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Regina G. Barber Regina G. Barber is a co-host of Short Wave.
Regina Barber, photographed for NPR, 6 June 2022, in Washington DC. Photo by Farrah Skeiky for NPR.
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Regina G. Barber

Wednesday

This data scientist has a plan for how to feed the world sustainably

A farmer works at an avocado plantation at the Los Cerritos avocado group ranch in Ciudad Guzman, state of Jalisco, Mexico. Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images

Short Wave

This data scientist has a plan for how to feed the world sustainably

According to the United Nations, about ten percent of the world is undernourished. It's a daunting statistic — unless your name is Hannah Ritchie. She's the data scientist behind the new book Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet. It's a seriously big thought experiment: How do we feed everyone on Earth sustainably? And because it's just as much an economically pressing question as it is a scientific one, Darian Woods of The Indicator from Planet Money joins us. With Hannah's help, Darian unpacks how to meet the needs of billions of people without destroying the planet.

This data scientist has a plan for how to feed the world sustainably

Listen · 10:50
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Monday

In light of the Alabama court ruling, a look at the science of IVF

Blastocyst illustration. A blastocyst is a hollow ball of cells with a fluid centre formed after several divisions of a fertilised cell (zygote). The inner cell mass (purple) contains the cells that will form the embryo proper, the embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library/Getty Images hide caption

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Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library/Getty Images

Short Wave

In light of the Alabama court ruling, a look at the science of IVF

An Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos can be considered "extrauterine children" under state law has major implications for how in vitro fertilization, commonly called IVF, is performed. Since the first successful in vitro fertilization pregnancy and live birth in 1978, nearly half a million babies have been born using IVF in the United States. Reproductive endocrinologist Amanda Adeleye explains the science behind IVF, the barriers to accessing it and her concerns about fertility treatment in the post-Roe landscape.

In light of the Alabama court ruling, a look at the science of IVF

Listen · 13:12
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Friday

Didn't get a Valentine's love song? These skywalker gibbons sing love duets

A skywalker gibbon is seen at the Gaoligong Mountain in China. The skywalker gibbon, a typical arboreal animal, is one of the national key protected wild animals, mainly found in Gaoligong Mountain. Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima hide caption

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Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima

Short Wave

Didn't get a Valentine's love song? These skywalker gibbons sing love duets

In the green tree canopies of forested areas in Myanmar, you might wake up to the sounds of gibbons singing love songs. Gibbons start their day with passionate duets and, though these love songs may sound a little different than the ones in your playlists, they just helped researchers figure out that Myanmar has the largest population of an endangered gibbon species on Earth. They're called skywalker gibbons, and until recently, scientists thought there were fewer than 200 of them – all living in southwestern China.

Didn't get a Valentine's love song? These skywalker gibbons sing love duets

Listen · 9:04
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Thursday

Science

Short Wave on singing gibbons, tai chi's health benefits, and gender disparity with exercise results

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Regina Barber and Rachel Carlson of Short Wave about singing gibbons, how tai chi might lower blood pressure, and why women get quicker benefits from exercise than men.

Short Wave on singing gibbons, tai chi's health benefits, and gender disparity with exercise results

Listen · 8:05
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Wednesday

In light of the solar maximum, a look at the biggest solar storm in recorded history

The sun emits a mid-level solar flare releasing a burst of solar material. NASA hide caption

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NASA

Short Wave

In light of the solar maximum, a look at the biggest solar storm in recorded history

We are at the height of the Sun's activity in its eleven year cycle, known to astronomers as the solar maximum. This means that over the next several months there's going to be a lot of solar activity. It's got us thinking back to 1859. That's when astronomer Richard Carrington was studying the Sun when he witnessed the most intense geomagnetic storm recorded in history. The storm, triggered by a giant solar flare, sent brilliant auroral displays across the globe causing electrical sparking and fires in telegraph stations. This encore episode, Regina talks to solar physicist Dr. Samaiyah Farid about what's now known as the Carrington event and about what may happen the next time a massive solar storm hits Earth.

In light of the solar maximum, a look at the biggest solar storm in recorded history

Listen · 12:15
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Monday

The science and shared history behind the Gregorian and Chinese calendars
Nora Carol Photography/Getty Images

Short Wave

The science and shared history behind the Gregorian and Chinese calendars

Happy Lunar New Year! According to the Chinese lunisolar calendar, the new year began Saturday. For many, like our host Regina G. Barber, this calendar and its cultural holidays can feel completely detached from the Gregorian calendar. Growing up, she associated the former with the Spring Festival and getting money in red envelopes from relatives, and the other with more American traditions. But the Chinese calendar has a deep, centuries-long shared history with the Gregorian calendar.

The science and shared history behind the Gregorian and Chinese calendars

Listen · 12:36
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Friday

Clownfish might be counting their potential enemies' stripes
Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images

Short Wave

Clownfish might be counting their potential enemies' stripes

At least, that's what a group of researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University thinks. The team recently published a study in the journal Experimental Biology suggesting that Amphiphrion ocellaris, or clown anemonefish, may be counting. Specifically, the authors think the fish may be looking at the number of vertical white stripes on each other as well as other anemonefish as a way to identify their own species. Not only that — the researchers think that the fish are noticing the minutiae of other anemonefish's looks because of some fishy marine geopolitics.

