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Fri. 06/05 - It's National Donut Day! ...But Why? Jun 05, 2020

Show notes

A further look at the emerging controversy surrounding the data analytics company behind that big hydroxychloroquine study. Another study shows that humans apparently really do want to be kind to each other. Some perfectly specific words from other languages that have no direct English translation. It’s National Donut Day! Which it turns out, wasn’t invented by Dunkin––a look at its longer and more noble history. And some recommended videos to watch this weekend.

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Links:

New York City reports first day with no confirmed coronavirus deaths since March 11 (CNBC)
Lancet, NEJM retract Covid-19 studies that sparked backlash (STAT)
Hydroxychloroquine study retraction shows the problems of speedy science (The Verge)
New Study Finds Hydroxychloroquine Did Not Prevent Covid-19 (NY Times)
Humans Really Do Want Be Kind to Each Other, Even in The Face of Competing Interests (Science Alert)
10 of the best words in the world (that don't translate into English) (The Guardian)
National Doughnut Day's WWI History (Mental Floss)
Free Donut Day | All The Places Offering Free Donuts Today (BuzzFeed)
Reunited Apart (Josh Gad, YouTube)
Five older women form a Spice Girls' tribute act in the charming and poignant film, Wannabe (It’s Nice That)
Black Creators / Black History (YouTube)

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Thu. 06/04 - Isaac Newton's Little Known Plague Cure Jun 04, 2020

Show notes

Confirmed case numbers continue to rise around the world as places that were previously spared are now the sites of major outbreaks. How do libraries disinfect books? Isaac Newton’s little known cure for the plague. New synthetic red blood cells that can act as a mechanism for therapeutic drug delivery. And Big Bird’s upcoming CNN Town Hall.

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Links:

Approximate Percentage of the Population That Has COVID-19 Antibodies (Scott Gottlieb, Twitter)
How Do Libraries Clean Books? And More Questions From Our Readers (Smithsonian Magazine)
How to Sanitize Collections in a Pandemic (American Libraries Magazine)
Isaac Newton Believed That Lozenges Made Of Toad Vomit Could Cure The Bubonic Plague (All That’s Interesting)
Please Enjoy the Absurd Delight of Frog Bread (Vice)
Synthetic red blood cells mimic natural ones, and have new abilities (Science Daily)
CNN and 'Sesame Street' to host a town hall addressing racism (CNN)
Good News Ride Home on YouTube

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Wed. 06/03 - How the Pandemic Has Changed the Way We Sleep Jun 04, 2020

Show notes

The data analytics company throwing several major COVID-19 studies into question. How the pandemic has changed the way we sleep. Why shoe companies used to use x-rays to sell shoes. And South Korea’s gift to the Navajo Nation.

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Links:

Japan to give people US$190 a day to boost domestic travel (South China Morning Post)
Coronavirus: Ibuprofen tested as a treatment (BBC)
A mysterious company’s coronavirus papers in top medical journals may be unraveling (Science Mag)
How Sleep Has Changed in the Pandemic: Insomnia, Late Bedtimes, Weird Dreams (Wall Street Journal)
Whaa? Responses To New Technology (Cracked)
Shoe-Fitting Fluoroscope (ca. 1930-1940) (Oak Ridge Associated Universities)
South Korea to provide 10,000 face masks to help Navajo veterans fight coronavirus (Stars and Stripes)
Episode 555: Why Is The Milk In The Back Of The Store? (NPR)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 06/02 - The Introvert's and Extrovert's Guides to Lockdown Jun 02, 2020

Show notes

A six month check in on the coronavirus. tl;dr it’s going to last a long time, wear a mask. Recreating what Johann Sebastian Bach’s music sounded like to him. The introvert and extrovert’s guide to thriving during lockdown. And even more evidence that dogs are indeed very good boys.

