Episodes

  • More men are taking testosterone. What gives?

    More men are taking testosterone. What gives?
    Aug 19 2026
    If you’re a guy – or even just friends with a guy – and on the Internet, you may have noticed that testosterone discourse is everywhere. There’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announcing testosterone screenings for soldiers, Joe Rogan discussing hormone therapy, and influencers discussing high- and low-T levels. Those levels affect more than just sex. They also affect metabolism, bone health, muscle mass, red blood cell production and brain function. NPR science reporter Will Stone took a deep dive into it all: What deficiency looks like in men, what doctors recommend and what the research says about who actually needs testosterone replacement therapy.

    Interested in hearing more reporting on popular science topics? Email us what you’d like us to cover at shortwave@npr.org.

    Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    15 mins
  • A survivor's view from inside a tornado

    A survivor's view from inside a tornado
    Aug 18 2026
    What’s the dumbest thing Perry Samson says he’s ever done? Getting caught inside a tornado. But when you’re an atmospheric scientist who studies supercell thunderstorms—with a special interest in the ones that cause tornadoes—that sort of thing is a bit of an occupational hazard. Lucky for Perry, he also made a split-second decision while in the tornado that may be the smartest thing he’s ever done. So today on the show: What we can learn from nature at its wildest.

    Interested in more science behind the weather? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

    Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
  • Could future wars be fought by AI?

    Could future wars be fought by AI?
    Aug 17 2026
    This year, the Department of Defense announced that they’d entered agreements with eight artificial intelligence companies. It follows decades of popular media exploring the idea of artificial intelligence in war – from the computer threatening global thermonuclear conflict in the movie WarGames to the Skynet neural net in Terminator. In 2026, when Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT are just a click away, the concept of AI-supported war is suddenly much closer to reality. So what does it really mean for militaries to use AI? And what are the potential implications if they succeed? Short Wave producer Hannah Chinn reports.

    Listen to the whole Tech Camp series.

    Interested in more military science and/or tech episodes? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

    Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    15 mins
  • Inside Colombia's big quake – and why more could be coming

    Inside Colombia's big quake – and why more could be coming
    Aug 14 2026
    The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Columbia was devastating. Host Regina Barber talks to earthquake geologist Rodrigo Alejandro Leon Loya about the tectonic plates that caused the quake and what it was like 150 miles from the epicenter.

    Interested in more science in the news? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

    Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.


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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
  • How to see the year's best meteor shower tonight

    How to see the year's best meteor shower tonight
    Aug 13 2026
    Right now the best shooting star show of the year is happening: the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. People have been viewing this annual event pretty much as long as we’ve been recording history. But what are we really looking at when we gaze up to see these faint streaks of light shoot across the sky? And what can you do to get the best view of them?

    We dive into those questions on this edition of Spacing Out, which also gets into the latest news about the Sun and the tea behind the SpaceX rocket crashing into the moon.

    Interested in more space news? Let us know! Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

    Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
  • Can you spot AI-written stories? Listen and find out

    Can you spot AI-written stories? Listen and find out
    Aug 12 2026
    Can you tell the difference between a human-written short story and an AI-generated one? Most people can’t. In a series of experiments led by a team at Villanova University, researchers found two things: First, most people said they preferred human written stories, but couldn’t tell the difference between AI and human writing; and second, when presented with two similar short stories, one written by a human and one generated by AI, readers tended to prefer the AI-generated piece – especially if they had been told the AI story was written by a human.

    We excerpted two of the short stories on our website for you to guess which is AI-generated and which is human-generated.

    Check out the full set of stories here.

    Interested in more science and technology news? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

    Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
  • How to see this week's eclipse (and the next big one)

    How to see this week's eclipse (and the next big one)
    Aug 11 2026
    During a total solar eclipse the world around you is very different. The sun gets totally blotted out and suddenly, it feels like night time. The temperature drops. Birds stop singing. These surreal celestial events happen every year or so around the globe – including tomorrow. To get you prepped, we’re talking to eclipse chasers about what makes these few minutes of darkness worthwhile and break down how to view an eclipse. That includes using special specs, so we’re linking the American Astronomical Society’s list of trustworthy eclipse glasses.

    To nerd out even more, check out NASA’s eclipse website.

    Interested in more space news? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org and we may cover it in an upcoming segment.

    Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.


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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
  • Mirror cells could threaten life on Earth. Why are we building them?

    Mirror cells could threaten life on Earth. Why are we building them?
    Aug 10 2026
    For people with two hands, one is usually dominant. On a molecular level, earthly life takes this to the extreme. All of the DNA in living things twists to the right, whereas the protein building blocks favor a kind of left-handed chemistry.

    The rules of life are based on this chemistry.

    In recent years, scientists have worked toward a kind of mirror version of life. Currently, the technology doesn't exist to make mirror life at the cellular level — and likely won't for at least a decade. Still, a group of scientists is concerned enough about the possibility that they've published a 299-page technical report calling for a stop to the science.

    In this encore episode for our Tech Camp series, host Regina Barber talks to Carl Zimmer, a science reporter at The New York Times, about his reporting on mirror cells — and why creating them could lead to devastating consequences for life on Earth.

    Check out Carl's full article.

    Curious about other controversial research? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

    Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    14 mins