President Biden is gaining in popularity — how much of his decision to run again is driven by Vice President Harris' lackluster support among key groups of voters? And Donald Trump is seeing his support among Republicans flag — but with a potentially crowded primary field, he could have a path to the nomination anyway.

This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, politics correspondent Susan Davis, 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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In this Back To School episode we consider the "List of Life": the criteria that define what it is to be a living thing. Some are easy calls: A kitten is alive. A grain of salt is not. But what about the tricky cases, like a virus? Or, more importantly, what about futuristic android robots? As part of our Black History Month celebration, developmental biologist Crystal Rogers and scientist-in-residence Regina G. Barber dig into what makes something alive, and wade into a Star-Trek-themed debate.

Is there something you'd like us to cover in our Back To School series? Email us at [email protected].

This episode was produced by Berly McCoy, edited by Gabriel Spitzer and fact-checked by Anil Oza. The audio engineer was Josh Newell.

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Members of the Proud Boys are on trial related to their alleged actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The actions of former president Donald Trump loom large over of the trial.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales, and national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson.

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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Monday another earthquake struck southeastern Turkey, near the Syrian border. This time, the quake registered as a magnitude 6.3 — an order lower than the initial, devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake and the magnitude 7.5 aftershock that struck the area two weeks ago on Feb. 6. A magnitude 6.3 is still considered strong, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). And as NPR previously reported, some locals were inside buildings trying to recover belongings lost in the initial quake when Monday's aftershock hit.

It made us wonder: What are aftershocks? And how long will people in Turkey and neighboring countries like Syria have to endure aftershocks while piecing their lives back together? Days? Years?

For answers, we turned to earthquake geologist Wendy Bohon, who we've previously spoken to about the limitations of earthquake detection.

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The U.S. has entered an era of post-shame politics, where politicians are willing to endure embarrassment, criticism and negative attention in order to survive scandals. We talk about the modern history of politicians weathering controversy — from Bill Clinton to embattled Republican Rep. George Santos.

This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and senior political editor and correspondent Ron Elving.

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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The video game series that spawned the new hit HBO drama, The Last of Us, is the zombie genre with a twist. Instead of the standard viral pandemic or bacterial disease that's pushed humanity to the brink, but a fungus that has evolved to survive in human bodies in part due to climate change.

Short Wave's Aaron Scott talks with fungal researcher Asyia Gusa about the science that inspired The Last of Us and the real threats fungal researchers see in the ever-warming world.

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President Biden traveled to Ukraine on Monday on an unannounced trip to mark the anniversary of Russia's invasion of the country. But back home, more Americans are growing weary of continuing to support a war that could stretch on for years.

This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh.

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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Many of us are off today for President's Day. In the meantime, we want to share this episode from our friends at NPR's Life Kit podcast. In it, they discuss the importance of birds as an "indicator species" – their health helps us understand the health of our environment. Plus, they collect expert tips on how we can help birds survive, and thrive.

For more of Audrey's reporting, check out "North American birds are in decline. Here are 8 simple ways you can help."

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A focus group of swing voters showed worry about President Biden's age — he'd be 82 at the start of a second term — but the voters said they'd still vote for him over Donald Trump.

A 2020 rematch, though, isn't a given: other Republicans like Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, and Mike Pence are likely to face Trump in the next year's primary contests.

This episode: politics reporter Deepa Shivaram, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and Iowa Public Radio lead political reporter Clay Masters.

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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After reading the science headlines this week, we have A LOT of questions. Is chocolate really that good for your health? How do solar flares affect life on earth? And what's the big deal about scientists identifying the chemical motivation for tsetse fly sex? Luckily, it's the job of Short Wave co-hosts Emily Kwong and Aaron Scott and Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber to decipher the science behind the headlines. Hang out with us as we dish on some of the coolest science stories in this Valentines-themed installment of our regular newsy get-togethers!

Have suggestions for what we should cover in our next news roundup? Email us at [email protected].

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