Clownfish might be counting their potential enemies' stripes

Listen · 9:15
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Thursday

Science

This week in science: moths' anti-bat signal, fish who count and GMO crops at home

Short Wave's Regina Barber and Margaret Cirino talk through how moths produce an anti-bat signal, why clownfish could be counting to 3 and the first GMO food crop sold directly to home gardeners.

This week in science: moths' anti-bat signal, fish who count and GMO crops at home

Listen · 7:58
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Wednesday

After 20 years, this scientist uncovered the physics behind the spiral pass
Bernhard Lang/Getty Images

Short Wave

After 20 years, this scientist uncovered the physics behind the spiral pass

If you've ever watched part of a professional football game, you've probably seen a tight spiral pass. Those perfect throws where the football leaves the player's hand and neatly spins as it arcs through the air.

After 20 years, this scientist uncovered the physics behind the spiral pass

Listen · 12:25
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Monday

Why wolves are thriving in this radioactive zone
Raimund Linke/Getty Images

Short Wave

Why wolves are thriving in this radioactive zone

In 1986 the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, releasing radioactive material into northern Ukraine and Belarus. It was the most serious nuclear accident in history. Over one hundred thousand people were evacuated from the surrounding area. But local gray wolves never left — and their population has grown over the years. It's seven times denser than populations in protected lands elsewhere in Belarus. This fact has led scientists to wonder whether the wolves are genetically either resistant or resilient to cancer — or if the wolves are simply thriving because humans aren't interfering with them.

Why wolves are thriving in this radioactive zone

Listen · 14:07
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Monday

How shooting lasers into the sky could help deflect lightning
Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images

Short Wave

How shooting lasers into the sky could help deflect lightning

Every year, lightning is estimated to cause up to 24,000 deaths globally. It starts forest fires, burns buildings and crops, and causes disruptive power outages. The best, most practical technology available to deflect lightning is the simple lightning rod, created by Benjamin Franklin more than 250 years ago. But lightning rods protect only a very limited area proportional to their height. In today's encore episode, we explore why a group of European researchers are hoping the 21 century upgrade is a high-powered laser. Plus: Regina makes incremental progress on conquering her irrational fear of lightning.

How shooting lasers into the sky could help deflect lightning

Listen · 12:21
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Friday

When tiny, invasive ants go marching in ... and alter an ecosystem

An invasion of big-headed ants has changed the landscape at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya. Elephants wander a landscape that has fewer trees and more open grasslands. Brandon Hays hide caption

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Brandon Hays

Short Wave

When tiny, invasive ants go marching in ... and alter an ecosystem

At the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a wildlife preserve in central Kenya, lions and cheetahs mingle with zebras and elephants across many miles of savannah – grasslands with "whistling thorn" acacia trees dotting the landscape here and there. Twenty years ago, the savanna was littered with them. Then came invasive big-headed ants that killed native ants — and left the acacia trees vulnerable. Over time, elephants have knocked down many of the trees. That has altered the landscape — and the diets of other animals in the local food web.

When tiny, invasive ants go marching in ... and alter an ecosystem

Listen · 9:15
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Thursday

Science

This week in science: Invasive ants, ancient chewing gum, and return of the cicadas

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Regina Barber and Pien Huang of Short Wave about a double emergence of cicadas this spring, invasive ants in Kenya, and the secrets in an ancient wad of chewing gum.

This week in science: Invasive ants, ancient chewing gum, and return of the cicadas

Listen · 8:15
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Monday

This wild African bird comes when it's called—and then leads you to honey

A male Greater Honeyguide in Mozambique's Niassa Special Reserve. Claire Spottiswoode hide caption

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Claire Spottiswoode

Short Wave

This wild African bird comes when it's called—and then leads you to honey

Honeyguides are wild birds that team up with humans and then lead them to honey. Researchers recently found that the calls these birds respond to are unique and tied to their location. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce talks about this relationship and shares how researchers followed honeyguides to learn about their call behaviors.

This wild African bird comes when it's called—and then leads you to honey

Listen · 13:03
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Friday

After domestic abuse ends, the effects of brain injuries can persist
Willie B. Thomas/Getty Images

Short Wave

After domestic abuse ends, the effects of brain injuries can persist

At least one in four women — and a much smaller proportion of men — experiences intimate partner violence in their lifetime. For people in violent relationships, brain injuries are unfortunately common. But little is known about what exactly happens inside the brains of people dealing with domestic violence — and how these kinds of traumatic brain injuries may be different from those that come out of contact sports like football. Host Regina G. Barber talks with NPR brain correspondent Jon Hamilton about new research on the connection between domestic violence and traumatic brain injuries – and what makes these injuries unique.

After domestic abuse ends, the effects of brain injuries can persist

Listen · 11:27
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