Short Wave Folgen

It is one of the Earth's great migrations: each year, millions of monarch butterflies fly some 3,000 miles, from their summer breeding grounds as far north as Canada to their overwintering sites in the central Mexico. It's one of the best-studied migrations and in recent years, ecologists like Sonia Altizer have been able to better answer how and why these intrepid butterflies make the journey. Short Wave brings this episode from the TED Radio Hour's episode with Sonia Altizer, with the University of Georgia.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After hearing a vicious rumor on the internet that vegetables aren't real, Maddie goes looking for answers. Turns out, vegetables are a mere culinary construct. Still healthful and delicious, but a kinda mythic category of food. With the help of Harvard botanist Molly Edwards, Maddie and Emily break down our favorite foods from broccoli to zucchini. Take our survey! Tell us what you love and what you would love to see more of — on our show, and also other NPR podcasts.Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

(Encore episode.) Scientists have known for decades that one of the main causes of the smell of fresh rain is geosmin: a chemical compound produced by soil-dwelling bacteria. But why do the bacteria make it in the first place? Reporter Emily Vaughn answers this mystery.Read the paper on which this episode was based.Take our survey! Tell us what you love and what you would love to see more of — on our show, and also other NPR podcasts.Other scent mysteries driving your nose wild? Email the show at shortwave@npr.org and we might track down the answer.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy