Short Wave Folgen

In our latest science news roundup: how nature adapts, for better or worse. When faced with pests, plants may not be able to run away – but that doesn’t mean they’re defenseless. Some have thorns or spines, others have poisonous leaves or berries, and still others have…elaborate chemical defense alarm systems? In a recent study, researchers discovered that the common bean plant, P. vulgaris, has a particularly innovative response to hungry caterpillars: a compound in the caterpillar's spit causes the plants to release a chemical signal that attracts wasps. Those wasps then eat the caterpillars or lay eggs in their bodies, effectively removing the threat. Today on the show, we’re diving into plant science and a round of other new scientific studies with All Things Considered host Sacha Pfeiffer.If you're interested in the fibermaxxing episode Han mentioned, check it out here.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.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Healthy forests help combat climate change, provide humans with drinking water and even improve mental and physical health. But it’s hard to imagine an entire forest in the middle of a big city. That’s where micro-forests come into play — public forests on a smaller scale, filled with native plants. They exist around the world, and producer Rachel Carlson went to visit the largest micro-forest in California in this encore episode. She joins host Emily Kwong to chat about what she saw. Interested in more of the science behind urban nature? Email us your question 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.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

You pick up your phone to do one quick task, and suddenly 20 minutes have flown by without you even noticing. How do apps do that to you? Science journalist Michaeleen Doucleff felt like her phone had superglue on it, holding her on it for hours each day while draining her of time and energy. Turns out, that feeling isn’t accidental. In her new book, Dopamine Kids, Michaeleen describes four features that tech companies add to apps to keep us scrolling for as long as possible. She’s sharing this superglue recipe with Short Wave host Emily Kwong … and explaining how these features can pull people into what scientists call a ‘dark flow’ state.Interested in more tech and social media science? Email us your question 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.Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy