Episodes

  • A chemical found in fish could help reinvent your sunscreen

    A chemical found in fish could help reinvent your sunscreen
    May 15 2026
    It’s been over 25 years since the FDA approved a new ingredient for sunscreen in the United States. But a molecule called gadusol found in fish and coral reefs is a promising candidate. It absorbs U.V. rays — acting like a built-in sunscreen for fish. But there’s a big hurdle if scientists want to turn gadusol into human sunscreen: They’d need to make a lot of it. A new study out this week in the journal Trends in Biotechnology takes us a big step closer. Their solution? Using the bacteria best known for making your stomach hurt: e. Coli.

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

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    11 mins
  • Should you be fibermaxxing? Here's what the science says

    Should you be fibermaxxing? Here's what the science says
    May 13 2026
    The average person eats 10-15 grams of fiber per day, according to the USDA. The problem? That’s WAY under the recommended daily amount.

    Fiber – a type of carb that our bodies are unable to digest – is prevalent in foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, and beans. And it’s key for everything from feelings of fullness, to gut health, to good poop. That’s why a lot of people online are “fibermaxxing”: trying to meet or exceed the daily recommendation of fiber, in hopes it’ll improve their health.

    But how should YOU add fiber to your diet… and are the fibermaxxers overdoing it? Gastroenterologist Berkeley Limketkai is here to help parse the science on how little fiber is too little, how much fiber is too much – and, like Goldilocks, how we can figure out the amount that’s just right.

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

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    12 mins
  • Why Swedish scientists gave salmon cocaine

    Why Swedish scientists gave salmon cocaine
    May 12 2026
    A recent study caught our eye: salmon on cocaine. Or really, researchers giving salmon cocaine…for science. See, scientists know human drugs pollute aquatic environments – past studies have shown even anti-anxiety drugs can change how fish act. But illicit drugs are less studied. And Jack Brand, an aquatic ecologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, wanted to know how illicit drugs like cocaine might change fish behavior, like foraging and mating. To answer that question, Jack and his team gave salmon cocaine.

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

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    10 mins
  • Without this pill, lots of people would be dead

    Without this pill, lots of people would be dead
    May 11 2026
    25 years ago, the FDA approved a pill that would change the way scientists treat cancer … for good. The pill was called Gleevec; it was designed specifically to treat CML, chronic myeloid leukemia, and it was one of the first targeted cancer therapies available. A quarter century after approval, it’s still being prescribed, as are second, third and fourth-generation drugs that followed in its footsteps. What made it so special – and so effective? Pharmaceutical correspondent Sydney Lupkin walks us through the history of the drug, and why it’s continued to change lives for decades.

    If you liked this episode, check out our other episodes with Sydney on accelerated drug approvals and the development of GLP-1 pills.

    Interested in more stories about medicine and medical treatment? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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    14 mins
  • Hantavirus: the risks, the science and what you need to know

    Hantavirus: the risks, the science and what you need to know
    May 8 2026
    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, we’re talking to Emily Abdoler, an infectious disease doctor at the University of Michigan, about the news – how common is hantavirus in humans, what are the consequences of getting it, and how can at-risk people protect themselves from it?

    If you found this episode interesting, listen to our episode on Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

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

    Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

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    13 mins
  • How science is taking tripping mainstream

    How science is taking tripping mainstream
    May 6 2026
    President Trump recently signed an order to speed up the evaluation of psychedelics to treat the brain. That’s coming after decades of strict prohibition on psychedelic drug use dating back to President Nixon. So how did we go from that to a psychedelic renaissance? A look into a key institution in the world of psychedelic research may give us some clues. This episode, NPR’s brain correspondent Jon Hamilton shares insight from a recent trip. (No pun intended.)

    Want more psychedelic content? Catch our episode on ketamine therapy here, or learn why some scientists want to take the trip out of psychedelics here.

    Have other questions about psychedelics and the brain? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org!


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    13 mins
  • This medical condition stumped doctors for years

    This medical condition stumped doctors for years
    May 5 2026
    One morning, Kyla Madonna Kenney woke up and her world was turned upside down: The room was spinning, she had a splitting migraine and one side of her body was shaking. Her tremors and migraine lasted for days. And for years afterwards, doctors would ask her: Did anything upset you recently? Are you stressed? Have you talked to a therapist about your anxiety? She underwent surgeries and took medications that were, in hindsight, unnecessary. It wasn’t until seeing Dr. David Perez, a neurologist who is also a psychiatrist, that she finally got the right treatment for her medical condition, functional neurological disorder. Today, we dig into this disorder – what it is, why it’s so unknown despite being a top reason people seek out neurologists and what this condition reveals about the consequences of siloing medicine.

    If you liked this episode, check out our previous one about a new approach to brain health.

    Interested in more science behind medicine? Email us your questions at shortwave@npr.org.


    Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

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    14 mins
  • The secret behind clownfish stripes and more fishy fascinations

    The secret behind clownfish stripes and more fishy fascinations
    May 4 2026
    We reeled in science reporter Ari Daniel for this episode who grants us three wishes in the form of three fishes. He takes us on a trip around the world to learn about how a clownfish in the western Pacific loses its stripes as it grows up just to fit in, a fat French fry of a fish that can scale a 50-foot rockface in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the remarkable rearing of a pea-sized Pokémon-like fish at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Together, these stories reveal just how remarkable and diverse these unassuming creatures are.

    If you liked this episode, check out our Sea Camp series.

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

    Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

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    13 mins