logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
10m 2s

Congrats! It's A Tomato

NPR
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Yesterday
The global fallout of RFK Jr.'s vaccine policies
In his role as secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is changing how the United States approaches vaccines. But those changes aren’t limited to the United States. NPR global health correspondent Gabrielle Emanuel joins Short Wave to talk about two examples ... Show More
15m 14s
Mar 3
Will Punch the baby monkey be okay?
If you’ve been on the internet in the past few weeks, chances are you’ve seen him: a tiny gray-brown monkey dragging a big, stuffed orangutan around Japan’s Ichikawa Zoo. His name? Punch-kun, or Punch for short. His story? Early abandonment by his mother, careful treatment from l ... Show More
12m 32s
Mar 2
Spring ice is thawing earlier in lakes. What does that mean for life below the surface?
Lakes are freezing later, thawing earlier and experiencing dramatic temperature swings in between. And all that throws off the delicate balance of life below the surface. And that has a major impact on the roughly 1.7 million ice fishers in the U.S. who spend millions of dollars ... Show More
12m 39s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
Do climbing plants know where they’re going?
<p>CrowdScience listener Eric, in New Zealand, has noticed his wisteria growing towards a neighbouring tree. He thinks that it actually knows where it’s going. But how can a plant have a sense of direction?</p><p>Plants don’t have the advantage of brains or eyes, but that doesn’t ... Show More
29 m
Jun 2018
Do Plants Talk about Sex?
Sex – for most organisms - is about meeting the right partner. But what if you and your mate are stuck far apart with no ability to travel? This dilemma could put a bit of a downer on your sex life, but is faced by plants everywhere. Presenter Anand Jagatia uncovers the happy fac ... Show More
26m 28s
Jul 2016
From Tree to Shining Tree
<p>A forest can feel like a place of great stillness and quiet. But if you dig a little deeper, there’s a hidden world beneath your feet as busy and complicated as a city at rush hour.</p> <p>In this story, a dog introduces us to a strange creature that burrows beneath forests, b ... Show More
32m 8s
May 2019
Forensic science provision, optimal garden watering strategy, and a mystery knee bone
A damning House of Lords' report into the provision of forensic science in England and Wales makes for uncomfortable reading for some but is broadly welcomed by those in the field. Prof. Niamh Nic Daeid, one of many who gave evidence to the Science and Technology Committee, gives ... Show More
28m 39s
Sep 2022
Exploring the Idea of Plant Intelligence
Sometimes in science, a question can be so hotly debated that attempting to answer it can become a lifetime project. And more often than not these questions are ones that we didn’t even realise were up for debate. In plant biology, the topic getting researchers all hot under the ... Show More
36m 2s
Aug 2020
Tomato, Tomato, Part 1
While the so-called “golden apple” has at times been viewed with suspicion, it has become a staple of summertime cuisine and may one day follow us to farms on other worlds. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider the tomato. Learn more about your ad-ch ... Show More
54m 17s
Jan 2021
Plant scientist Dale Sanders
Professor Dale Sanders has spent much of his life studying plants, seeking to understand why some thrive in a particular environment while others struggle. His ground breaking research on their molecular machinery showed how plants extract nutrients from the soil and store essent ... Show More
27m 39s
Oct 2018
From the Vault: Carnivorous Plants
Are humans truly safe from the hunger of meat-eating plants? Can we trust the trees that loom over us? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss myths and fictions of killer trees, the science of carnivorous plants and the curious absence of mean-eating p ... Show More
1h 10m
May 2019
Les plantes sont-elles intelligentes?
Qui n’a pas été interpellé en rayon par la couverture du best-seller «La vie secrète des arbres» ou de son rival «La révolution des plantes»? Leurs auteurs Peter Wohlleben et Stefano Mancuso appellent à la reconnaissance d’une troisième forme d’intelligence, après celle du règne ... Show More
25m 17s