Short Wave

Over the past decade, AI has moved right into our houses - onto our phones and smart speakers - and grown in sophistication. But many AI systems lack something we humans take for granted: common sense. In this episode Emily talks to MacArthur Fellowship-winner Yejin Choi, one of the leading thinkers on natural language processing, about how she's teaching machines to make inferences about the real world.

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The site's parent company announced that Donald Trump would be able to return to the platform with new guardrails on his account. But will Facebook be as lucrative a fundraising tool for the former president given the new limitations on online ad targeting? And will Trump even choose to return to the site?

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, disinformation correspondent Shannon Bond, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Devin Speak.

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Gas stoves are found in around 40% of homes in the United States, and they've been getting a lot of attention lately. A recent interview with Richard Trumka, the commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), quickly became fodder for outrage, viral disinformation and political fundraising after he proposed regulating the appliance. The proposal stems from a growing body of research suggesting gas stoves are unhealthy — especially for those with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and children. NPR climate and energy correspondent Jeff Brady joins us today to separate fact from fiction.

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After extracting a slew of concessions from Kevin McCarthy during the Speaker vote saga, conservative House Republicans are now flexing their muscles in a fight over the U.S. debt. But what does the "conservative" label mean right now? New research suggests that many politically-active voters use it to mean most similar to Donald Trump.

This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, congressional reporter Barbara Sprunt, congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales, and political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Devin Speak.

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Yi-Kai Tea, a biodiversity research fellow at the Australian Museum in Sydney, has amassed a social media following as @KaiTheFishGuy for his sassy writing and gorgeous photos of fish and other wildlife.

Kai recently returned from an expedition aboard an Australian research ship to explore the deep seas surrounding a new marine park in the Indian Ocean. Led by the Museums Victoria Research Institute, dozens of scientists aboard mapped the ocean floor and, using nets dropped to as deep as six kilometers, gathered thousands of specimens, ranging from the utterly adorable deep sea batfish to the terrifying highfin lizardfish to the unfortunately named bony-eared assfish.

Today on the show, Kai takes host Aaron Scott on a tour of the ocean floor and the fantastical creatures that call it home.

"They are masters of the realm," says Kai. "You can't live in 3,000 meters of water and not be a master at what you do. And the fact that these creatures are living down there, thriving and making the most out of these habitats, that's a remarkable feat."

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Vice President Harris is in California after a number of mass shootings in the state. The US Secret Service is out with a report documenting trends in attacks resulting in mass violence. And details on how one Nazi extremist group is recruiting new members in Florida.

This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, politics reporter Deepa Shivaram, and domestic extremism correspondent Sergio Olmos.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Devin Speak.

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As an emergency physician at Western Health, in Melbourne, Australia, Dr. Andy Tagg says he meets a lot of anxious parents whose children have swallowed Lego pieces. Much like Andy so many years ago, the vast majority of kids simply pass the object through their stool within a day or so. But Andy and five other pediatricians wondered, is there a way to give parents extra reassurance ... through science?

So the doctors devised an experiment. "Each of them swallowed a Lego head," says science journalist Sabrina Imbler, who wrote about the experiment for The Defector. "They wanted to basically see how long it took to swallow and excrete a plastic toy." On today's episode, Sabrina joins Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber to chart the journey of six lego heads, and what came out on the other side.

Learn about Sabrina Imbler's recent book, How Far the Light Reaches, at their website.

Editor's note: This episode contains frequent and mildly graphic mentions of poop. It may cause giggles in children, and certain adults.

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The move, announced by President Biden in a speech from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, is the latest in a continued escalation of military equipment headed to the country from the U.S. and its allies. It comes as somewhat of a surprise: as recently as last week, top Pentagon officials were insisting that they would not send tanks.

This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, and Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Devin Speak.

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Film directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively: Daniels) reimagined the multiverse movie in their breakout film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Tuesday, the film received 11 Oscar nominations for the 95th Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. This episode, the Daniels share how science played a starring role.

Curious about the science behind other pop culture? Email us at [email protected]. We might give it 15 minutes of Short Wave fame in an upcoming episode.

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Democrats head into the 2024 elections needing to defend far more seats in the Senate than their Republican counterparts. With potentially vulnerable incumbents in Montana & West Virginia — and a potential three-way race in Arizona — the GOP seeks to capitalize.

This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and political correspondent Susan Davis.

This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It was edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Devin Speak.

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