Science

Gemini IV spacewalk, June 3, 1965. NASA astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space.

Outer space changes you, literally. Here's what it does to the human body

Lower gravity. Higher radiation. No ER access. These are just a few of the challenges that humans face in outer space. Emily and Regina talk to a NASA astronaut (and astronaut scientist) about the impact of spaceflight on the human body. Plus, we learn about telomeres (hint: They change in space)!

Check out more of our series on space: https://www.npr.org/spacecamp

Interested in more space science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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New insights into the brain's waste-removal system could one day help researchers better understand and prevent many brain disorders.

The brain makes a lot of waste. Here's how it cleans itself up

Scientists have long studied the relationship between sleep and the brain, and why poor sleep is linked to neurological diseases like Alzheimer's. NPR science correspondent Jon Hamilton talks to host Regina G. Barber about the brain's washing system and the particular sound researchers have found that seems to turn it on in mice.

Read Jon's full piece here.

Interested in more science about the brain? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Tested: Card-Carrying Females

by Rose Eveleth

Episode 3: We meet Kenyan sprinter Maximila Imali, who—like Christine Mboma—has been sidelined by DSD policies. She makes a different choice from Christine: to fight the regulations in court. And we learn about a previous fight, when scientists, athletes, and journalists spent thirty years trying to end an earlier version of sex testing.

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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