Short Wave

Americans Are Not Going To The Dentist Enough

An estimated 5-10% of the U.S. population experiences a disorder with their TMJ, the joint that connects their jaw to their skull. The good news? Relief is possible. The secret? Go see your dentist. Today on the show, Emily talks with Justin Richer [https://www.riversideoralsurgery.com/meet-us/meet-dr-richer/], an oral surgeon, about the diagnosis and treatment of TMJ disorders. Got a question about your teeth or dentistry? Email us 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]

What Are AI Data Centers Doing To Your Electric Bill?

Electricity bills are on track to rise an average of 8 percent nationwide by 2030 according to a June analysis from Carnegie Mellon University and North Carolina State University. The culprits? Data centers and cryptocurrency mining. Bills could rise as much as 25 percent in places like Virginia. Science writer Dan Charles [https://site.danielcharles.us/] explains why electric utilities are adding the cost of data center buildings to their customers’ bills while the data companies pay nothing upfront.  Read the full June analysis here. [https://energy.cmu.edu/_files/documents/electricity-grid-impacts-of-rising-demand-from-data-centers-and-cryptocurrency-mining-operations.pdf] To listen to more on the environmental impact of data centers, check out our two-part reported series: - Why the true water footprint of AI is so elusive [https://www.npr.org/2025/05/07/1249592906/energy-water-ai-climate-tech] - How tech companies could shrink AI's climate footprint [https://www.npr.org/2025/05/07/1249592906/energy-water-ai-climate-tech] Interested in how technology affects everyday life? Email us your question 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]

Why Experts Are Racing To Learn About This Interstellar Comet

The comet 3I/ATLAS is taking a long holiday journey this year. It’s visiting from another solar system altogether. Those interstellar origins have the Internet rumor mill questioning whether 3I/ATLAS came from aliens. Co-hosts Emily Kwong [https://www.npr.org/people/767284140/emily-kwong] and Regina G. Barber [https://www.npr.org/people/1082526815/regina-g-barber] dive into that, plus what it and other interstellar comets can tell us about planets beyond our solar system. Read more [https://www.npr.org/2025/10/30/nx-s1-5591378/3i-atlas-comet-nickel-space] of NPR’s coverage of 3I/ATLAS. Also, if you liked this episode, check out our episodes on: - the physics in the film Interstellar [https://www.npr.org/2025/09/09/nx-s1-5534348/interstellar-wormhole-black-hole-space-time-movie] - why Pluto is still helpful for learning how our solar system formed [https://www.npr.org/2024/06/22/g-s1-5023/pluto-dwarf-planet-solar-system-ceres] Interested in more space science? Email us your question 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]

Who Should Track Their Blood Sugar?

Prediabetes is common in the U.S. — around 1 in 3 people have it. And many people may not know they have it. But last year, the FDA approved the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor. [https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-clears-first-over-counter-continuous-glucose-monitor] Since then, more people without diabetes have started checking their blood glucose levels. Diabetologist and University of California, San Francisco professor of medicine Dr. Sarah Kim [https://medicine.ucsf.edu/people/sarah-kim] shares the science behind blood glucose with host Emily Kwong [https://www.npr.org/people/767284140/emily-kwong].  Check out more of NPR’s coverage [https://www.npr.org/2025/06/11/nx-s1-5418465-e1/should-you-track-your-blood-sugar-with-a-continuous-glucose-monitor]about continuous glucose monitors. Interested in more science of the human body? Email us your question 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]

What’s In A Kiss? 21 Million Years Of Evolution

How far back in evolutionary history does kissing go? Through phylogenetic analysis, an international team of scientists found that kissing was likely present in the ancestor of all apes – which lived 21 million years ago. Not only that: They were definitely kissing Neanderthals. The study was published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior [http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1090513825001370]. In this news roundup, we also talk about new clues about the collision that created our moon and a moss surviving the hardships of space. Interested in stories about human evolution? Email us your question 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]