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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In remarks Friday, President Biden said the three aerial objects shot down by U.S. military were most likely tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions. And second gentleman Doug Emhoff is using his platform to combat antisemitism.

This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and White House correspondent Asma Khalid.

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 Disney's new animated feature 'Strange World,' a band of multigenerational explorers journeys to the center of their fantastical homeland. Along the way, they fend off, make friends with, and unearth secrets about the curious creatures who call this place home. There's the filterlopes, six-legged deer-forms with fan-like antennae. Or scouts, squishy blue balls with 12 elastic limbs. But as fantastical as these creatures sound, each one is grounded in the physics and biology of its real-world counterpart.

Enter married couple Elizabeth Rega and Stuart Sumida, professors of anatomy and paleontology, respectively. They've worked as science consultants on more than 70 films, from 'Ratatouille' to 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' Film crews bring the duo onboard as biology experts, to help animators figure out how their animal creations — and sometimes their imaginary beasts — should look and move. But 'Strange World' may be their biggest undertaking yet; Elizabeth and Stuart entered at the earliest stages of production to help envision the kinds of creatures that would fill this world with science and wonder.

Short Wave's Aaron Scott talks to Elizabeth Rega and Stuart Sumida about their experiences as science consultants on film sets, and the science fueling Disney's imagined new world.

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A survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution found that found more than half of Republicans believe the US should be a strictly Christian nation, adhering to the ideals of Christian nationalism or sympathizing with those views. While this remains a minority opinion nationwide, the study also found correlations between people who hold Christian nationalist views and Anti-Black, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and patriarchal views.

This episode: politics correspondent Susan Davis, politics correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, and politics correspondent Ashley Lopez.

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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A few years ago, a team of scientists set out on a field expedition in the rugged, dry Northern Territory of Australia. There, they found a plant that was both strange and familiar hiding in plain sight. After careful research during the pandemic, the newly described tomato recently made its debut in PhytoKeys, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal. Today, Short Wave Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber talks to lead author Tanisha Williams about the plant's journey from the side of a trail in the Australian Outback to a greenhouse in rural Pennsylvania.

Check out more of our favorite plant episodes:
- When Autumn Leaves Start To Fall https://n.pr/3YuWOP6
- Traditional Plant Knowledge Is Not A Quick Fix https://n.pr/3E4CUSU
- New Discoveries In Underwater Plant Sex https://n.pr/3I4W9wC
- Yep, We Made Up Vegetables https://n.pr/3xo6yyw
- Micro Wave: Does Talking To Plants Help Them Grow?https://n.pr/40UO6v2

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Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy will lead fellow Republican lawmakers on a trip to Arizona this week, part of an effort by his caucus to boost the profile of border security as an issue through messaging that spuriously links migrants to drugs and crime.

This episode: political reporter Deepa Shivaram, congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales, and immigration correspondent Joel Rose.

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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You may have heard of the "love hormone," or oxytocin. But you may not know that scientists have relied on cuddly rodents like the prairie vole to help us understand how this protein works in our brains.

Voles are stocky, mouse-like little mammals that range over most of North America. One species in particular, the prairie vole, is known for its fidelity: Prairie voles pair-bond and mate for life.

And so, for years, scientists have known that oxytocin is important in facilitating the feeling of love in both humans and voles. However, a new study suggests love can prevail even without the "love hormone" – at least among prairie voles.

On today's episode, NPR's science correspondent Jon Hamilton tells Short Wave co-host Emily Kwong how prairie voles, once again, are helping us understand and appreciate something as abstract as love.

Struck by cupid's arrow and wondering what's love got to do, go to do with it? Email us at [email protected]. You can follow Short Wave on Twitter @NPRShortWave.

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The United States military downed three more unidentified flying objects, though the Biden administration said it had no indication that the objects were intended for surveillance. National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said that he didn't think "the American people need to worry about aliens, with respect to these craft."

This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, politics reporter Deepa Shivaram, and national security correspondent Greg Myre.

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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During the COVID-19 pandemic, one measurement became more important than almost any other: blood oxygen saturation. It was the one concrete number that doctors could use to judge how severe a case of COVID-19 was and know whether to admit people into the hospital and provide them with supplemental oxygen. But pulse oximeters, the device most commonly used to measure blood oxygen levels, don't work as well for patients of color. Kimani Toussaint, a physicist at Brown University, is leading a group trying to make a better, more equitable alternative a reality.

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China has sent surveillance balloons over more than 40 countries across five continents and the Biden administration is in touch with other countries about the scope of the program, according to information provided by the Biden administration. And voting officials in Pennsylvania continue to deal with election misinformation and advocates hope some election reforms could help fend off any disruptions in 2024.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Susan Davis, China correspondent John Ruwitch, voting correspondent Hansi Lo Wang, and voting correspondent Miles Parks.

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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