Short Wave Folgen

In case you missed our announcement Monday, Short Wave is temporarily shifting production schedules. We're dropping episodes into your feed four times a week instead of five. That means we'll be taking a break every Wednesday through the end of the year. But, fear not! We've got a giant back catalog for you to browse in the meantime. Like this episode from last year about three factors at the heart of why California is at such high risk for wildfires. Or this one about Giant Panda conservation and zoos. We'll see you tomorrow with a new episode!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Flushing toilets can consume a lot of water. So Tak-Sing Wong, a biomedical engineer at Penn State University, is trying to minimize how much is needed. Wong developed a slippery coating for the inside of a toilet bowl. In this encore episode, he tells us it can potentially move human waste more efficiently, leaving a cleaner bowl with less water. Follow host Maddie Sofia on Twitter @maddie_sofia. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In her new book, x+y, mathematician Eugenia Cheng uses her specialty, category theory, to challenge how we think about gender and the traits associated with it. Instead, she calls for a new dimension of thinking, characterizing behavior in a way completely removed from considerations of gender. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy