Explore our stories on COVID-19 and past pandemics.
25:17
Fact Check My Feed: What’s Up With These COVID-19 Mutations?
Virologist Angela Rasmussen explains the virus variant and the latest controversy of the vaccine distribution.
16:47
Charting A Path To Deliver The COVID-19 Vaccine
Once a COVID-19 vaccine is approved in the United States, the hard work of getting it produced and distributed begins.
12:07
COVID-19 Vaccinations Begin In The U.K.
Plus, Canada approves a vaccine, and the FDA may approve a vaccine for the US this week.
11:40
U.K. Approves Pfizer Vaccine
The U.K.’s emergency authorization approval could lead to vaccinations as soon as next week.
12:04
Can You Get COVID-19 More Than Once?
Immunologists explain how your body remembers this virus, and what that might mean for a vaccine.
17:16
Fact Check My Feed: How Excited Should You Be About COVID-19 Vaccines?
Pfizer’s promising press release about its vaccine’s efficacy wasn’t accompanied by data. Experts explain the implications.
16:51
The New Biden Administration Plans For COVID-19
Less than a week after it became clear he was president-elect, Joe Biden has named the members of a coronavirus task force.
12:05
What The Latest Promising Pfizer And Moderna Vaccine Trials Mean
Two encouraging COVID-19 vaccine trials reported strong clinical results this week. So what comes next?
Your Questions About COVID-19, Answered
You’ve had a lot of questions about the novel coronavirus. We’ve compiled answers and tips from health experts we’ve interviewed on the show.
12:03
Everywhere In America, COVID-19 Is Surging
Record hospitalizations arrives just in time for flu season. Plus, science you might have missed while you were waiting for election results.
17:17
Gathering Together (Carefully) For A Pandemic Holiday
There’s no way to have a completely safe in-person gathering this holiday season. But if you’re going to see friends and family, here’s how to do so with the least risk.
17:35
What Will The Pandemic Look Like During The Winter?
Now that we’re a year into the pandemic, what have we learned, and how can we plan for next year?
17:03
Why COVID Dreams Are Weirder Than Normal
A dream researcher has been collecting dreams since the pandemic began. Here’s what she’s learned.
17:29
Even In A Pandemic, Science Class Is In Session
The return to school hasn’t been easy, but STEM educators are finding creative ways to teach science to kids—online and in-person.
6:11
Worried About Fading COVID-19 Antibodies? Not So Fast.
Why a new study is not necessarily bad news for your COVID-19 immune response. Plus the Moon’s moisture, and new successes for livestock ‘super daddies.’
What It’s Like To Be A Science Teacher In A Pandemic
STEM educators across the country share their strategies, challenges, and experiences teaching during the COVID crisis.
Read People’s Strange (And Similar) Pandemic Dreams
Dream researcher Dierdre Barrett has been collecting COVID dreams since March. Find out about the surprisingly common themes in dreams during the pandemic.
17:06
Fact Check My Feed: Could A COVID-19 Vaccine Come Out Before Election Day?
During this week’s debate, President Trump made misleading claims about a timeline for a COVID-19 vaccine. Here’s what the experts have to say.
12:07
Months Into The Pandemic, Illness Lingers For Some Declared Virus-Free
Sophie Bushwick talks “Long COVID,” reinfection, and how to stay safe from the virus when going to the polls.
11:51
What Is The Status Of President Trump’s COVID-19 Case?
Reporter Umair Irfan discusses the experimental treatments President Trump received and who else in the White House may have been infected.
11:50
President Trump Tests Positive For COVID-19
What we might expect from the next few weeks of White House COVID news.
12:15
COVID-19 Vaccine Developers Promise Not To Rush Testing
As President Trump promises a vaccine before the election, some of the largest pharmaceutical companies plan to keep politics out of science.
17:25
Fact Check My Feed: Are Kids Really COVID-19 ‘Super Spreaders’?
Headlines disagree about kids and COVID-19. Here’s what the data says.
11:18
How Do You Solve The Problem Of Vaccine Distribution?
