NPR's 'Short Wave' catches us up on this week in science
Russia and India try to land spacecraft on the moon; recreating Pink Floyd via brain activity; and: Did human-caused wildfires drive sabretooth cats to extinction?
Science
5 things to know about Japan's Fukushima water release in the Pacific
The water comes from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Although most scientists agree it does not pose an immediate environmental threat, some are worried about the long-term consequences.
Brain implants are allowing people to generate speech using thoughts, studies show
Scientists have been working on technologies that can turn a person's thoughts into spoken words. Two new reports show how far the field has come.
Here's why 6,000 octopuses like to be under the sea at an 'octopus garden'
Over 6,000 octopuses have been found huddling around an extinct volcano deep in the Pacific Ocean near California, and researchers now think they understand why the octopuses find it so cozy.
India joins an elite club as first to land a spacecraft near the moon's south pole
Scientists believe the south pole region might hold frozen water that could help future astronaut missions.
Some of Canada's wildfires likely made worse by human-driven climate change
Climate change intensified eastern Canada's hot, dry, windy weather this summer. That made Quebec's enormous burns about twice as likely, according to a new study.
India is set to land a robotic probe on the moon tomorrow
Wednesday morning, India will attempt to land a robotic probe on the moon. The targeted landing site of this mission is near the lunar south pole.
Kate Zernike's book explores the long battle for gender equality at MIT
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with author Kate Zernike about her book The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science.
Scientists are skeptical of mysterious supposedly superconductive material
In recent months, several academic groups have claimed possible discoveries of materials that super-conduct at room temperature. Outside researchers, however, are skeptical.
Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall' helps researchers study the brain
Researchers, studying which parts of the brain are responsible for processing elements of music, played a Pink Floyd song to a group of patients with electrodes implanted in their brains.