Science

This illustration depicts a supermassive black hole consuming the matter around it.

The curious case of the supermassive black hole

Black holes are one of the most mysterious cosmological phenomena out there. Astrophysicist Priya Natarajan calls them "the point where all known laws of physics break down."

On the list of perplexing qualities: The origins of supermassive black holes. That story was only confirmed within the last year.

Check out more of our series Space Camp on the weird and mysterious in space at npr.org/spacecamp.

Interested in more space science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

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Tested: Unfair Advantage?

by Rose Eveleth

Episode 5: A battle over science and ethics unfolds. World Athletics releases and then tweaks multiple policies impacting DSD athletes, while critics cry foul. In this episode, World Athletics doubles down on its claims, Caster Semenya challenges the rules again, and we dig deep on a big question: what constitutes an "unfair" advantage on the track?

To listen to this series sponsor-free and support NPR, sign up for Embedded+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
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There are over eight hundred species of leeches, but researchers estimate that only ten percent of all leeches are terrestrial.

We hate to tell you this, but there are leeches that can jump

Generally, we at Short Wave are open-minded to the creepies and the crawlies, but even we must admit that leeches are already the stuff of nightmares. They lurk in water. They drink blood. There are over 800 different species of them. And now, as scientists have confirmed ... at least some of them can jump!

Interested in more critter science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to consider your animal of choice for a future episode!
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