Episodes

  • Could Psychedelics Become Tripless?

    Could Psychedelics Become Tripless?
    Apr 9 2025
    This week, we've heard from researchers trying to untangle the effects of the "trip" that often comes with psychedelics and ketamine from the ways these drugs might change the human brain. For part three of our series on psychedelic drug research, we get a glimpse into why some researchers are taking the "trip" out of these drugs altogether. You don't need to have heard the previous two episodes to understand this episode on what could be next for psychedelic medicine.

    Catch the rest of this series on psychedelics and related drugs this week by following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. They're the previous two episodes in our podcast feed.

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

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    13 mins
  • What If You Took The "Trip" Out Of Ketamine?

    What If You Took The "Trip" Out Of Ketamine?
    Apr 8 2025
    What if you could get all the potential benefits of ketamine without the "trip"? For part two of our series on psychedelics, we look at how some researchers are trying to disentangle the "trip" from the drugs' effects on the brain — and why the answer could help direct the future of psychedelic research. (Spoiler alert: People generally know if they're tripping or not.) This episode: a researcher navigating this challenge by putting his patients to sleep.

    Catch the rest of this series on psychedelics and related drugs this week by following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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

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    12 mins
  • Why The Trip Complicates Psychedelic Research

    Why The Trip Complicates Psychedelic Research
    Apr 7 2025
    Researchers are studying psychedelics as a possible treatment for conditions like depression, PTSD and substance use disorders. But they don't know exactly how these drugs work.

    Getting the answer to this question is especially difficult when people often take psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin for the "trip."

    This week on Short Wave, we're talking to researchers about how they're trying to untangle the effects of this "trip" from the ways psychedelics might change the human brain ... and why the answer could help direct the future of psychedelic research.

    Catch the rest of this series on psychedelics and related drugs this week by following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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

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    12 mins
  • Could Running Change Your Brain?

    Could Running Change Your Brain?
    Apr 4 2025
    Running an entire marathon takes a lot of energy. Neuroscientist Carlos Matute knows this: he's run 18 of them. He wondered how runners' bodies get the energy they need to make it to the finish line.

    His new research in the journal Nature Metabolism may be the first step in answering the question – and suggests their brains might be (temporarily) depleting a fatty substance that coats nerve cells called myelin.

    Have other questions about the brain? Let us know by emailing 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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    8 mins
  • Tornado Alley: Home Of Extreme Winds

    Tornado Alley: Home Of Extreme Winds
    Apr 2 2025
    Each year, the United States has about 1,200 tornadoes. Many of them happen in tornado alley, a very broad swath of the U.S. that shifts seasonally. This area gets at least ten times more tornadoes than the rest of the world. Science writer Sushmita Pathak says that huge difference can be chalked up to one word: geography. But there's a slice of South America with similar geographical features that gets comparatively fewer tornadoes, so what gives? Sushmita wades into the research weeds with guest host Berly McCoy, one of Short Wave's producers.

    Read Sushmita's full article on tornadoes that she wrote for the publication Eos.

    Have other science weather stories you think we should cover on the show? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org!

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    11 mins
  • The Iguanas That Rafted To Fiji

    The Iguanas That Rafted To Fiji
    Apr 1 2025
    Most iguanas are indigenous to the Americas. So how did the Fijian species end up on the island, nearly 5000 miles away in the South Pacific? According to a new study in the journal PNAS, it was probably via raft ... that is, on clump of floating trees.

    And this rafting hypothesis isn't entirely unprecedented. After hurricanes Luis and Marilyn hit the Caribbean in the 1990s, researchers found that a group of iguanas had floated over 180 miles away from Guadeloupe to the territory of Anguilla.

    Want to hear more about iguanas? Or rafts? Or evolutionary biology? Email us 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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    9 mins
  • Is AI Ready For Robots?

    Is AI Ready For Robots?
    Mar 31 2025
    It seems like artificial intelligence is everywhere in our virtual lives. It's in our search results and our phones. But what happens when AI moves out of the chat and into the real world? NPR science editor and correspondent Geoff Brumfiel took a trip to the Intelligence through Robotic Interaction at Scale Lab at Stanford University to see how scientists are using AI to power robots and the large hurdles that exist for them to perform even simple tasks.

    Read Geoff's full story.

    Interested in more AI stories? Email us your ideas at shortwave@npr.org.

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    13 mins
  • Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities

    Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities
    Mar 28 2025
    What are the narwhals up to? Generally, we don't really know! They are mysterious creatures. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce talks about new, rare drone footage scientists captured of arctic narwhals. The video sparked new ideas for how they use their tusks.

    Read Nell's full piece.

    Love mysterious critters and want to hear more? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

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    12 mins