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Rachel Carlson Rachel Carlson is a production assistant at Short Wave.
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Rachel Carlson

Wednesday

The magic — and science — of synchronous firefly displays

Synchronous fireflies, known as Photuris frontalis, blink in the woods near the Congaree River on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. Sam Wolfe for NPR hide caption

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Sam Wolfe for NPR

Short Wave

The magic — and science — of synchronous firefly displays

Every year for two weeks between mid-May and mid-June, Congaree National Park in South Carolina is home to a fairy-tale-like display of flashing lights. These rhythmic performances happen all because of thousands of fireflies, flashing their belly lanterns at exactly the same time. According to the National Park Service, there are just three types of these synchronous fireflies in North America, making the experience all the more magical for the lucky visitors who get the chance to see them.

The magic — and science — of synchronous firefly displays

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Friday

Teens are following skincare trends on TikTok. Some dermatologists are wary
Tanja Ivanova/Getty Images

Short Wave

Teens are following skincare trends on TikTok. Some dermatologists are wary

TikTok is fuel for many trends, including a skin care craze among teens, pre-teens — okay, and us. The "glass skin" trend calls for a multi-step routine, often involving pricey products. It's all in pursuit of dewy, seemingly poreless, glowing complexion – like glass. But some dermatologists say these attempts can backfire, irritating, burning and even peeling sensitive pre-teen skin. As teens and tweens have become major consumers of skin care products, dermatologists are seeing more of these cases and are cautioning against these elaborate routines.

Teens are following skincare trends on TikTok. Some dermatologists are wary

Listen · 9:13
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Wednesday

Researchers are figuring out how African ancestry can affect certain brain disorders

Illustration of a brain and genomic DNA on a dark blue particle background. Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images hide caption

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Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images

Short Wave

Researchers are figuring out how African ancestry can affect certain brain disorders

Black Americans have been underrepresented in most genomic studies of neurological disorders. As a result, scientists don't know much about whether African ancestry affects a person's risk for these disorders or their response to a particular treatment. To help close this gap, the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, African American community leaders in Baltimore, and researchers from Duke University and Morgan State University created the African Ancestry Neuroscience Research Initiative in 2019. The team found that genes associated with African ancestry appear to affect certain brain cells in ways that could increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and stroke.

Researchers are figuring out how African ancestry can affect certain brain disorders

Listen · 13:23
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Friday

Named after the Norse god Loki, meet Lokiceratops, a new horned dinosaur species

Reconstruction of a Lokiceratops rangiformis being surprised by a crocodilian in the 78-million-year-old swamps that would have existed in what is now northern Montana. Andrey Atuchin/Museum of Evolution hide caption

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Andrey Atuchin/Museum of Evolution

Short Wave

Named after the Norse god Loki, meet Lokiceratops, a new horned dinosaur species

A brand new species of ceratops, or horned dinosaur, was recently discovered in northern Montana. The dinosaur is called Lokiceratops rangiformis, after the Norse god Loki, and is believed to have lived roughly eighty million years ago. The bones of the plant-eating dinosaur were found on private land in an area well known for its large amount of fossils, and at first, researchers thought the bones belonged to another species of dinosaur!

Named after the Norse god Loki, meet Lokiceratops, a new horned dinosaur species

Listen · 9:14
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Wednesday

The human brain is hardwired to recognize faces. But what if you can't?

Freelance science writer Sadie Dingfelder is the author of the new book Do I Know You?, which explores human sight, memory and imagination. Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company hide caption

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Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company

Short Wave

The human brain is hardwired to recognize faces. But what if you can't?

Humans are hardwired to see faces — even in inanimate objects. We have a lima bean-shaped part of our brains dedicated to facial recognition. But this process isn't always straightforward. Science journalist Sadie Dingfelder is one of 10 million Americans who are face blind, or struggle to recognize the faces of people they know. In her new book, Do I Know You? she dives into this, as well as the science of memory and imagination.

The human brain is hardwired to recognize faces. But what if you can't?

Listen · 12:41
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Friday

We're in for a brutal hurricane season, according to predictions
NOAA Satellites

Short Wave

We're in for a brutal hurricane season, according to predictions

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a record number of hurricanes this season, which began on June 1 and runs through Nov. They're forecasting anywhere from 17 to 25 storms in the Atlantic basin, including at least four major hurricanes. Scientists think this storm activity could be due to strong winds, warmer ocean temperatures and a scientific mystery unfolding in the Atlantic.

We're in for a brutal hurricane season, according to predictions

Listen · 11:47
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Wednesday

What 'Inside Out 2' got right about anxiety, per a psychologist

Pixar's new movie Inside Out 2 revisits the internal life of Riley, as she hits puberty and copes with a growing range of emotions. Pixar hide caption

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Pixar

Short Wave

What 'Inside Out 2' got right about anxiety, per a psychologist

Pixar's new movie, Inside Out 2 came out Friday. It's the sequel to the 2015 movie Inside Out, which follows the life of 11-year-old Riley and her family as they move to San Francisco. In Inside Out 2, Riley is 13 and thriving in her new city. She has friends and is a star on her hockey team. But when puberty hits one night, four new emotions come into play: Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment and most of all, Anxiety.

