Short Wave

Roughly 163 million people experience obsessive-compulsive disorder [https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/about/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-in-children.html] and its associated cycles of obsessions and compulsions. They have unwanted intrusive thoughts, images or urges; they also do certain behaviors to decrease the distress caused by these thoughts. In movies and TV, characters with OCD are often depicted washing their hands or obsessing about symmetry. Dr. Carolyn Rodriguez [https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/carolyn-rodriguez] says these are often symptoms of OCD, but they're not the only ways it manifests – and there's still a lot of basics we have yet to understand. That's why, in this encore episode, Carolyn looks to include more populations in research and find new ways to treat OCD. If you're interested in potentially participating in Dr. Rodriguez's OCD studies, you can email ocdresearch@stanford.edu [ocdresearch@stanford.edu] or call 650-723-4095. _ Questions about the brain? Email us at shortwave@npr.org [shortwave@npr.org] – we'd love to hear your ideas for a future episode! Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave [http://plus.npr.org/shortwave]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

The Dog Aging Project [https://dogagingproject.org/] is a long-term nationwide survey on the health and lifestyles of U.S. dogs that launched in 2019. Today, the project has more than 50,000 canines and counting. Today, hear what researchers have learned from one of the largest dog health data sets and what it could tell us both about increasing the lifespan of our furry friends and us. For more information about signing your pup up for the Dog Aging Project, visit their website [https://dogagingproject.org/]. Have more questions about animals? Let us know at shortwave@npr.org [shortwave@npr.org]. Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave [http://plus.npr.org/shortwave]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

"Olo" does not exist in nature, nor can it be found among paint cans. But for a very select few, olo can be seen — through the intervention of careful computing and lasers. A team led by vision scientist Austin Roorda [http://roorda.vision.berkeley.edu/] and computer scientist Ren Ng [https://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Faculty/Homepages/yirenng.html] at UC Berkeley figured out a method for stimulating only one specific subset of cones of the retina. It's the only way to view this spectacular teal. Creating the color is helping push the boundaries of vision science. Follow Short Wave on Spotify [https://n.pr/3HOQKeK], and Apple Podcasts [https://n.pr/3WA9vqh]. More questions about the science behind our everyday lives? Email us at shortwave@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

There are over 200 species of deep-sea anglerfish; some are long and thin, some are squat and round, some have fins that they use to "walk" along the sea floor, and others have huge eyes set far back into their heads. But how did all this morphological diversity first come to be? Thanks to a new anglerfish family tree, now we know. Scientists built this evolutionary tree using genetic information from hundreds of samples and anglerfish specimens across the globe. It indicates that anglerfish originated from an ancestor that crawled along the seafloor ... and sheds new light on how experts could think about biodiversity as a whole. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

As artificial intelligence seeps into some realms of society, it rushes into others. One area it's making a big difference is protein science — as in the "building blocks of life," proteins! Producer Berly McCoy [https://www.npr.org/people/985775371/berly-mccoy] talks to host Emily Kwong [https://www.npr.org/people/767284140/emily-kwong] about the newest advance in protein science: AlphaFold3, an AI program from Google DeepMind. Plus, they talk about the wider field of AI protein science and why researchers hope it will solve a range of problems, from disease to the climate. Have other aspects of AI you want us to cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org [shortwave@npr.org]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]