Short Wave

Climate Anxiety Is Altering Family Planning

Gen Z and younger millennials are generally the most climate literate generations. As an age cohort that started learning about climate change in school, they're worried about how to plan for their future jobs, houses and, yes, kids. With climate-related disasters and global warming likely to worsen, climate anxiety is giving way to reproductive anxiety. So, what do experts say about how to navigate the kid question? On this encore episode of Nature Quest, Short Wave speaks to Alessandra Ram [https://www.alessandraram.com/], a journalist covering climate [https://www.goodluckmedia.co/]change, who just had a kid. We get into the future she sees for her newborn daughter and ask, how do we raise the next generation in a way that's good for the planet? Here are the resources recommended by the experts we interviewed for this story: Action Tools and Community Resources * The High-Impact Climate Action Guide [https://jpydatnf1hz.typeform.com/to/pUIM6hoy?typeform-source=wecanfixit.substack.com] by Kimberly A. Nicholas * The Climate Mental Health Network [https://www.climatementalhealth.net/] and Climate Emotions Wheel [https://www.climatementalhealth.net/wheel] * The Climate Café® Hub  [https://www.climate.cafe/]- for finding a local group Books and Research Papers * Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question: Deciding Whether to Have Children in an Uncertain Future [https://www.ucpress.edu/books/climate-anxiety-and-the-kid-question/paper], by Jade S. Sasser * Parenting in a Changing Climate: Tools for cultivating resilience, taking action, and practicing hope in the face of climate change [https://bookshop.org/p/books/parenting-in-a-changing-climate-tools-for-cultivating-resilience-taking-action-and-practicing-hope-in-the-face-of-climate-change-elizabeth-bechard/17505251], by Elizabeth Bechard * Under the Sky We Make: How to Be Human in a Warming World [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/665274/under-the-sky-we-make-by-kimberly-nicholas-phd/], by Kimberly A. Nicholas * The role of high-socioeconomic-status people in locking in or rapidly reducing energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-021-00900-y], Nielsen, K.S., Nicholas, K.A., Creutzig, F. et al.  Got a question about changes in your local environment? Send a voice memo to shortwave@npr.org [shortwave@npr.org] with your name, where you live and your question. You might make it into our next Nature Quest 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]

Why Kratom Is At The Heart Of A Big Public Health Debate

Kratom and 7-OH products are available in many smoke shops. But earlier this year, the FDA recommended certain 7-OH products be scheduled alongside opioids. This isn’t the first time kratom has come under scrutiny. Nearly a decade ago, the DEA wanted to make certain active ingredients in kratom controlled substances. Meaning products would go from being widely available to highly restricted. After a massive wave of protest, the DEA decided not to move forward. Producer Rachel Carlson [https://www.npr.org/people/1112796909/rachel-carlson] joins host Emily Kwong [https://www.npr.org/people/767284140/emily-kwong] to talk about what could happen this time around, and what scientists know – and don’t know – about kratom and 7-OH.  Interested in more of the science behind drugs and supplements? 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 Drones Are Catching Whale Breaths

Scientists in the Arctic are catching the exhaled breaths of whales to better understand their health. How? Drones. Whales breathe through their blowholes, which are the equivalent of nostrils on their heads. By studying the microbes in exhaled whale breaths, scientists are piecing together how deadly diseases spread in whale populations. Host Emily Kwong and producer Berly McCoy talk to All Things Considered host Juana Summers about what scientists can do with this information, from reducing stress on whales and monitoring ocean health to warning people who could be in close proximity to whales carrying zoonotic diseases.  Interested in more science on charismatic megafauna? 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]

Drinking Turns Some Red With Asian Glow—And May Fight Tuberculosis

Ever gotten a scarlet, hot face after drinking alcohol or know someone who has? Many people felt it as they celebrate the holidays with loved ones, sipping mulled wine, cocktails or champagne. That's because this condition, commonly called "Asian flush" or "Asian glow," affects an estimated half a billion people, who can't break down aldehyde toxins that build up in their bodies. But what if there's a benefit to having Asian glow? Katie Wu [https://www.theatlantic.com/author/katherine-j-wu/], a staff writer for The Atlantic, has looked into the research as to why the condition might have been a powerful tool for some of our ancestors to survive disease. (encore episode) Questions about other potential tradeoffs for our genetics? Email us at shortwave@npr.org. We've love to hear from you and we might cover it in a future episode!Read Katie's article [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/10/alcohol-flush-asian-genetic-mutation-cause/675759/] to learn more.Questions about other potential tradeoffs for our genetics? Email us at shortwave@npr.org [shortwave@npr.org]. We've love to hear from you and we might cover it in 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].This episode was produced by Rebecca Ramirez, edited by Berly McCoy and fact-checked by Brit Hanson. Gilly Moon was the audio engineer. 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 Suicide Prevention is 'Everyone's Business'

Written by Jo Lambert, ‘Hold The Hope’ is now being used as suicide prevention training material by the UK’s National Health Service Mental Health Trust. Emily Kwong speaks with Rhitu Chatterjee [https://www.npr.org/people/578890280/rhitu-chatterjee] about the inner strength of those who live with suicidality, how a song is opening up new conversations for mental health care, and how caregivers can help a person choose life, despite having persistent thoughts of death.  If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, contact the 988 National & Suicide Crisis Lifeline [https://988lifeline.org/] by calling or texting 988.  Listen to the full version of the ‘Hold The Hope’ song here [https://youtu.be/hgIBCa2g2No] Read more of Rhitu’s reporting on ‘Hold the Hope’ here [https://www.npr.org/2025/12/14/nx-s1-5634653/suicide-prevention-survival-song-film-art-uk-nhs] Listen to Rhitu and Emily’s previous conversation about practical ways to help someone at risk of suicide here [https://www.npr.org/2021/04/02/983823424/how-to-reach-out-when-someone-you-know-may-be-at-risk-of-suicide] Interested in more stories about mental health care? 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]