Short Wave

Emily Kwong, Regina Barber

podcasts@npr.org

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Booking Overview

Short Wave delivers quick, accessible science explanations tied to major headlines—making it a strong outlet for PR teams pitching public-facing research, health, and technology. With episodes built for a broad audience (about 15 minutes), guests need to translate complex topics clearly, and often with real-world stakes.

Metrics

Episodes: 1517

Frequency: Daily

Rating: 4.7/5.0

Estimated listeners: >100k

Gender skew: Neutral

Location: USA

Instagram: 8.0M followers

Contact Information

podcasts@npr.org

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Host

Emily Kwong - Co-host of Short Wave, where she leads science explainers described as “science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor.”

Regina Barber - Co-host of Short Wave, helping deliver “new discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines in just under 15 minutes.”

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

medium
Typical Credentials:  
Subject-matter experts and science/policy communicators—commonly journalists or recognized specialists who can explain research in plain language.
Required Achievements:  
Published reporting or analysis for mainstream audiences, Credited expertise (e.g., science/health/mental health beat coverage)

Recent Guest Discussions

Rhitu Chatterjee - Working From Home And Mental Health/social Isolation

Recent Topics

Science, Health, Environment, Technology, Psychology

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
Short Wave
:

NASA's race against time to rescue a falling satellite

July 08, 2026

A valuable NASA satellite observatory is falling to Earth faster than scientists expected. It’s called the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, or “Swift” for short, and it can respond to celestial events much faster than its sky-gazing counterparts. To save Swift and test out a first-of-its-kind technology, NASA partnered with an Arizona-based startup to launch a refrigerator-sized robot, aptly named Link, into lower Earth orbit. That’s on its way right now to meet up with Swift to give it a boos...

Could this anti-aging dog pill lead to one for you too?

July 07, 2026

Every dog lover’s greatest fear is inevitably losing their pet to time. We want our furry pals to stick around as long as they can. That wish may soon become reality with a new pill from a company called Loyal. It aims to extend the lives–and health–of dogs. This new drug also serves as a pitstop on a much bigger quest: to eventually lengthen human lives.Interested in more science about your pets? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for o...

Sky Uber? Air taxis could be here soon

July 06, 2026

Taking an air taxi to the airport may become as simple as ordering a ride share today. In our first episode in our summer series Tech Camp, we explore how a futuristic vehicle that transforms from helicopter to propeller plane is already taking flight in New York and San Francisco. This new kind of commuting might be here sooner than you think: A law just went into effect to build infrastructure for them in places like airports. Short Wave host Regina Barber speaks with the startup Joby and G...

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