Hantavirus: the risks, the science and what you need to know ^69.4%

NPR - By Berly McCoy, Emily Kwong, Rebecca Ramirez - 5/8/2026, 7:00 AM

Attempt to Sell a Product or Service 31.1% - Framing Effect 27.4% - Appeal to Authority 21.6%

On May 2, the World Health Organization got an alarming report: People aboard a ship in the Atlantic Ocean were falling ill. The culprit is now confirmed as hantavirus, a pathogen that some rodents carry that can infect humans in rare, but often deadly, instances. Multiple passengers have died, and more people are showing symptoms. So,... more

The psychology behind why you dread small talk ^0%

NPR - By Emily Kwong, Regina G. Barber, Ailsa Chang, Rachel Carlson, Jeffrey Pierre - 4/17/2026, 7:00 AM

Appeal to Authority 23.9% - Attempt to Sell a Product or Service 15.9% - Indoctrination 13.3%

Do you avoid small talk with that co-worker near the water cooler or that neighbor in the elevator? Well, if so, you might want to think again. According to a study just published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, even when participants were primed that a conversation would be boring, they ultimately found it more... more

GLP-1 pills are on the way. Here's what to know ^61.9%

NPR - By Emily Kwong, Sydney Lupkin, Rachel Carlson, Brent Baughman - 12/19/2025, 8:00 AM

Drugmakers have developed pill versions of GLP-1 medicines to treat obesity. You may have heard of Ozempic, and other GLP-1 drugs. They're everywhere. But weekly injections, cost, and insurance complications mean they're not for everyone. That's why there's a lot of excitement around two new pill forms of the drug. more

Scientists have been studying the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 e. Could it harbor alien life? ^66.2%

NPR - By Regina G. Barber, Emily Kwong, Ailsa Chang, Rachel Carlson, Jordan-Marie Smith - 12/12/2025, 8:00 AM

Want to be a top notch candidate for hosting alien life? Then there's a few key requirements you should be aware of: Ideally, you're a large object like a moon or a planet; scientists suspect you also have an atmosphere and water; plus, you should orbit your star from a nice mid-range distance — in the "Goldilocks Zone" of habitability.... more

A microbiologist explains why we age and die ^13.7%

NPR - By Regina G. Barber, Jessica Yung, Emily Kwong, Rebecca Ramirez - 10/29/2024, 7:00 AM

Attempt to Sell a Product or Service 23.2% - Appeal to Authority 22% - Loss Aversion 13.1%

Humans have seen a significant increase in life expectancy over the past 200 years — but not in overall lifespan. Nobody on record has lived past 122 years. So, for this early Halloween episode, host Regina G. Barber asks: Why do we age and why do we die? Microbiologist Venki Ramakrishnan explains some of the mechanisms inside of our... more

The Queen of Nuclear Physics (Part One): Chien-Shiung Wu's Discovery ^58.8%

NPR - By Emily Kwong, Regina G. Barber, Berly McCoy - 5/20/2022, 4:10 AM

Framing Effect 53.8% - In-Group Bias 42.9% - Indoctrination 42.9%

In the 1950's, a particle physicist made a landmark discovery that changed what was known about how the universe operates. Chien-Shiung Wu did it while raising a family and an ocean away from her relatives in China. Short Wave's Scientist-In-Residence Regina Barber joins host Emily Kwong to talk about that landmark discovery—what it... more