The Trump administration has advanced the theory the coronavirus began as a lab accident, but scientists who research bat-borne coronaviruses disagree. Speaking with NPR, ten virologists and epidemiologists say the far more likely culprit is zoonotic spillover—transmission of the virus between animals and humans in nature. We explain how zoonotic spillover works and why it's more plausible than a lab accident.
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Consider This from NPR - When To See A Doctor; Policing During The Pandemic
California, one of the first states to shutdown, joins a growing list of states that are trying to restart their economies. Customers around the country are deciding if they are comfortable starting to shop again.
Law enforcement is adapting to what it means to police during a pandemic.
A fever and dry cough are no longer the only official symptoms of COVID-19. NPR's Maria Godoy has tips for when even milder symptoms, like headaches and loss of smell and taste, should prompt you to seek testing.
Plus, scientists on a research vessel in Arctic have been isolated from the coronavirus. Some are anticipating what it will be like to return to a society in lock down.
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Law enforcement is adapting to what it means to police during a pandemic.
A fever and dry cough are no longer the only official symptoms of COVID-19. NPR's Maria Godoy has tips for when even milder symptoms, like headaches and loss of smell and taste, should prompt you to seek testing.
Plus, scientists on a research vessel in Arctic have been isolated from the coronavirus. Some are anticipating what it will be like to return to a society in lock down.
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This episode was recorded and published as part of this podcast's former 'Coronavirus Daily' format.
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Short Wave - What Is Dark Energy? Physicists Aren’t Even Sure
Dark energy makes up almost 70% of our universe and is believed to be the reason the universe is expanding. Yet very, very little is known about it. To figure out what we do know — and what it could tell us about the fate of the universe, we talked to astrophysicist Sarafina Nance. She studies cosmology, a field that looks at the origin and development of the universe.
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Consider This from NPR - New Cases Plateau For Now As States Chart Their Own Course
One model forecast 60,000 Americans would die from COVID-19 by August. But fatalities keep rising, and the United States has surpassed that number.
Around the country, different states are taking different approaches to reopening. Donald Kettl, professor of public policy at the University of Texas at Austin, says this pandemic has brought up questions about federalism.
Few online grocery delivery services accept payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. That causes problems for recipients at high risk for COVID-19.
Plus, NPR's reporter in Nairobi finds his parents connecting with his kids through TikTok.
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Around the country, different states are taking different approaches to reopening. Donald Kettl, professor of public policy at the University of Texas at Austin, says this pandemic has brought up questions about federalism.
Few online grocery delivery services accept payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. That causes problems for recipients at high risk for COVID-19.
Plus, NPR's reporter in Nairobi finds his parents connecting with his kids through TikTok.
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Sign up for 'The New Normal' newsletter
This episode was recorded and published as part of this podcast's former 'Coronavirus Daily' format.
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Short Wave - Letters From The 1918 Pandemic
The 1918 flu outbreak was one of the most devastating pandemics in world history, infecting one third of the world's population and killing an estimated 50 million people. While our understanding of infectious diseases and their spread has come a long way since then, 1918 was notably a time when the U.S. practiced widespread social distancing.
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Consider This from NPR - Q & A: Dentists, Reopening Businesses, And Contact Tracing
A dentist, epidemiologist and NPR journalists answer listener questions on 'The National Conversation with All Things Considered,' NPR's nightly radio show about the coronavirus crisis. Excerpted here:
- NPR's senior business editor Uri Berliner and epidemiologist Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo discuss reopening nonessential businesses
- NPR's health policy reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin on the logistics of contact tracing
- Dentist Dr. Suhail Mohiuddin on when a dental problem is urgent enough for an in-person visit
If you have a question, you can share it at npr.org/nationalconversation, or tweet with the hashtag, #NPRConversation.
We'll return with a regular episode of Coronavirus Daily on Monday.
This episode was recorded and published as part of this podcast's former 'Coronavirus Daily' format.
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- NPR's senior business editor Uri Berliner and epidemiologist Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo discuss reopening nonessential businesses
- NPR's health policy reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin on the logistics of contact tracing
- Dentist Dr. Suhail Mohiuddin on when a dental problem is urgent enough for an in-person visit
If you have a question, you can share it at npr.org/nationalconversation, or tweet with the hashtag, #NPRConversation.
We'll return with a regular episode of Coronavirus Daily on Monday.
