Short Wave – "Why Drones Are Catching Whale Breaths"
Date: December 26, 2025
Hosts: Emily Kwong, Burleigh McCoy
Guest: Juana Summers (Host of All Things Considered)
Main Theme:
A rapid-fire roundup of quirky, cutting-edge science stories: the use of drones to study whale health via their breath, how swearing can make us stronger, and how Los Angeles’ bird populations rapidly adapted their beak shapes during COVID campus closures.
Episode Overview
This episode features Emily Kwong, producer Burleigh McCoy, and guest Juana Summers diving into three bite-sized science stories. Together, they explore:
- How researchers are using drones to non-invasively collect and study whale breath for disease surveillance
- Evidence that strategic swearing boosts physical strength and performance
- A real-time evolution case: LA’s dark-eyed juncos rapidly changing beak shapes in response to fluctuations in human activity during and after the pandemic
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Why Catch Whale Breaths With Drones?
[03:25–06:07]
- How Whales Breathe:
- Whales inhale/exhale through blowholes (akin to nostrils on the top of their heads). Their exhaled breath (or “blow”) contains clues about their health (03:31).
- Disease Surveillance:
- Researchers want to detect respiratory diseases, especially viruses like cetacean morbillivirus, which previously caused mass die-offs (03:46). Traditionally, these studies happened post-mortem; drones allow live, non-invasive sampling.
- Drone Collection Method:
- Drones fitted with petri dishes hover over surfacing whales to catch the exhale (04:11).
- Samples in 2023/24 (in Norway and Iceland) detected cetacean morbillivirus and herpes virus in some whale groups for the first time so far north (04:44).
- Elena Kosta (lead author) highlights the significance: “This was the first time it was detected in this area and the first time it was detected so far north.” (04:44)
- Drone Impact on Whales:
- Minimal; whales are mostly underwater, and the drone approach is less invasive than prior methods (05:09).
- Broader Implications:
- While treatment isn’t feasible in wild whales, tracking infections can prevent disease spread to humans (as in Norway, where people swim with whales) and monitor overall ocean health indicators (05:27).
- “Only then we will be able to really understand the dynamics of these pathogens and how some stressors, for example pollutants or climate change, are affecting these dynamics of these diseases.” – Elena Kosta (05:51)
2. Swearing Makes You Stronger
[06:07–08:47]
- The Swearing-Strength Link:
- Psychologist Richard Stevens (Keel University) and his team show that swearing might physically help us by making us more disinhibited (06:30).
- “Swearing is a cheap, readily available, calorie-neutral, drug-free means of self-help.” (06:30)
- How It Works:
- Swearing overrides our habitual self-control (“behavioral inhibition system”), allowing us to “just go for it” (07:04).
- Study Details:
- Participants did a chair push-up, trying to hold themselves aloft as long as possible.
- Each performed the challenge twice: once repeating a swear word, once a neutral word (07:55).
- Result: Swear-word sessions lasted longer, with participants reporting increased humor, confidence, and “psychological flow” (08:09).
- Broader Uses:
- Potential for boosting confidence in a variety of situations: “Maybe when you’re hesitant to negotiate a salary rise. Maybe when you’re shy about approaching a person you’re attracted to… There are moments in life when we can overthink things, and being disinhibited is a good thing.” – Richard Stevens (08:34)
- Limitations:
- Not advised “in front of this microphone!” – Juana Summers, highlighting social context (08:47).
3. Pandemic-Era Bird Beak Evolution
[08:58–11:03]
- Studying Dark-Eyed Juncos:
- These are round-bodied sparrows commonly found around LA (08:58). Wildland juncos tend to have longer, slender beaks; city birds have shorter, stubbier beaks.
- Pandemic Changes:
- During 2021–2022 campus lockdowns, juncos hatched on empty UCLA campuses grew longer, slender beaks, resembling their wildland counterparts (09:55).
- Why the Change?
- Fewer people = less food waste in trash cans; long beaks may have helped birds forage naturally (10:07).
- When people returned, more food scraps reappeared, and recent generations once again developed stubby, trash-foraging beaks (10:15).
- “Juncos born after campus got busy had stubbier, shorter beaks.” – Emily Kwong (10:37)
- What Does It Mean?
- Evolution may occur in very short timeframes — or perhaps wild birds were simply migrating in (10:19).
- External expert Alejandro Rico Guevara remarks: “The study is an amazing example of how much human activity is related to shifts in nature.” (10:42)
Notable Quotes
- “Whales can catch colds?” – Juana Summers (03:45)
- “Swearing is a cheap, readily available, calorie-neutral, drug-free means of self-help.” – Richard Stevens (06:30)
- “Only then we will be able to really understand the dynamics of these pathogens and how some stressors, for example pollutants or climate change, are affecting these dynamics of these diseases.” – Elena Kosta (05:51)
- “There are moments in life when we can overthink things, and being disinhibited is a good thing.” – Richard Stevens (08:34)
- “Juncos born after campus got busy had stubbier, shorter beaks.” – Emily Kwong (10:37)
- “The study is an amazing example of how much human activity is related to shifts in nature.” – Alejandro Rico Guevara (10:42)
Timestamps for Major Segments
- Whale Breath Drones & Disease – 03:25–06:07
- The Psychology (and Power) of Swearing – 06:07–08:47
- Rapid Bird Beak Evolution During the Pandemic – 08:58–11:03
Overall Tone & Style
Playful, conversational, and accessible; hosts explain complex science in a chatty style, peppering in humor and relatable “science gifts” as a nod to the holiday season.
Who Should Listen?
Anyone curious about unconventional scientific discoveries, nature, animal health, psychology, or human impact on wildlife—especially those who enjoy learning surprising trivia in just a few minutes.