Questions swirl around how to prioritize who gets the first COVID-19 vaccines. Plus, an update on Space X’s Starlink satellite constellation.
16:59
Rethinking Our COVID-19 Testing Strategy
How might faster, cheaper tests help with better tracking of infectious COVID-19 patients?
17:06
Preparing For Long-term Health Effects Of COVID-19
As recovered patients return home, medical professionals are learning about lingering health effects from serious cases of COVID-19.
17:27
Fewer Coronavirus Antibodies May Not Mean Less Immunity
Here’s what you should know about coronavirus and children, the latest in vaccine development, and new research into aerosols and spike mutations.
17:28
Can We Keep Coronavirus Out Of The Classroom?
With little federal guidance, the country is a patchwork of plans to open schools or keep students learning from home.
12:05
A Coronavirus Vaccine Passes First Test Phase In The US
The National Institutes of Health completed a phase one trial on a vaccine created by the company Moderna.
17:28
How To Approach The Risks Of Socializing During A Pandemic
States are opening up. Should you expand your social life? How to assess and manage your risk during the pandemic summer.
10:56
Can COVID-19 Spread Through The Air?
A dive into the debate over whether the coronavirus is airborne, plus other news from the week.
33:56
COVID-19 Is Taking A Toll On Young People’s Mental Health Too
Uncertainty is hard for everyone. Here’s how caretakers can support kids and teens during social distancing.
17:21
A Crisis Of Health In Healthcare Workers
The global pandemic and national protests are adding to the mental and emotional burden of taking care of others.
11:55
How Sewage Samples Help Scientists Track COVID-19 Outbreaks
How scientists are using sewage to trace the pandemic. Plus, the toll fireworks can take on the lungs, and a birdsong gone viral.
33:56
Anthony Fauci Explains How To Make It Through His ‘Worst Nightmare’
‘America’s Doctor’ provides public health lessons from the AIDS epidemic, and strategies to make it out of the COVID-19 crisis.
11:42
The First Wave Of COVID-19 Is Still Surging
States reckon with reopening as case numbers climb, plus a new signal in a Italian dark matter detector.
17:23
Childhood Vaccinations Drop During COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 has decreased trips to the pediatrician, leaving kids vulnerable to disease.
Anthony Fauci Gives Advice On How To Reopen The United States
From second waves to vaccines, “America’s doctor” gives advice on how the country should reopen after COVID-19.
11:40
Blood Clots Linked To COVID-19 Are Raising Alarm
Doctors are seeing unusual blood clotting in some patients hospitalized with the novel coronavirus.
COVID-19 Mortality Is Worsened By Air Pollution, New Research Finds
A Harvard research team finds that an increase of one part per billion of air pollution is linked with an 8% increase in COVID-19 mortality.
11:49
A Small COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Shows Promise
Early indicators from a small vaccine study are a positive step toward the end of the pandemic. Plus, what’s happening with locusts in East Africa, and how climate change is impacting hurricanes.
11:40
Monitoring Your Pandemic Health, From Your Home
New at-home tests and health monitoring devices may give a new picture of the COVID-19 pandemic.
17:15
Fact Check My Feed: Finding The Falsehoods In ‘Plandemic’
Plus, a breakdown of this week’s COVID-19 news, including what we do and don’t know about the virus in semen and coronavirus mutations.
10:37
Global Flare-ups Of COVID-19 Hot Spots
Countries that were touted as early successes in “flattening the curve” are seeing flare-ups of COVID-19 outbreaks.
34:08
The Many Ways COVID-19 Exacerbates Pre-existing Inequality
COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting Black, Latino, and Native American communities. Why?
17:15
How Do We Build Trust Into Contact Tracing?
Governments and companies are building digital solutions to trace COVID-19’s spread. But public health experts say human labor and trust is irreplaceable.
17:04
Navigating COVID-19 By The Numbers
Mathematical modeling can help guide tough decisions about how society should respond to COVID-19.
17:16
A Pandemic Precedent—Set in 1918
What can we learn from the United States’ response to the 1918 influenza pandemic?