What 'Inside Out 2' got right about anxiety, per a psychologist

Listen · 14:05
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How is Israel Using Facial Recognition in Gaza?

Palestinians are walking along Salah al-Din Road in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on Feb. 11, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption

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Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

State of the World from NPR

How is Israel Using Facial Recognition in Gaza?

Today we bring you an episode from NPR's science podcast Short Wave about how Israel is using facial recognition software to track Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. And what the proliferation of this technology means for privacy around the world.

How is Israel Using Facial Recognition in Gaza?

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Saturday

Some people get obsessed with romance and fantasy novels. What's the science behind this kind of guilty pleasure?

Some people get obsessed with romance and fantasy novels. What's the science behind this kind of guilty pleasure? proxyminder/Getty Images/E+ hide caption

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Shots - Health News

From ‘romantasy’ to reality TV, why we love guilty pleasures so much

Neuroscientists say the pleasure response helps us survive as a species. So why do we feel embarrassed by some of the things we love the most?

pleasure

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Friday

Why you shouldn't worry about invasive Joro spiders

Joro spider sits in the middle of a spider web. GummyBone/Getty Images hide caption

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GummyBone/Getty Images

Short Wave

Why you shouldn't worry about invasive Joro spiders

Joro spiders are spreading across the east coast. They are an invasive species that most likely arrived in shipping containers from eastern Asia. Today, we look into why some people find them scary, why to not panic about them and what their trajectory illustrates about the wider issue of invasive species.

Why you shouldn't worry about invasive Joro spiders

Listen · 8:19
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Thursday

Science

This week in science: invasive spiders, cicada fungus, and how bodies change in space

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks with Regina Barber and Rachel Carlson of Short Wave about colorful and invasive Joro spiders, a cicada fungus, and lessons about how the human body responds to life in outer space.

This week in science: invasive spiders, cicada fungus, and how bodies change in space

Listen · 7:24
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Monday

Illegal wildlife trade is booming. What does that mean for the confiscated animals?

The illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Live animals that are caught, like this box turtle, need immediate and long-term care at facilities like The Turtle Conservancy. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

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Ryan Kellman/NPR

Short Wave

Illegal wildlife trade is booming. What does that mean for the confiscated animals?

Wildlife trafficking is one of the largest and most profitable crime sectors in the world. The illegal trade estimated to be a multi-billion dollar industry. On a high level, that illegal trade causes problems for everything from global biodiversity to local economies and the balance of entire ecosystems. And on the immediate level, authorities are tasked with caring for confiscated animals and placing them in long-term care facilities.

Illegal wildlife trade is booming. What does that mean for the confiscated animals?

Listen · 11:17
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Saturday

FWS Inspector Mac Elliot looks over a legal shipment while Braxton, a dog trained to smell heavily trafficked wildlife like reptiles and animal parts like ivory, enthusiastically does his job. Wildlife trafficking is one of the largest and most profitable crime sectors in the world. Estimates of its value range from $7-23 billion annually.

FWS Inspector Mac Elliot looks over a legal shipment while Braxton, a dog trained to smell heavily trafficked wildlife like reptiles and animal parts like ivory, enthusiastically does his job. Wildlife trafficking is one of the largest and most profitable crime sectors in the world. Estimates of its value range from $7-23 billion annually. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

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Ryan Kellman/NPR

Environment

Box turtles. Coral. These illegally trafficked animals still need a good home

When authorities find wildlife that are being illegally trafficked, at ports or airports, the animals are often in terrible shape. Sick, starved, distressed. A pilot project in Southern California aims to get seized wildlife immediate care.

Friday

Drag queen Kyne Santos explores how math is 'beautiful' in new book 'Math in Drag'

Kyne wearing her hyperbolic plane dress. Author photo by Fabian Di Corcia. Fabian Di Corcia/Fabian Di Corcia hide caption

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Fabian Di Corcia/Fabian Di Corcia

Short Wave

Drag queen Kyne Santos explores how math is 'beautiful' in new book 'Math in Drag'

Kyne Santos was a student at the University of Waterloo when she began her math and her drag careers. She compares her double life to Hannah Montana, doing math equations at school by day and drag at night. You may already know Kyne from TikTok, where she makes educational videos about math, science, history and drag. And now, in her new book Math in Drag, Kyne explores the connections between math and drag: How both can be creative, beautiful and most of all, fun.

Drag queen Kyne Santos explores how math is 'beautiful' in new book 'Math in Drag'

Listen · 12:18
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Wednesday

Why the science of tides was crucial for D-Day
P A Thompson/Getty Images

Short Wave

Why the science of tides was crucial for D-Day

June 6, 1944 the Allied Forces stormed the beaches of Normandy and took the Nazis by surprise in the largest sea-to-land invasion in history. This would be remembered as D-Day and would ultimately lead to the end of World War II in Europe. However, this planned attack wouldn't have been possible without deep knowledge of ocean tides! We get into the whole story, including why tides sit at the intersection of astronomy and marine ecology — and why understanding tides are key to a greener future.

Why the science of tides was crucial for D-Day

Listen · 13:29
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