logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
10m 37s

Ocean World Tour: Whale Vocal Fry, Fossi...

NPR
About this episode
Reading the science headlines this week, we have A LOT of questions. Why are more animals than just humans saddled — er, blessed — with vocal fry? Why should we care if 8 million year old plankton fossils are in different locations than plankton living today? And is humanity finally united on protecting the Earth's seas with the creation of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty? Luckily, it's the job of the Short Wave team to decipher the science behind the headlines. This week, that deciphering comes from co-hosts Emily Kwong and Aaron Scott, with the help of NPR climate correspondent Lauren Sommer. Hang out with us as we dish on some of the coolest science stories in this ocean-themed installment of our regular newsy get-togethers!

Have suggestions for what we should cover in our next news round up? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
Nature Quest: The Earthquake Prediction Problem
Their whole life, producer <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1255819925/hannah-chinn"target="_blank" >Hannah Chinn</a> has known about the Big One: a massive earthquake forecasted to hit the West Coast. Scientists say it’ll destroy buildings, collapse bridges, flood coastal t ... Show More
14m 35s
Nov 24
SNAP Delays: The Science Of Hunger And Food Insecurity
<p dir="ltr">One in every eight households in the U.S. isn’t always sure where the next meal will come from. Limited food access can spell hunger – and that can affect the body and mind. So can cheaper, less nutritious foods. Hunger has a huge impact on individuals – and whole so ... Show More
12m 6s
Nov 21
What's Up With Nightmares?
Dreams of flying? Nightmares of teeth falling out? Falling off a cliff? As a sleep scientist at the University of Montreal, <a href="https://recherche.umontreal.ca/chercheur/is/in35846/"target="_blank" >Michelle Carr</a> has pretty much heard it all. In Michelle’s new book <a h ... Show More
14m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
Drowning coastal ecosystems
Global sea levels are rising more than 3mm per year under current climate conditions. At this rate we are due to hit an alarming 7mm rise per year by the end of the century. If this is not slowed, it could lead to the drowning of essential coastal ecosystems like mangroves and la ... Show More
28m 5s
May 2023
#190 Problems for lab-grown meat; do we need vitamin D supplements?; waking the sleeping Arctic ocean; fish sing for Eurovision
Lab-grown meat may be cruelty free, but is it really better for the environment? Not at the moment. In fact, the team finds out how it’s up to 25 times worse than normal meat. And with prices still astronomically high, will it ever become a viable replacement? Are we waking up th ... Show More
30m 14s
May 2023
Policymaking on the high seas
Question: What is the world’s largest habitat? Here’s a hint: It also takes up about half of the Earth’s surface. Any guesses? It’s the high seas, the parts of the open ocean outside any single country’s jurisdiction. And for the first time ever, there is a plan to protect it.  ... Show More
44m 29s
Apr 2024
The stream of plastic pollution: could a global treaty help us turn off the tap?
Guardian Seascapes reporter Karen McVeigh tells Madeleine Finlay about a recent trip to the Galápagos Islands, where mounds of plastic waste are washing up and causing problems for endemic species. Tackling this kind of waste and the overproduction of plastic were the topics on t ... Show More
15m 56s
Aug 2023
Why the Coral Reef Crisis in Florida Is a Problem for All of Us
<p>A marine heat wave is warming the waters off the coast of Florida, pushing temperature readings as high as 101 Fahrenheit and endangering a critical part of sea life: the coral reef.</p><p>Catrin Einhorn, who covers biodiversity, climate and the environment for The Times, disc ... Show More
28m 12s
Jul 2021
Covid-19 : un risque chez les animaux ? (FdS#32)
<p>Pour cette semaine du 5 juillet : coup de chaud en haute atmosphère, un potentiel signe de vie autour de Saturne, le rôle des animaux dans la pandémie, un champignon qui fait pousser le cerveau et une nouvelle carte de l'Islande. Bonne écoute, et bon week-end !</p><br><p>👉<a ... Show More
5m 40s
May 2024
How Changing Ocean Temperatures Could Upend Life on Earth
<p>While many of the effects of climate change, including heat waves, droughts and wildfires, are already with us, some of the most alarming consequences are hiding beneath the surface of the ocean.</p><p>David Gelles and Raymond Zhong, who both cover climate for The New York Tim ... Show More
26m 45s
Mar 2024
Kid News This Week: New aquatic species, tiny loud fish, new water exoplanet, DST explained, “shroom frog.”
This week in kid news from around the world – new, wild looking aquatic species are discovered off the coast of Chile, scientist also discover the world’s tiniest loud fish from Myanmar – and when we say loud, we’re not joking! Plus, NASA observes a new planet covered in hot wate ... Show More
20m 59s