Burleigh McCoy
Person
Burleigh McCoy is an audio producer and journalist associated with NPR's science and technology programming, including production work for Short Wave.
14 episodes featuring Burleigh McCoy
Short Wave
Social meals, thunderous birds and Bennu’s clues to life
The episode connects an everyday behavior, a striking animal adaptation and asteroid chemistry to larger questions about how bodies and worlds work.
Oct 2, 2026 · 10 min
Short Wave
Scientists race to map Earth’s hidden biodiversity
The species science has not yet documented could reshape conservation, medicine, and agriculture, but cataloging them raises daunting practical and ethical questions.
Sep 30, 2026 · 14 min
Short Wave
Scientists still cannot explain autumn’s red leaves
Red foliage may protect trees or repel insects, but its purpose remains unresolved across species and environments.
Sep 28, 2026 · 14 min
Short Wave
Memory reconsolidation offers a route to stronger self-worth
Low self-esteem can shape how people experience rejection, illness, love, and success, while memory reconsolidation may help revise the expectations behind those reactions.
Sep 22, 2026 · 13 min
Short Wave
AI safety fears move from theory to real-world incidents
The episode connects speculative takeover scenarios with current chatbot harms and asks whether industry or governments can slow a dangerous race.
Sep 18, 2026 · 15 min
Short Wave
Why doctors miss diagnoses—and how they can improve
Diagnostic errors can reshape patients’ lives, but better listening, case review, accountability, and trauma-informed care offer ways to make medicine safer.
Sep 15, 2026 · 13 min
Short Wave
Heat kills thousands more Americans than records show
Undercounted heat deaths obscure the scale of a growing public-health threat and make it harder for communities to protect vulnerable residents.
Sep 4, 2026 · 15 min
Short Wave
NASA turns spy-satellite hardware toward the universe
Roman’s unusually broad surveys could test cosmic expansion, map dark matter, find distant planets, and expose discoveries its planners did not anticipate.
Aug 28, 2026 · 14 min
Short Wave
Metabolic health emerges as a new frontier in psychiatry
The episode examines whether improving insulin signaling and energy metabolism could complement psychiatric care, while stressing that the evidence remains early and incomplete.
Aug 26, 2026 · 12 min
Short Wave
Camera traps reveal wildlife’s long American transformation
The comparison shows how settlement, altered rivers, and predator losses reshaped ecosystems while leaving room for recovery and conservation.
Aug 24, 2026 · 14 min
Short Wave
Webb’s red dots may reveal how supermassive black holes grow
The episode connects a puzzling cosmic signal with practical findings about dementia risk and an animal’s remarkable seasonal body changes.
Aug 21, 2026 · 12 min
Short Wave
AI reshapes military judgment before autonomous weapons arrive
The episode examines whether AI-assisted targeting and strategic simulations can make military decisions less transparent, more escalatory, and easier to choose.
Aug 17, 2026 · 15 min
Short Wave
Colombia’s earthquake reveals why depth matters
The episode shows how tectonic complexity shapes earthquake damage while practical protections remain possible despite the limits of prediction.
Aug 14, 2026 · 12 min
Short Wave
AI stories fool readers as black holes wander and pumas reshape roads
The episode connects uncertainty about machine-made writing with discoveries showing how AI can aid astronomy and animal behavior can improve road safety.
Aug 12, 2026 · 12 min