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Our colleagues at the TED Radio Hour introduce us to forager and TikTok influencer Alexis Nikole Nelson. She shares how the great outdoors has offered her both an endless array of food options and an outlet to reconnect with her food and her culture.
Listen to the full TED Radio Hour episode, The Food Connection: https://n.pr/3DeRmEU
Follow TED Radio Hour and host Manoush Zomorodi on Twitter:
- TED Radio Hour: https://twitter.com/TEDRadioHour
- Manoush Zamorodi: https://twitter.com/manoushz
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Burnout has long been a problem among health care workers. The pandemic has only made it worse. Some were hopeful COVID vaccines would provide some relief, but that hasn't been the case. Now, health care workers are leaving the industry — and they're taking their expertise with them. Plenty of surveys say that burnout hurts patient care. NPR correspondent Yuki Noguchi spoke to medical workers who agree, the burnout they see on the job means that sometimes patients are not getting what they need.
Listen to our conversation with Dr. Arghavan Salles about burnout: https://n.pr/3CYimbq
Reach the show by emailing shortwave@npr.org.
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A paper published recently in the journal Science finds similarities between the babbling of human infants and the babbling of the greater sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata) — a small species of bat that lives in Central and South America. As science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel reports, the researchers believe both bats and humans evolved babbling as a precursor to more complex vocal behavior like singing, or, in the case of people, talking.
Wondering what similarities humans have to other animals? Email the human animals at shortwave@npr.org. We might dig up some answers.
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People are likely to be confused by common climate change terms like "mitigation" and "carbon neutral," according to a recent study. So how can everyone do a better job talking about climate change so that no one's left confused? NPR climate correspondent Rebecca Hersher tells us the key turns out to be pretty simple.
Read more of Rebecca's reporting on climate jargon: https://n.pr/2XdfYOC
Read the study: https://bit.ly/3Adj8QT
You can always reach the show by emailing shortwave@npr.org — but please, hold the jargon.
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Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, according to the most current data. But research shows that suicide is preventable. Host Emily Kwong talks with NPR health correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee about the signs that someone you know may be thinking about dying, the ways you can support them, and how to possibly prevent suicide. (Encore episode.)
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Based on early estimates, as many as 10,600 large sequoias were killed in last year's Castle Fire — up to 14% of the entire population. The world's largest trees are one of the most fire-adapted to wildfires on the planet. But climate change is making these fires more extreme than sequoias can handle. It's also worsening drought that is killing other conifer trees that then become a tinder box surrounding the sequoias, reports climate correspondent Lauren Sommer. Scientists warn that giant sequoias are running out of time and they're racing to save them.
Read more of Lauren's reporting on sequoias: https://n.pr/39IX84M
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Will Stone is a science reporter for NPR. He's been reporting about the pandemic for a while now, so he knows the risks of a breakthrough infection, is vaccinated, and follows COVID guidelines as they change. Nonetheless, he got COVID - and today on the show, Will shares what he learned about his breakthrough infection, and what he wish he'd known before his "mild" case.
For more of Will's reporting, check out "I Got A 'Mild' Breakthrough Case. Here's What I Wish I'd Known"
(https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/09/12/1036356773/i-got-a-mild-breakthrough-case-heres-what-i-wish-id-known)
You can follow Will on Twitter @WStoneReports and Rhitu @RhituC. Email Short Wave at ShortWave@NPR.org.
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In December, NASA is scheduled to launch the huge $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope, which is sometimes billed as the successor to the aging Hubble Space Telescope. NPR correspondents Rhitu Chatterjee and Nell Greenfieldboyce talk about this powerful new instrument and why building it took two decades.
For more of Nell's reporting on the telescope, check out "NASA Is Launching A New Telescope That Could Offer Some Cosmic Eye Candy."
(https://www.npr.org/2021/09/16/1036600340/nasa-is-launching-a-new-telescope-that-could-offer-some-cosmic-eye-candy)
You can follow Rhitu on Twitter @RhituC and Nell @Nell_Sci_NPR. Email Short Wave at ShortWave@NPR.org.
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Some of the world's best artificial waves are happening hundreds of miles from the ocean—in Waco, Texas. They're so good, they're attracting top professionals, casual riders and a science correspondent named Jon Hamilton. Jon's been following the wave technology for years and says the progress is huge. These days, pro surfers are coming from all over to try out Waco's "Freak Peak."
Read more of Jon's reporting on artificial waves: https://n.pr/3zAX95k
Wondering what insights science has to offer for other sports? Drop us a line at shortwave@npr.org.
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In the early 1900s, the Whitney South Sea expedition gathered 40,000 bird specimens for the American Museum of Natural History. The collection is an irreplaceable snapshot of avian diversity in the South Pacific, but is missing key geographic data. To solve this mystery, student researchers dug into field journals to determine where birds from one island came from.
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