Podcast Summary: Short Wave (NPR)

Episode: 10 Breakthrough Technologies to Expect in 2026

Hosts: Regina Barber & Amy Nordrum (Guest, Executive Editor, MIT Technology Review)
Date: January 16, 2026
Episode Length: ~15 minutes

Overview

This episode of Short Wave dives into the "10 breakthrough technologies of 2026" as highlighted by MIT Technology Review. Host Regina Barber and guest Amy Nordrum discuss highly anticipated advances across energy, AI, genetics, and space, with an emphasis on practical impacts, ethical dimensions, and just a bit of playful banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Criteria for Breakthrough Technologies

• [01:02–01:47]
  Amy Nordrum outlines what earns a technology a spot on the list:
  • High-impact advancements expected to revolutionize daily life, work, health, and address global problems like climate change.
  • Both beneficial and potentially harmful technologies are included.
    • “For worse, we also include advances that we think are equally as significant but might have very negative consequences.” – Amy Nordrum [01:16]

2. Sodium-ion Batteries: A New Era for EVs

• [04:01–05:27]
• Sodium as a widely available, less environmentally damaging alternative to lithium for batteries.
• More stable and potentially up to one-third the cost of lithium-ion batteries as technology scales, eventually making EVs more affordable.
  • “Sodium ion batteries could shake that up really for the first time in a meaningful way if they're able to scale up.” – Amy Nordrum [04:20]

3. Private Space Stations and the Future of Space Travel

• [05:27–07:19]
• Growth of commercial suborbital flights and the imminent launch of private space stations, which aim to blend luxury (think Prada spacesuits) with scientific research.
• Enables more countries and companies to access space for research, diversifying participants beyond nation-state astronauts.
  • “There's this whole rash of new private space stations that are due to be launched over the next couple of years... with amenities...” – Amy Nordrum [06:39]
• Potential for space-derived discoveries in pharmaceuticals and semiconductors that impact life on Earth.

4. Gene-Edited Babies & Personalized Medicine

• [08:00–09:53]
• Landmark 2025 case: “KJ,” a baby treated for a rare disorder via a CRISPR-based method called “base editing” — the first highly personalized gene-editing treatment.
• Extremely high costs (up to $1 million), raising questions of accessibility.
  • “It was done with a newer form of CRISPR... base editing, that actually lets you rewrite individual letters.” – Amy Nordrum [08:22]
• Enormous future potential for rare genetic diseases but still in experimental stage.

5. Embryo Scoring and the Ethics of Genetic Selection

• [10:23–12:00]
• New embryo screening extends beyond disease prevention to selecting for preferred traits like intelligence or eye color — a practice Amy and Regina link to eugenics.
  • “There's a lot of people that see that in it and are concerned for that reason.” – Amy Nordrum [11:18]
• Limitations: Current science can only offer statistical probabilities, not guarantees.

6. Rapid-Fire Technologies

• [12:00–13:27]
  • Next-Generation Nuclear:
    • Advanced reactors could be built faster/cheaper, supporting urgent energy needs for an electrified future.
    • “There's a new generation of reactors... that could be built cheaper and perhaps more quickly, they're smaller in size.” – Amy Nordrum [12:07]
  • AI Data Centers:
    • Specialized, massive facilities with advanced cooling for AI computation.
    • “A new breed of infrastructure... hundreds of thousands of specialized chips called GPUs, and also require their own kind of very specialized cooling system.” – Amy Nordrum [12:42]
  • Gene Resurrection:
    • Using ancient genes for conservation — not Jurassic Park-style revivals but helping modern endangered species adapt.
    • “Help endangered species get more genetic diversity by reintroducing genes from past organisms.” – Amy Nordrum [13:27]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[This list] describes which technologies they think matter most each year.” – Regina Barber [01:07]
• “We’re really looking for high-impact advances that we think will change the way we live and work in the future.” – Amy Nordrum [01:16]
• “They’re not nearly as big as the International Space Station… certainly not in these first iterations. They’re a fraction of the size, really.” – Amy Nordrum [06:39]
• “You might think about brain diseases or muscular dystrophy as potential candidates. So, over time this could be something... available to many more people with very rare genetic disorders.” – Amy Nordrum [09:55]
• “Some companies started to advertise… saying, we’re going to help you pick your best embryo based on how intelligent that baby might grow up to be, or their eye color, or their height.” – Amy Nordrum [11:16]
• “We were quite careful with our framing… the efforts around bringing back genes from ancient creatures into modern day animals or plants, often for conservation purposes.” – Amy Nordrum [13:20]

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------| | 01:02 | Introduction to MIT Technology Review’s list | | 04:01 | Sodium-ion batteries for EVs | | 05:27 | Rise of private space stations & expanded access | | 08:00 | First personalized, gene-edited baby | | 10:23 | Embryo scoring & genetics ethics | | 12:07 | Next-gen nuclear | | 12:42 | AI data centers | | 13:20 | Gene resurrection & conservation |

Tone and Style

The conversation is accessible, science-focused, and sprinkled with humor and everyday analogies. Both hosts maintain NPR’s signature friendliness and curiosity, striving to make complex tech advances easy to understand without dumbing them down.

Conclusion

This episode scans the near future through the lens of MIT Technology Review’s “10 Breakthrough Technologies,” balancing optimism with caution. Amy Nordrum and Regina Barber walk listeners through the promise and pitfalls of what’s next, from cleaner batteries and democratized space travel to the sticky ethical frontiers of genetics — all within a snappy, engaging package.

For further details and links to MIT Technology Review’s full list, check the NPR show notes.