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Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst 

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.

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Short Wave

The world is bracing for the worst effects of a Super El Niño. Or a Godzilla El Niño. But what does that really even mean?

For millennia El Niño has shaped weather across the globe, fueling flooding in parts of the U.S., droughts and wildfires in Australia and Indonesia, and disrupting fisheries across the Pacific.

Scientists have long wondered if human activities — chiefly the burning of fossil fuels — are making El Niños stronger. Now, on the eve of the strongest El Niño on record, a team of researchers think they have an answer.

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

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'Super' El Niño is coming. What should you expect?

Measles is making a comeback. Ongoing outbreaks in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah have documented hundreds of cases, mostly among unvaccinated people. And while local and federal politicians debate the definitions and impact of those measles-associated deaths, health experts worry that we’re overlooking the real problem: the threat of a full-scale epidemic. Today, we talk to one of those experts – epidemiologist Michael Mina – to figure out who’s most at risk and whether there’s any way for us to turn this epidemic around.

Interested in more health and medical 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. 

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Vaccinated or not, we’re on the brink of a measles epidemic

Your self-worth today can be affected by your memories. But you have power over those memories – when you re-experience them. By doing that, you can reshape your self-esteem for the better and change your perspective. That idea and the broader science of self-worth are at the heart of Marisa Franco’s new book Worth. It’s so intriguing to us, we couldn’t pass up the chance to share it with you. That’s why today’s episode is a peek at a conversation Marisa had about self-worth on NPR’s self-help podcast Life Kit.

Interested in more psychology episodes? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org – it may become a future episode!

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The science of self-worth (and how to boost yours)

Remember your mom, dad and teachers telling you to read because it’s good for you? Well, a compilation of the latest research shows they were right. “Reading is one of the simplest and most accessible activities for actually supporting cognitive performance, brain health, mental health, but also overall wellbeing throughout our lives,” said Christelle Langley, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge and co-author of review, published in the journal Psychological Medicine. The review looked specifically at recreational reading — reading for fun — and found broad benefits for children, adolescents and older adults. This episode, we dive deep into the joys and health benefits of bookmaxxing. 

Interested in the science of reading? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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Why we should all be 'bookmaxxing'

AI is in the news again – for its potential to end civilization. A researcher at Anthropic resigned very publicly last week, citing concerns about the accelerating capabilities of AI and what he called “irresponsible” behavior from major AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI. Following his resignation, the leaders of both companies called for an internationally cooperative, industry-wide slowdown on advanced AI development. And Wednesday, OpenAI disclosed six more incidents of “unexpected or concerning model behavior” and debuted a new framework for reporting misalignments. So, given all these events, how worried should we be about the future of AI? And what safety measures are – or could be – set in place to safeguard humanity? NPR’s power and policy reporter Huo Jingnan reports.

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

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The latest on AI panic — and whether it's justified

For years, renewable energy companies have faced a problem: How to store the mass amounts of energy they produce for later use. Batteries may be just the solution. In California, there's now enough grid-scale battery storage to power millions of homes for a few hours. Battery power is often the second largest source of energy on a given day in the state. So, we're revisiting the fast-growing technology with Cooper Katz McKim, a producer on The Indicator from Planet Money.

Listen to the three-part battery series.

Have questions about the future of energy? Contact us at shortwave@npr.org.
 

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When batteries get a facelift, so does renewable energy

Nearly every person will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime. That means either a delayed diagnosis, a wrong diagnosis – or no diagnosis at all. That’s according to a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine from 2015 on diagnostic error. Today on the show we talk to a physician who was personally affected by the crisis, and New York Times editor and author of the book The Elusive Body: Patients, Doctors and the Diagnosis Crisis.

If you liked this episode, check out these other episodes:
- How science is taking tripping mainstream
- What If You Took The "Trip" Out Of Ketamine?
- Could Psychedelics Become Tripless?
- The Reality Of OCD

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

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Why you'll probably be misdiagnosed in your lifetime

BMI is a quick, cheap way for doctors to estimate body fat and screen for conditions like heart disease and diabetes. But medicine has long known that BMI is problematic and unnuanced. By using it, groups of people have fallen through the cracks and conditions have been caught late. So, some doctors want to add nuance – to consider race when using BMI. But using race in medicine comes with its own problems. So what’s the way forward? To find out, we talk to Katie Wu, a science writer at The Atlantic.

Read more of Katie’s reporting on BMI and race.

Interested in more science health stories? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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Should race affect BMI guidelines? Doctors are split

When people are sick, we seek out medications and treatments to help heal. For a long time, scientists thought that was a uniquely human ability. But it turns out, many other animals do a version of it too! And since the late 1980s, western researchers have been trying to get a peek behind the curtain. And aside from just cataloguing all the cool examples just to know, there’s a real hope that studying animals’ medical cabinets may be the most promising way to expand our own. We get into the weeds with freelance science journalist Mandy Nguyen.

Interested in more animal stories? Email us your ideas and questions to explore at shortwave@npr.org. They may become a future episode!

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How scientists discovered that animals are doctors, too

The trial around Lindsay Clancy may be over for now, but it still leaves us with questions. On today’s episode, we talk to psychiatrists and patients to answer them: What is postpartum psychosis, exactly? Why don’t we know more about it? And what can you do if you are worried about a postpartum loved one?

Interested in more stories on mental health? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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Lindsay Clancy and postpartum psychosis

The Nipah virus is on the World Health Organization's short list of diseases that have pandemic potential and therefore pose the greatest public health risk. With a fatality rate at about 70%, it is one of the most deadly respiratory diseases health officials have ever seen. But as regular outbreaks began in the early 2000s in Bangladesh, researchers were left scratching their heads. Initially, the cause of the outbreaks was unknown to them. But once they identified the virus, a second, urgent question arose: How was the virus jumping from bats into humans?

This episode is part of the series, Hidden Viruses: How Pandemics Really Begin.

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A Fatal Virus With Pandemic Potential

Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

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