Short Wave Folgen

Mud and dirt have often been treated as waste products from excavation or dredging sites. But these days, coastal communities need massive amounts of mud and dirt to protect their shorelines from rising seas. This is leading to a dirt shortage, where the demand for it is higher than supply. NPR climate correspondent Lauren Sommer gives us the scoop — including why one federal agency that has dirt often disposes of it instead of reusing it for these projects.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Some colleges and universities have announced that COVID vaccination will be mandatory (with some exemptions) and the FDA has authorized the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 12 to 15. While coronavirus infections are declining in the United States, vaccination rates also appear to be slowing down, so pediatricians and public health officials say they're trying to spread the word to overcome hesitancy, and get the vaccine out to people where they go to school and shop. Emily talks with NPR health correspondent Allison Aubrey about this and other topics in the pandemic news. If you'd like to assistant on finding a vaccination site, you can dial 1-800-232-0233 or go to vaccines.gov (English) or vacunas.gov (Spanish) for more information. Have questions about the latest coronavirus headlines? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover it on a future episode.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are the first authorized vaccines in history to use mRNA technology. The pandemic might've set the stage for their debut, but mRNA vaccines have been in the works for more than 30 years. Host Maddie Sofia chats with Dr. Margaret Liu, a physician and board chair of the International Society for Vaccines, about the history and science behind these groundbreaking vaccines. We'll also ask, what we can expect from mRNA vaccines in the future?Have a question for us? Send a note to shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy