Short Wave

The idea of human zombies probably seems pretty far-fetched. But there are real zombies out there in the animal kingdom. Ed Yong of The Atlantic creeps us out with a couple of examples. Hint: they involve fungus. Follow Maddie on Twitter - she's @maddie_sofia. Email the show at [email protected].

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It's an off, off, off election year, but some states will still be casting votes. NPR Politics breaks down the key races to watch. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political reporter Jessica Taylor, and senior editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Email the show at [email protected]. Find and support your local public radio station at npr.org/stations.

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Crows have gotten a bad rap throughout history. Think about it. A group of them is called a "murder." To get some insight into crows and perhaps set the record straight, we talked to Kaeli Swift. She's a lecturer at the University of Washington and wrote her doctoral thesis on crow "funerals."

In an earlier version of this episode, we used the word "spooky" to describe crows. Because that word has a history of being used as a racial slur, we chose to replace it with the words "scary" and "creepy." Thanks to our listeners who helpfully pointed this out to us, and we apologize. You can learn more about this from our friends at Code Switch.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will vote this week on a resolution outlining the process for the next steps in the inquiry into President Trump. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Susan Davis, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Email the show at [email protected]. Find and support your local public radio station at npr.org/stations.

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Californians face a terrible new normal as wildfire season grows longer and more intense. Jennifer Montgomery, head of the California's Forest Management Task Force, explains three key factors at the heart of why the state is now at such high risk. It turns out, one of them goes all the way back to Spanish colonization. Follow host Maddie Sofia on Twitter: @maddie_sofia. Or email the show at [email protected].

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Investigators in the impeachment inquiry of President Trump hoped to talk to Charles Kupperman on Monday. But the former White House official failed to show up. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Email the show at [email protected]. Find and support your local public radio station at npr.org/stations.

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We meet two scientists working on opposite sides of the world, both thinking creatively about rising sea levels and our changing oceans. Andrea Dutton, a geologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Stacy Jupiter, a marine biologist and Melanesia Director with the Wildlife Conservation Society, were awarded MacArthur Fellowships this fall.

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Trump declared that U.S. forces have brought "the world's No. 1 terrorist leader to justice" and that no U.S. troops were killed or injured in the raid. Some experts fear the resurgence of the Islamic State now that Trump has announced a pullout of U.S. forces from Syria, with dozens of ISIS fighters escaping from Kurdish custody in the last month. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, national security editor Phil Ewing, and senior editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Email the show at [email protected]. Find and support your local public radio station at npr.org/stations.

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The justice department opens a criminal investigation into the basis of the Russia investigation. Plus, Mark Zuckerberg appears on Capitol Hill, and the House Ethics Committee investigates freshman representative Katie Hill. This episode: Congressional correspondent Susan Davis, political correspondent Asma Khalid, justice correspondent Ryan Lucas, political reporter Tim Mak, and senior editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Email the show at [email protected]. Find and support your local public radio station at npr.org/stations.

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NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel shares the story of Nazi Germany's attempt to build a nuclear reactor — and how evidence of that effort was almost lost to history. It's a tale he heard from Timothy Koeth and Miriam Hiebert at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland in College Park. Read more on their original story in Physics Today. Follow host Maddie Sofia on Twitter @maddie_sofia. Email the show at [email protected].

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