Short Wave

Peter Ross, a toxicologist and senior scientist who studies environmental contamination, explains the fallout from Iran’s ‘black rain’. He breaks down what pollutants like soot, PAHs and benzene do to air, water and health. He discusses how rain can transport toxins, Tehran’s geography that worsens exposure, and why recovery from oil-related pollution can take decades.

A look at why some pleasures feel embarrassing and how social judgment shapes what we enjoy. Neuroscientists break pleasure into a cycle of wanting and liking with different brain mechanisms. The conversation covers hedonic hotspots, how wanting can outlast liking in addiction, and experiments showing guilt can actually boost reported enjoyment.

Victor Tsai, a geophysicist who recreated lake stars in the lab and linked them to features on Europa, explains the curious star-shaped patterns. He describes how slushy snow, thin ice and upwelling warm water carve branching channels. He also compares Earth’s lake stars to spider-like features on Jupiter’s moon and what that could mean for near-surface water there.

Joshua Stewart, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University who studies marine mammals and Arctic benthic ecosystems, joins to unpack repeating mass gray whale deaths. He describes historical boom-and-bust mortality patterns. He traces the shift from disease hunts to linking whale declines with Arctic prey cycles and climate-driven food shortages. He considers limits to human intervention and whales as climate warning signs.

Scott Semenina, a psychology professor who explains the fraternal birth order effect, and Justin Torres, a novelist and essayist reflecting on queer identity. They discuss how older brothers link to male same-sex attraction, the maternal immune hypothesis, surprising large-scale findings, and cultural risks of research into sexuality.

Ari Daniel, a science reporter who investigated crocodile bone growth, visits a reptile center and follows researchers tracking bone banding. The story explores how crocodiles, dinosaur relatives, show multiple growth marks per year. Short scenes cover lab microscopy, surprising results, and scientists debating how to reliably age ancient animals.

Scott Detrow, NPR reporter known for clear science reporting, joins to talk teen sleep, seismic science, and ancient diets. He outlines a two-decade trend of worsening teen sleep. Then he digs into new Cascadia seafloor findings on fault stress. Finally, researchers’ recreated prehistoric stews reveal surprising ingredients and flavors.

Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR global health correspondent who reports on vaccine policy and epidemiology. She walks through how U.S. vaccine policy shifts are affecting global programs. Short scenes cover U.S. pressure on an international vaccine alliance over thimerosal and a controversial newborn hepatitis B trial with heated ethical debate.

Lauren Robinson, a primate researcher and psychology professor, discusses Punch the macaque and his viral story. She talks about maternal abandonment and surrogate care. She explains how plush toys can help and what survival would look like in the wild. She describes macaque social hierarchies, signs of social integration, and why people tend to anthropomorphize animals.

Zach Feiner, a fisheries biologist in Madison who studies lake ice timing and fish, walks the ice and explains big shifts beneath the surface. He talks about wildly variable spring thaws, how mismatched algae-to-fish timing threatens walleye, and signs of warm-water species moving in. The conversation covers on-ice research methods and tough choices for managing changing fisheries.