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Links:

Six Months of Coronavirus: Here’s Some of What We’ve Learned (New York Times)
What Did Bach Sound Like to Bach? | National Endowment for the Humanities (National Endowment for the Humanities)
Switched Off Bach (Joe DeGeorge, Bandcamp)
In Glove With Bach (Joe DeGeorge, Bandcamp)
Do Introverts or Extroverts Thrive in Coronavirus Lockdown? (Bloomberg)
Your Dog Really Does Want to Rescue You, Research Finds (Science Alert)

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Mon. 06/01 - Could Humans Go Into Hibernation? Jun 01, 2020

Show notes

Is COVID-19 actually a vascular disease, not a respiratory one? And is the virus itself getting weaker? Plus, kicking off Pride Month with a look at how much same-sex weddings have boosted the US economy. Could human hibernation become a thing? A new exoplanet that could sustain life. And a 19th century clergyman’s advice for dealing with low spirits and isolation.

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Links:

Coronavirus May Be a Blood Vessel Disease, Which Explains Everything (Elemental)
New coronavirus losing potency, top Italian doctor says (Reuters)
Gay weddings boost US economy by $3.8 bn since landmark ruling (Reuters)
Human Hibernation Is a Real Possibility (The Atlantic)
New Research: Closest Exoplanet to Earth Could Host Life (Futurism)
An English Clergyman's Advice for Quarantine (The New York Review of Books)

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Fri. 05/29 - Did COVID-19 Outbreaks Actually Start Later Than We Thought? May 29, 2020

Show notes

Today we’re looking at the different ways the virus spreads and what measures can be taken to prevent spread in different contexts. A new study shows coronavirus epidemics may have started later than originally thought. Plus, the grad student who solved a problem that had stumped experts for half a century. Why Sweden celebrates Taco Friday. And a round-up of Star Wars-related media to check out this weekend.

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Links:

Monkeys steal coronavirus blood samples in India (Reuters)
Tyson Pork Plant In Iowa Shuts After Hundreds Of Workers Test Positive for COVID-19 (HuffPost)
To Beat Covid-19, You Have to Know How A Virus Moves (Wired)
Coronavirus Epidemics Began Later Than Believed, Study Concludes (NY Times)
Graduate Student Untangles Decades-Old Math Problem in Less Than a Week (Smithsonian Magazine)
Taco Friday in Sweden (Mental Floss)
How 'Taco Friday' Became a Swedish Tradition (Atlas Obscura)
Listen to the original NPR radio drama adaptations of the first STAR WARS trilogy (Boing Boing)
A Modern Trailer for The Empire Strikes Back (Neatorama)
Star Wars Game Show Trailer Is Here: Jedi Temple Challenge (Gizmodo)
Disney+ Accessibility Subtitles Can Make Everything Comics Sans (Gizmodo)
“Baby Yoda (This Is The Way)” (Blue Milk Run, Bandcamp)

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Thu. 05/28 - Can Biomarkers Tell Us How COVID-19 Affects People Differently? May 28, 2020

Show notes

Is the coronavirus more dependent on super spreaders than we thought? Research indicates possible biological markers to determine how severely an individual will react to COVID-19. And how the decline of local journalism is taking a toll on America’s small towns. Plus, will we be able to trust our memories of this time? Cannibalistic dinosaurs. And why oranges are sold in red mesh bags.

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Links:

Here’s the Latest Good (and Bad) News About the Coronavirus (NY Magazine)
The Demise of Local News Is a Pandemic Emergency (The Atlantic)
How Will We Remember the Coronavirus Pandemic? (Discover)
Frazier History Museum's 'Coronavirus Capsule' records a pandemic lifestyle as it happens (Courier Journal)
Jurassic dinosaur Allosaurus may have been a cannibal (CNET)
Why Oranges Come In Red Bags (Mental Floss)

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Wed. 05/27 - Are Planes the Safest Way to Travel Right Now? May 27, 2020

Show notes

A third of Americans now show signs of clinical anxiety and depression. A round-up of where and how the virus spreads, including how safe you may be on planes and going into the office. Plus, the details behind the futuristic SpaceX flight suits. The woman on TikTok trying to trade a bobby pin for a house. And a soothing soundscape of narwhals.