This episode was recorded and published as part of this podcast's former 'Coronavirus Daily' format.
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Consider This from NPR - Operation Warp Speed; Essential Workers Fight For Benefits
The Trump administration is calling the effort to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 "Operation Warp Speed." Dr. Anthony Fauci says if all goes well, we could have hundreds of millions of vaccines as early as next January.
Today is International Workers Day, and this year workers at Amazon, Walmart and Target are using the occasion to organize mass protests. They say their companies are not doing enough to protect and compensate them, even as the nation hails them as "essential."
Today is also historically known as National College Decision Day for college-bound high school seniors. But that's changed this year too. Many colleges have postponed their decision deadlines to June 1. And as the pandemic continues to cause students' personal circumstances to change, some are reconsidering attending a four-year college full time at all.
In New York City, a funeral director says knowing that his team is performing a service for their community helps him get through long and stressful days.
Plus, some happy news: NPR producer Emma Talkoff's twin sister and her now-husband got married in their apartment last weekend. Talkoff shares what it was like for her family to witness the joyful moment via Zoom.
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Today is International Workers Day, and this year workers at Amazon, Walmart and Target are using the occasion to organize mass protests. They say their companies are not doing enough to protect and compensate them, even as the nation hails them as "essential."
Today is also historically known as National College Decision Day for college-bound high school seniors. But that's changed this year too. Many colleges have postponed their decision deadlines to June 1. And as the pandemic continues to cause students' personal circumstances to change, some are reconsidering attending a four-year college full time at all.
In New York City, a funeral director says knowing that his team is performing a service for their community helps him get through long and stressful days.
Plus, some happy news: NPR producer Emma Talkoff's twin sister and her now-husband got married in their apartment last weekend. Talkoff shares what it was like for her family to witness the joyful moment via Zoom.
Find and support your local public radio station
Sign up for 'The New Normal' newsletter
This episode was recorded and published as part of this podcast's former 'Coronavirus Daily' format.
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Short Wave - How An Early Plan To Spot The Virus Fell Weeks Behind
In several major cities, public health officials work every year to monitor the flu. It's called sentinel surveillance. And as early as mid-February, the government had a plan to use that system to find early cases of the coronavirus, by testing patients with flu-like symptoms.
But NPR's Lauren Sommer reports the effort was slow to get started, costing weeks in the fight to control the spread of the virus. Read more from Lauren's reporting here.
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But NPR's Lauren Sommer reports the effort was slow to get started, costing weeks in the fight to control the spread of the virus. Read more from Lauren's reporting here.
Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.
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Consider This from NPR - Federal Stay-At-Home Guidance Ends; A Potential New Test For COVID-19
The federal stay-at-home guidance ends on Thursday. Some governors are planning to open up their states, but others say it's too soon.
A potential new kind of test for COVID-19 could be simpler and cheaper to use than existing tests. But because it has a relatively high false negative rate, some scientists are wary. The pandemic has left more than 30 million people in the U.S. unemployed.
Activists and community organizers are putting together strikes, refusing to pay rent on May 1. But landlords are also facing financial pressure.
Using the Defense Production Act, President Trump has ordered meatpacking plants to stay open despite a high rate of coronavirus outbreaks among workers. KCUR's Frank Morris reports on what's happening in the industry.
Life Kit's guide to managing screen time on Apple, Spotify and NPR One.
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This episode was recorded and published as part of this podcast's former 'Coronavirus Daily' format.
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A potential new kind of test for COVID-19 could be simpler and cheaper to use than existing tests. But because it has a relatively high false negative rate, some scientists are wary. The pandemic has left more than 30 million people in the U.S. unemployed.
Activists and community organizers are putting together strikes, refusing to pay rent on May 1. But landlords are also facing financial pressure.
Using the Defense Production Act, President Trump has ordered meatpacking plants to stay open despite a high rate of coronavirus outbreaks among workers. KCUR's Frank Morris reports on what's happening in the industry.
Life Kit's guide to managing screen time on Apple, Spotify and NPR One.
Find and support your local public radio station
Sign up for 'The New Normal' newsletter
This episode was recorded and published as part of this podcast's former 'Coronavirus Daily' format.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Short Wave - How Bears Come Out Of Hibernation Jacked
Spring is in the air — and so are black bears coming out of hibernation. Rae Wynn-Grant, a large carnivore biologist, explains there's a lot more going on during hibernation than you might expect.
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