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Today: #6 in Science on our combined chart.
Today: #75 in Science, United Kingdom on our combined chart.
Today: #12 in Science, Canada on our combined chart.
Today: #49 in Science, Australia on our combined chart.
Today: #112 in Science, Germany on our combined chart.
Today: #47 in Science, Brazil on our combined chart.
Today: #91 in Science, Mexico on our combined chart.
Today: #65 in Science, New Zealand on our combined chart.
Today: #64 in Science, Ireland on our combined chart.
Today: #15 in Science, India on our combined chart.
Today: #11 in Science, Japan on our combined chart.
Today: #19 in Science, Philippines on our combined chart.
Today: #29 in Science, South Africa on our combined chart.
Chart positions today · United States
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Individual platform positions in United States where this show has no current Combined ranking.
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Ranking history · United States
Latest daily rankings: Oct 21. New rankings will appear after the next update.
Position on the Science combined chart over the last 7 days. Toggle platforms to compare their positions. Lower rank numbers are better.
View as table
| Date | Combined Rank | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pocket Casts | Castbox |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21 | #6 | #9 | #7 | #8 | #9 |
| Oct 20 | #6 | #8 | #7 | #9 | #8 |
| Oct 19 | #7 | #11 | #7 | #12 | #12 |
| Oct 18 | #6 | #11 | #6 | #11 | #11 |
| Oct 17 | #6 | #10 | #6 | #8 | #8 |
| Oct 16 | #6 | #8 | #8 | #7 | #7 |
| Oct 15 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #9 | #9 |
Latest episodes
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Can planting more trees make allergies worse?
October 21, 2026 · 12 minTrees provide shade and clean air in congested cities, so planting more of them seems like a straightforward solution. But trees also produce a natural pollutant— pollen. In this episode, producer Juan Diego Ramirez reports on the link…
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What are the odds we're not alone in the universe?
October 20, 2026 · 15 minThere are hundreds of billions of stars in the galaxy we live in. Many of them have their own exoplanets. So why haven’t we found proof of alien life yet? And what’s the probability of us contacting or being contacted anyway? That’s…
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What the world's leading researchers think about saunas
October 19, 2026 · 14 minSaunas have gone from a Scandinavian tradition to a global wellness phenomenon. But how long should a person endure heat? Do saunas actually work? And if so, what are their benefits? NPR health reporter Will Stone goes as deep as the…
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The terrifying physics of prehistoric sea monsters
October 16, 2026 · 9 minWhile dinosaurs roamed the earth, giant monsters roamed the sea. Mosasaurs were like the deadly T-rexes of the ocean: They grew up to the size of a bus and chased down their smaller prey. A recent study in the journal Current Biology…
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What's at stake if we can't regrow our forests
October 15, 2026 · 14 minIn 2022, parachutist Luigi Cani dropped 100 million seeds over the Amazon rainforest while skydiving. He did it to raise awareness about deforestation and help regrow the forest. But there has been little scientific follow up to see…
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What Flock cameras really see – and how
October 14, 2026 · 16 minPolice departments across the U.S. are installing Flock cameras, saying the surveillance devices help deter theft and solve crimes, like helping find stolen property and missing people. But as the technology and its use by federal agencies…
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The sound of fear: Why so many animals scream
October 13, 2026 · 13 minIt's Halloween season — and what better way to celebrate October 13th than to explore the haunting sound of fear? That's exactly what we do in this episode, where host Regina G. Barber and NPR science correspondent Nate Rott dive into the…
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One of the toughest parts of ADHD is left out of the diagnosis
October 9, 2026 · 12 minADHD diagnoses are on the rise in the United States, but what if professionals are missing a key part of the disorder? In the 1970s, some clinicians recognized a lot of their ADHD patients had trouble with emotional regulation. But because…
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What's missing from the lethal injection conversation
October 7, 2026 · 15 minYou might have seen the news that Christa Pike, a convicted murderer in Tennessee, did not die from the injections given to her as part of her death penalty sentence last week. After her failed execution, she was hospitalized, where she…
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Science-backed guidance for healthy screen time
October 6, 2026 · 13 minWe’re all aware – and wary – of doomscrolling. Lots of screen time can be bad for us. But what if that’s not always the case? We spoke with the author of a study that found a positive relationship between screen time and brain development…
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The genetic secret helping bats survive a deadly epidemic
October 5, 2026 · 14 minWe’re easing you into Halloween season with an episode about bats. There’s a silent serial killer decimating little brown bats as they hibernate. White nose syndrome has driven populations across the U.S. to almost the brink of extinction…
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Eating alone may be secretly spiking your blood sugar
October 2, 2026 · 10 minBeing more social has a ton of benefits: lower stress, decreased inflammation – even living a longer life! Recently, some scientists have added lowering your blood sugar to the list. To figure it out, researchers had people break bread…
About the show
New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — in just under 15 minutes. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber for science on a different wavelength. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for Short Wave.