7:38
Strokes In COVID-19 Patients, Plus Trauma In Healthcare Workers
A handful of COVID-19 patients under the age of fifty have experienced strokes, raising questions about the virus.
Looking Back At The 1918 Flu Pandemic, In Photos
Take a glimpse at archival photos of scenes and people living during one of the deadliest pandemics in human history.
12:10
The Challenging Path To A COVID-19 Vaccine
Are efforts to speed the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus adding risk to the process?
12:04
A Shifted Coronavirus Timeline
The first COVID-19 death in the U.S. was three weeks before we initially thought.
12:13
Fact Check My Feed: Can Coronavirus Reactivate In Patients After Recovery?
Virologist Angela Rasmussen clears up details on reactivation of the coronavirus in recovered patients and a study looking at runners and bikers droplet clouds.
12:07
Inequality In The Air
COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact on minority populations who are exposed to polluted air.
17:12
Routine Healthcare Is Falling Through The COVID-19 Cracks
The COVID-19 crisis is restricting patients’ access to regular care.
12:07
Big Data’s Latest On Tracking The Spread of COVID-19
Are you following stay-at-home orders? In some countries, the government will use cell phone data to make sure.
17:28
With Low Supplies, DIY Medical Gear Is On The Rise
Due to shortages of crucial supplies, healthcare workers ask volunteers to make medical masks.
6:55
Pandemic Survivors May Be Key To First COVID-19 Treatment
What you need to know about the CDC’s new face mask guidelines and an experimental COVID-19 treatment launching in New York.
16:21
Citizen Scientists: Submit Your COVID-19 Symptoms (Or Lack Of Them)
How citizen scientists can help the CDC track the spread of coronavirus in the United States.
16:59
Fact Check My Feed: Which COVID-19 Treatments Are Backed By Science?
Virologist Angela Rasmussen returns to explain the studies behind the stories on your news feed.
11:15
Why Do We Still Not Have Enough COVID-19 Tests?
The new reason for the U.S.’s testing backlog? Materials like swabs, chemical reagents, and lab shortages are causing delays.
16:57
Fact-Checking Your Coronavirus News Feed
Experiencing COVID-19 information overload? Two experts offer clarity on the studies taking over news headlines this week.
28:16
Coronavirus: Sanitizing, According To Science
The coronavirus is easy to kill with soap and water. We talk how it works, and why it matters for more people than you.
12:26
A New World, Shaped By COVID-19
A roundup of the COVID-19 stories that will define the “new normal,” including tracking spread through smartphone location data and ventilator triage.
22:20
How To Prepare Your Healthcare System For A New Coronavirus
If COVID-19 spreads in the U.S., hospitals have ways to prepare. Public health experts explain why more testing and protecting healthcare workers will be key.
17:18
Looking To The Genome To Track And Treat The New Coronavirus
Scientists have sequenced the genome of the new coronavirus from two patients in Washington state.
17:15
How To Track And Stop The Spread Of The Coronavirus Outbreak
Nearly 10,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide, as of January 31. Experts consider measures that could be put in place to halt the spread of the pathogen.
6:44
What Does A ‘Pandemic’ Actually Mean?
What the World Health Organization’s declaration of a ‘pandemic’ means, and more from the week in science.
12:11
COVID-19 Numbers Are Rising. But How Are Those Numbers Counted?
Changes in how countries are diagnosing infection with the coronavirus can make shifting numbers difficult to interpret.
The Origin Of The Word ‘Quarantine’
‘Trentino’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
17:05
New Virus Paralyzes Chinese Cities
Officials in China have quarantined two large cities, where some 20 million people live, over fears of a novel virus outbreak.
The Origin Of The Word ‘Vaccine’
This world-changing tool of immunization got its name from a cow virus.
34:06
Forecasting The Future Of Pandemics—In 1994
In 1994, Laurie Garrett and Stephen Ostroff came on Science Friday to contemplate some troubling trends in public health. Twenty-two years later, they’re back for a check-up.
Explore More
Degrees Of Change
Understanding the challenges, but focused on the solutions, Degrees of Change explores the problem of climate change and how we as a planet are adapting to it.
Read More