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Links:

More People Are Taking Drugs for Anxiety and Insomnia, and Doctors Are Worried (Wall Street Journal)
A third of Americans now show signs of clinical anxiety or depression, Census Bureau finds amid coronavirus pandemic (Washington Post)
How Covid Spreads (CDC)
Where Coronavirus Spreads (Christopher Mims, Twitter)
That Office AC System Is Great — at Recirculating Viruses (New York Magazine)
What Parents Should Know About Coronavirus as Kids Return to Babysitters, Day Cares and Camps (ProPublica)
Boeing and Airbus Study How Coronavirus Behaves During Air Travel (Wall Street Journal)
How an Immunology Blog Became a Covid-19 Guide to Going Out (Wired)
Nasa SpaceX launch: Evolution of the spacesuit (BBC)
One Red Paperclip
Can a bobby pin be traded up to a house? A woman on TikTok is trying to find out (Boing Boing)
TradeMeProject (Instagram)
TradeMeProject (TikTok)
Scientists Record Rarely Heard Sounds Made by Narwhals (Gizmodo)

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Tue. 05/26 - What We Know & Don't Know About COVID-19 May 26, 2020

Show notes

Young people are getting sick with COVID-19 in very high numbers in Brazil. A rundown on what we know and don’t know at this point. And an argument against immunity passports. Plus, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon launches tomorrow. A new space tax proposal. The world’s oldest living cat celebrates his birthday. How to get free pizza if you’re a graduating senior. And Catholic priests’ new weapon to fight coronavirus.

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Links:

In the developing world, the coronavirus is killing far more young people (Washington Post)
What We Know and Don't Know (Megan Ranney MD, Twitter)
Ten reasons why immunity passports are a bad idea (Nature)
World's oldest living cat celebrates his 32nd birthday (Animal Channel)
How to Watch SpaceX Launch Astronauts to the ISS (Wired)
'Orbit tax' proposed to tackle growing problem of space junk (Sky News)
Space Force (Netflix)
Priests now baptizing kids and blessing food with water guns (A/V Club)
2020 grads can get free Pizza Hut pizza (ABC Chicago)
Here's A Clever Trick To Make A Pizza Box Walk Down A Ramp (Digg)

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Fri. 05/22 - Is There Any Safe Way to Socialize IRL? May 22, 2020

Show notes

More on that study projecting 36,000 people could have been saved if the US had locked down sooner. How to safely socialize, if you choose to do so. Bots are spreading coronavirus conspiracy theories on Twitter. And, Pac-Man turns 40 today. The hottest new renewable resource on the moon: astronaut’s pee. The twenty-five-year-old skin care consultant fielding Elon Musk’s missed calls. And some recommended videos to watch this weekend.

Links:

Antimalarial drug touted by President Trump is linked to increased risk of death in coronavirus patients, study says (Washington Post)
Hydroxychloroquine study numbers (Ryan Struyk, Twitter)
Researchers: Nearly Half Of Accounts Tweeting About Coronavirus Are Likely Bots (NPR)
Students wear wings to maintain social distancing in China (Gulf News)
Lockdown Delays Cost at Least 36,000 Lives, Data Show (NY Times)
Want to see friends? Here are the coronavirus risk factors (LA Times)
Social distancing isn't going to end soon. So how do we live with it? | Gaby Hinsliff (The Guardian)
Can You Socialize Safely During the COVID-19 Pandemic? (NY Times)
'Pac-Man' once felt futuristic. Now there's a new one built entirely by AI. (Mashable)
40 Years on, PAC-MAN Recreated with AI by NVIDIA Researchers (NVIDIA)
Pac-Man will be playable on Twitch starting this June (The Verge)
On the Moon, Astronaut Pee Will Be a Hot Commodity (Wired)
Her Cellphone Number Used To Be Elon Musk's. You Can Imagine The Calls She Gets (NPR)
David Lynch's daily YouTube weather reports are highly soothing and very David Lynch (Mashable)
Foster The People's 'Pumped Up Kicks', Medieval Style (Geekologie)
Does Hand Sanitizer Create Superbugs? (SciShow, YouTube)
Why Some "Remastered" Music Videos Look Awful (Tom Scott, YouTube)

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