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  • Peeing Is Contagious!

    Peeing Is Contagious!
    2025/01/24
    At least, it's contagious among a group of captive chimpanzees at the Kumamoto Sanctuary. How do researchers know? A very dedicated grad student at Kyoto University. In the quest for scientific knowledge, Ena Onishi logged over 600 hours in the field! This episode, host Regina G. Barber and special guests Jonathan Lambert and Ari Shapiro get into the nitty gritty of the research and their hypotheses for why this is happening in this episode.

    Read Jonathan's full reporting about contagious peeing in chimps.

    Delighted by other scientific discoveries you think we should share with the whole class (the rest of our audience)? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org!

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    9 分
  • Where Are We In The Quest To Find Alien Life?

    Where Are We In The Quest To Find Alien Life?
    2025/01/22
    Around the turn of the century, 3.8 million people banded together in a real-time search for aliens — with screensavers. It was a big moment in a century-long concerted search for extraterrestrial intelligence. So far, alien life hasn't been found. But for people like astronomer James Davenport, that doesn't mean the hunt is worthless — or should be given up.

    No, according to James, the search is only getting more exciting as new technology opens up a whole new landscape of possibilities. So today on the show: The evolving hunt for alien life.

    Want more space content? Let your opinion be heard by dropping us a line at shortwave@npr.org!

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    12 分
  • How will future forests survive climate change?

    How will future forests survive climate change?
    2025/01/21
    Forests are the lungs of our planet. Not only do they absorb carbon dioxide and create oxygen, they also regulate temperature, absorb rainwater to help prevent flooding, and provide critical habitat for the majority of the world's land-based plant and animal species.

    But due to land conversion for agriculture and road construction, timber harvesting, and increasing wildfires, the trees that make up our forests are increasingly endangered. That's why we need reforestation: replanting new forests to replace the old ones.

    For the past century, the United States Forest Service has helped to replant new forests and manage existing ones. But as scientists face the ongoing threat of climate change, they're developing new strategies... including one that tries to literally predict the future.

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    14 分
  • The science behind the FDA ban on food dye Red No. 3

    The science behind the FDA ban on food dye Red No. 3
    2025/01/20
    On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced it is banning the dye called Red No. 3, a food dye additive in many processed foods, like sodas, sweets and snacks. Recently, it and other dyes were linked to behavior issues in children. But high levels of Red No. 3 were linked to cancer in rats decades ago. So why is the ban happening now?

    Senior editor and science desk correspondent Maria Godoy answers our questions about Red No. 3 and other dyes that may replace it. Plus, how should parents think about feeding their kids products that may contain Red No. 3 before the ban takes affect.

    Questions, story ideas or want us to dig into another food science issue? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

    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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    10 分
  • All of life has a common ancestor. What was LUCA?

    All of life has a common ancestor. What was LUCA?
    2025/01/17
    Imagine the tree of life. The tip of every branch represents one species, and if you follow any two branches back through time, you'll hit an intersection. If you keep going back in time, you'll eventually find the common ancestor for all of life. That ancestor is called LUCA, the last universal common ancestor, and there is no fossil record to tell us what it looked like.

    Luckily, we have Jonathan Lambert. He's a science correspondent for NPR and today he's talking all things LUCA: What we think this single-celled organism may have looked like, when it lived and why a recent study suggests it could be older and more complex than scientists thought.

    Have other questions about ancient biology? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

    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 分
  • Some Dinos Had Feathers. Did They Fly?

    Some Dinos Had Feathers. Did They Fly?
    2025/01/15
    When you picture a dinosaur, what does it look like? For Jingmai O'Connor, paleobiologist and associate curator of reptiles at the Field Museum of Chicago, the dinosaurs she studies look a lot more like birds.

    "If you looked at an artist's reconstruction of something like Velociraptor or Microraptor ... you would see that it pretty much looks the same as a bird," Jingmai says. "In terms of the plumage, the soft tissues covering the body, it would have looked very, very birdlike."

    In this episode, Short Wave delves into the dinosaur-avian connection. Which dinosaurs had feathers? Were they using them to fly? And once and for all – what are those ancient dinosaurs' relationship to birds today?

    Have other dinosaur questions you want us to unravel? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

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    13 分
  • Bone Marrow Cells: Key To Vaccine Longevity?

    Bone Marrow Cells: Key To Vaccine Longevity?
    2025/01/14
    The COVID-19 mRNA vaccine generates enough of an antibody response to protect against severe disease for six months. But other vaccines offer years-long — even lifelong — immunity, such as the measles or yellow fever vaccines. Is there a way for scientists to tell how long a person's immunity will last? A team at Stanford Medicine might have found a way to do just that — with the help of some of the cells found in our bone marrow.

    Questions about vaccines or the respiratory season? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

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    9 分
  • The Science Behind Wildfire Smoke

    The Science Behind Wildfire Smoke
    2025/01/14
    Air quality in the Los Angeles region has plummeted due to smoke from the ongoing wildfires. With all that smoke comes possible risks to human health. So what actually is smoke and why is it so harmful? Jessica Gilman, an atmospheric chemist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explains what smoke is made of, how it behaves in the atmosphere and smoke's role in climate change. Plus, tips for how to lessen your exposure.

    Check out the CDC's recommendations for avoiding smoke inhalation here. Read more of NPR's coverage of the fires.

    Questions, story ideas or want us to dig more into the science underpinning natural disasters? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

    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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    14 分