physics is for everybody

    Quantum physics is for everybody
    Apr 8 2026
    Subatomic particles, gravity wells and the beginning of the universe – these are difficult and mysterious concepts that are better understood with storytelling and metaphor. That’s exactly theoretical physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s tack in the new book The Edge of Space-Time: use metaphor and wonder to bridge the gap between people’s confusion and excitement with quantum physics.

    In this episode we talk about Star Trek, how first year physics students are taught and how theoretical physics affects your everyday life.

    Interested in more space science? 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.

    Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.

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    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    14 mins
  • Why are bees special? We get inside a hive to find out

    Why are bees special? We get inside a hive to find out
    Apr 7 2026
    In a new National Geographic docuseries, viewers get a look inside a bee hive. The series is called Secrets of the Bees — and since there’s nobody we know who loves bees more than entomologist Sammy Ramsey, we brought him on the show to share some of these secrets. We cover how bees play together (yes, play!), their ability to fend off predators four-times their size and a mite wreaking havoc on honeybees everywhere.

    If you liked this episode check out past episodes on liquid gold (a.k.a honey), and honeybees.

    Email us your questions about insects, critters – or anything else to do with science at shortwave@npr.org. We may turn it into an episode in the future!

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    13 mins
  • The world is running out of helium — again

    The world is running out of helium — again
    Apr 6 2026
    Lots of people count on helium. From MRI machines and semiconductor manufacturing to pressurizing rockets and detecting leaks, helium is used globally for much more than party balloons. So when there’s a shortage, like right now, the effect is far-reaching. But before the current shortage started, there was already a finite supply on Earth. So, today on Short Wave, we revisit our episode on the history of helium and how the world uses it today.

    If you liked this episode, check out our episode on aluminum's strange journey from precious metal to beer can.

    Interested in more science in the news? 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.

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    13 mins
  • Never had the flu? Scientists may know why

    Never had the flu? Scientists may know why
    Apr 3 2026
    Scientists estimate somewhere between 5%-35% of people do not get sick from the flu despite being exposed to the virus that causes it. Now, researchers may have figured out why. The team looked at mouthwash samples from 19 healthcare workers who, despite frequent contact with infected patients, report never getting flu symptoms. Today on Short Wave, we talk about how what they found could help scientists develop treatments and strategies to protect people who do get the flu.

    If you liked this episode, check out our show on an effort to map the entire immune system.

    Interested in more health science? 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.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    10 mins