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Being small has its advantages ... and some limitations. One organism that intimately knows the pros and cons of being mini is the pumpkin toadlet.
As an adult, the animal reaches merely the size of the skittle. At that scale, the frog's inner ear is so small, it's not fully functional. That means when the frog moves, it's haphazard and seems kind of drunk. And so today, with the help of Atlantic science writer Katie Wu, we investigate: If a frog can't jump well, is it still a frog?
Read Katie's piece in The Atlantic, A Frog So Small, It Could Not Frog: https://bit.ly/3bydh1g
Watch pumpkin toadlets poorly fling themselves around in this video from the Florida Museum: https://bit.ly/3bFAXRv
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Hey, Short Wavers!
We're off today, but wanted to give you a sneak peek into this week's episodes. To inject a little levity into your (and our) lives, we're celebrating some of the smaller animals in our midst all week long. Tomorrow — an animal probably most aptly described as an orange Skittle. Any guesses?
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... Could a monkey host this podcast?
Aaron Scott and Resident Neuroscience Nerd Jon Hamilton discuss the vocal capabilities of our primate relatives. From syllables and consonants to rhythm and pitch, certain monkeys and apes have more of the tools needed for speech than was once thought. Now scientists are looking to them for insights into the origins of human speech.
What animal should we study next? Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.
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The Caribbean is home to gorgeous beaches, mangroves and ... the biggest bacteria known to humankind. Find out exactly how big from science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce in this Micro Wave. Then, stay for the listener mail, where we answer YOUR questions — all hosted by our new senior editor, Gabriel Spitzer!
Do you have a question for Short Wave? Email us a voice memo at shortwave@npr.org.
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A majority of people say they have experienced extreme weather in the last five years, according to a nationwide survey conducted by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
And events like floods, wildfires and hurricanes are emptying bank accounts--especially when insurance can't cover the damage. Aaron Scott talks to science reporter Rebecca Hersher about the new survey, and the hidden ways climate change could impact your finances.
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Historically, the California condor soared across the western skies of North America. But by the 1980s, the bird was on the edge of extinction — just 22 remained.
Thanks to decades of conservation work, the California condor population has rebounded to a couple hundred birds in Central California and Arizona. And this May, a large partnership led by the Yurok Tribe re-introduced the birds to Northern California.
Today, host Aaron Scott talks to Yurok biologist Tiana Williams-Claussen about the years-long quest to return the birds to their ancestral skies, and the importance of condor — who the Yurok call Prey-go-neesh — to the Yurok people and the natural world.
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The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday. We're revisiting an episode that may give us insight into pregnant people's lives in a post-Roe United States.
We talked to Dr. Diana Greene Foster, the lead researcher on the interdisciplinary team behind The Turnaway Study. For over a decade, she and her fellow researchers followed just under a thousand women who sought an abortion across 21 states. These data reveal the outcomes of unwanted pregnancies and compare the physical, mental and financial consequences of having an abortion to those of carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term.
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Pull out your art supplies because it's time to get crafty--with agar! At the intersection of biology and art lies a creative medium that's actually alive. Scientists and artists practice etching designs on petri dishes with bacterial paint that can grow and multiply.
Aaron Scott talks with science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce about her foray into the agar art world.
Have another craft suggestion? Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.
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Move over, T-Rex.
There are new, (mostly) more accurate dinosaurs to squeal over in 'Jurassic World: Dominion', the sixth and reportedly final film of the Jurassic film franchise. Join us to get to know them a little more with help from Riley Black, a paleontologist and author of the book The Last Days of the Dinosaurs.
Want to hear more about the science in pop culture? Or maybe just want to show your support for our continued coverage of dinosaurs? Let us know by e-mailing shortwave@npr.org.
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A Massachusetts elementary school welcomes "Huntah," the COVID-sniffing dog. Scientist-in-residence Regina Barber talks with NPR science reporter Ari Daniel about how a specialized K-9 unit is helping keep kids in classrooms.
For more of Ari's reporting, check out "Dogs trained to sniff out COVID in schools are getting a lot of love for their efforts."
You can follow Regina on Twitter @ScienceRegina and Ari on Instagram @mesoplodon_. Email Short Wave at ShortWave@NPR.org.
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