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Part of Molly Sampson's shark tooth collection – including the tooth of a megalodon from some 15 million years ago (left) – sits on display on Jan. 11. Her collection contains over 400 teeth. Alicia Sampson hide caption

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Alicia Sampson

The first full moon of 2023 rises behind the 15 July Martyrs bridge in Istanbul, Turkey. Emrah Gurel/AP hide caption

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Emrah Gurel/AP

Stargazers, here are the most exciting celestial events for 2023

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In this April 13, 2017 photo provided by NASA, technicians lift the mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope using a crane at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The telescope is designed to peer back so far that scientists will get a glimpse of the dawn of the universe about 13.7 billion years ago and zoom in on closer cosmic objects with sharper focus. Laura Betz/AP hide caption

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Laura Betz/AP

Biologist Peter Wimberger holds an ice worm in the snow. Nell Greenfieldboyce/NPR hide caption

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Nell Greenfieldboyce/NPR

Meet the mysterious ice worms that live in mountaintop glaciers

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Grant Wahl's death at the Qatar World Cup set off conspiracy theories that persisted long after they were disproven. Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images

Conspiracy theorists hounded Grant Wahl's family when he died. Now they're back

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Islenia Milien for NPR

In praise of being late: The upside of spurning the clock

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Hurricane Ian caused $112.9 billion dollars and more than 150 deaths when it slammed into south Florida in 2022, making it the costliest climate-fueled disaster in the U.S. last year. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Extreme weather, fueled by climate change, cost the U.S. $165 billion in 2022

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An Anolis cristatellus lizard stands on a gate in Rincon, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 22, 2018. Kristin Winchell/New York University via AP hide caption

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Kristin Winchell/New York University via AP
Stanford University/Getty Images

Zircon: The Keeper Of Earth's Time

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In urban areas, redlining has continuing effects on wildlife as well as people. Ali Majdfar/Getty Images hide caption

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Ali Majdfar/Getty Images

Redlining's Ripple Effects Go Beyond Humans

When Dr. Chloé Schmidt was a PhD student in Winnepeg, Canada, she was studying wildlife in urban areas. She and her advisor Dr. Colin Garroway came across a 2020 paper that posed a hypothesis: If the echos of systemic racism affect the human residents of neighborhoods and cities, then it should affect the wildlife as well. Short Wave Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber talks to Chloé and Colin about their findings of how redlining and biodiversity are intertwined.

Redlining's Ripple Effects Go Beyond Humans

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U.S. infectious disease experts fear that a winter surge of respiratory illness — like the one that overloaded emergency rooms with COVID-19 patients in January 2021 — could yet materialize this winter, with several circulating viruses wreaking havoc. So far, though, it looks like early peaks of RSV and the flu are receding. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

RSV recedes and flu peaks as a new COVID variant shoots 'up like a rocket'

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U.S. health officials approved Leqembi, a new Alzheimer's drug that modestly slows the brain disease. The FDA granted accelerated approval Friday for patients in early stages of Alzheimer's. David Duprey/AP hide caption

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David Duprey/AP

FDA approves Alzheimer's drug that appears to modestly slow disease

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A mid-latitude cyclone is helping to funnel wet air into an atmospheric river, pointed right at the California coast. NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-18 hide caption

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NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-18

An Atmospheric River Runs Through It

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The menstrual cycle is a multi-stage process lasting an average of 28 days. The menses phase of the cycle, when the uterine lining is shed and vaginal bleeding occurs, typically lasts about 3 to 5 days. Getty Images/Westend61 hide caption

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Getty Images/Westend61

A pile of debris from Hurricane Ian rises behind a line of people waiting to vote in Fort Myers, Fla., in November 2022. Research suggests support for some climate policies increases immediately after climate-driven disasters such as Ian. Rebecca Blackwell/AP hide caption

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Rebecca Blackwell/AP

How our perception of time shapes our approach to climate change

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NASA astronaut Josh Cassada recently spoke to Short Wave Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber from the International Space Station (ISS). As he orbited Earth, they discussed some of the science experiments happening aboard the ISS. The experiments span multiple scientific fields including physics and biology. NASA/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

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NASA/Screenshot by NPR

What do astronauts do all day? We talked to one 250 miles above Earth to find out

Speaking to Short Wave from about 250 miles above the Earth, Josh Cassada outlined his typical day at work: "Today, I actually started out by taking my own blood," he said. The astronauts aboard the International Space Station are themselves research subjects, as well as conductors of all sorts of science experiments: Gardening in microgravity, trapping frigid atoms, examining neutron stars. Then, there's the joy of walks into the yawning void of space. Speaking from orbit, Cassada told fellow physicist and Short Wave Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber about research aboard the station, what it takes to keep the ISS going and which countries' astronauts make the best food.

What do astronauts do all day? We talked to one 250 miles above Earth to find out

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Fans watch as Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin leaves Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium in an ambulance on Monday night after experiencing a cardiac arrest during a game. Kirk Irwin/Getty Images hide caption

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Kirk Irwin/Getty Images