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  • Football is here – and so is a new study on CTE

    Football is here – and so is a new study on CTE
    2026/08/31
    The NFL season begins this week, but America’s favorite sport has been on our minds for other reasons recently. New research released in the journal BMJ reveals that 1 in 4 former NFL players in this sample had CTE, a neurodegenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head injuries. Past studies already showed that football players are at high risk for CTE, but this study – which assessed ex-NFL players who died from 2016 to 2021 – revealed that at least a quarter of those former players died with CTE, and the study’s lead author says the actual numbers are likely higher. What does that mean for players (and fans) of American football? Short Wave host Nate Rott and NPR sports correspondent Becky Sullivan find out.

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

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    15 分
  • NASA's newest telescope has a top secret past

    NASA's newest telescope has a top secret past
    2026/08/28
    The new Nancy Grace Roman space telescope is slated to launch this weekend. It was originally built for the National Reconnaissance Office as a spy satellite, but was never launched. Instead, NRO gave it to NASA about 15 years ago. After some major modifications, it’s set to begin its five-year mission peering at new supernovas, distant galaxies and planets orbiting stars outside our solar system. It should help scientists get a better understanding of the mysterious force known as dark energy – which will tell us about the fate of the universe.

    If you liked this episode, check out Regina’s reporting demystifying the mysterious red dots spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope.

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

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    14 分
  • How your metabolism could alter your mental health

    How your metabolism could alter your mental health
    2026/08/26
    In 2009, medical student Shebani Sethi watched a patient in a weight loss program make a remarkable recovery. The dietary intervention she underwent alleviated her schizophrenia symptoms, something the woman had tried – and failed – to treat with medication for years. That experience sent Shebani down a medical path that would lead her to treating mental health in a radically different way. Today host Emily Kwong talks to Shebani about the emerging field of metabolic psychiatry and how ketogenic metabolic therapy may treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.

    Read Shebani’s article on metabolic psychiatry here.

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

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    12 分
  • AI-made viruses could be the future of medicine

    AI-made viruses could be the future of medicine
    2026/08/25
    The era of AI-generated viruses is here. Some scientists are using AI to design viruses that can attack bacteria. The hope is that these tailor-made viruses can fight drug-resistant bacterial infections in people. And longer-term, Brian Hie, the Stanford researcher spearheading this project, hopes that AI can help create more complicated biological systems to treat formidable diseases. But some experts warn that placed in the wrong hands, this technology could create the next pandemic.

    Interested in more AI-related research? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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    12 分
  • How much has the U.S.’s wildlife changed since Lewis and Clark?

    How much has the U.S.’s wildlife changed since Lewis and Clark?
    2026/08/24
    Ever wish you could have been part of the Lewis and Clark expedition? Us too. The Corps of Discovery came across scores of plants and animals that were new to Western science: Grizzly bears, ponderosa pines, a “barking squirrel” that William Clark would later call the prairie dog. A modern effort is underway to see how much the country’s wildlife has changed in the 220-some years since their journey. Host Nate Rott tags along with some scientists re-surveying a part of the expedition’s route in western Montana. And he wishes he was in better shape.

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

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    14 分
  • Why scientists are stoked about mysterious black hole stars

    Why scientists are stoked about mysterious black hole stars
    2026/08/21
    You've heard of black holes. You've heard of stars. But have you heard of the newly discovered black hole stars that may explain multiple mysteries of the universe? We just did and we're honestly freaking out about it. Learn everything you need to know about it in this episode. Plus, hear some other cool stories fresh off the presses: Which exercise can help reduce your risk of dementia and how shrews shrink — and then regrow — parts of their body throughout the year.

    Interested in hearing more reporting on space, scientific mysteries or other emerging science? We want to know! Email us what you'd like us to talk about at shortwave@npr.org!

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    12 分
  • More men are taking testosterone. What gives?

    More men are taking testosterone. What gives?
    2026/08/19
    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.

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    15 分
  • A survivor's view from inside a tornado

    A survivor's view from inside a tornado
    2026/08/18
    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.

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    12 分