Follow the Science

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9. Evolutionary Arms Race w/ Angela Rasmussen & Kevin McCarthy Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

The good news is the virus is retreating. The bad news is its shape-shifting in a way that might give it a new advantage. Scientists studying how SARS-CoV-2 is evolving within individual patients figured out why it’s mutated faster, and with greater consequence, then they anticipated last summer. Will vaccines be able to keep up?

“Follow the Science" is produced, written, and hosted by Faye Flam, with funding by the Society for Professional Journalists. Today’s episode was edited by Seth Gliksman with music by Kyle Imperatore. If you’d like to hear more "Follow the Science," please like, follow, and subscribe!

8. Sex, Pregnancy and Vaccines w/ Sabra Klein Feb 05, 2021

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Men and women have different reactions to viruses – whether it’s flu or the coronavirus. Women’s immune systems have to work a little bit differently to accommodate the foreign cells of a fetus. Scientists who study sex differences see important clues to understanding the pandemic, and they fear that not nearly enough attention has been paid to the risk of the virus, or the approved vaccines – for pregnant women.

7. Dissecting QAnon w/ Reed Berkowitz & Simon DeDeo Jan 28, 2021

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QAnon is weird and yet wildly popular. The conspiracy theory is based on the notion that prominent people in Hollywood and the Democratic party are torturing children to obtain something called adrenochrome from their blood. It’s gathered a massive cult-like following and has generated hundreds of millions of shares and likes on social media.

Are people getting dumber? That’s very unlikely – but the tools of mass manipulation are becoming a lot more sophisticated. Experts say QAnon draws people in by appealing to an innate love of solutions we discover ourselves, and a tendency to favor explanations that connect the dots.

6. Can the Vaccines Take Us Back to Normal? w/ Monica Gandhi & Ben Cowling Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

The first good news of the pandemic came when vaccines were developed much faster than expected, holding out the promise of a return to normal life. In this episode I’ll be exploring just how well the vaccines work, what their deployment means for getting back to normal, and why people need a normal world that allows contact and connection.

5. Bats, Germs, and Lab Accidents – The Mysterious Origin of SARS-CoV-2 w/ David Sanders, Stanley Perlman & Rasmus Nielsen Jan 14, 2021

Show notes

Scientists have yet to offer a coherent picture of how, when and where the Covid-19 pandemic started. Some tests on banked blood indicate the virus might have been circulating months before it was officially identified. Meanwhile, the closest known viruses to SARS-CoV-2 come from bats that live far from Wuhan, where the virus was first discovered. Scientists can’t yet dismiss the possibility that the virus was released by accident from the Wuhan Institute of Virology – and it’s not clear a WHO investigative team will be able to solve the mystery.

4. A New Strategy for Fighting the Virus: Home Testing and Social Support w/ Michael Mina & Müge Çevik Jan 07, 2021

Show notes

It will be months, we’re told, before the full vaccine rollout, and thousands more will die. People are being blamed for the dying, but what if the fault lies more with bad public health strategies than with bad citizens? Some scientists propose fighting the virus a new way – a way that doesn’t rest on shutting down of social fabric of society. These new ideas rest on a plan that would let us all know when we’re carrying the virus and would give us the means to isolate ourselves when it matters.

3. The Virus Mutates and the Balance of Power Changes w/ Bill Hanage & Ralph Baric Dec 31, 2020

Show notes

What does it mean that a new version of SARS-Cov-2 is spreading fast in England and now around the world? How do scientists know this is happening? Viruses can change through evolution by natural selection, just like we can, but a lot faster. Experts talk about how alterations in the virus could change the course of events for us.

2. Are We Asking the Wrong Questions About Covid-19 Transmission and Vaccines? w/ Peter Bach & Müge Çevik Dec 24, 2020

Show notes

What does it mean when companies tell us their vaccines work? Turns out, clinical trials weren’t set up to answer really important questions about how long immunity lasts, whether the shots stop disease transmission, or whether some of the many vaccines still in clinical testing might have advantages over the front runners. And since we’re supposed to “stay vigilant” for months to come, we need better studies aimed at finding who’s at risk and why, and how to distinguish big risks from small ones.

1. Vaccine Fears and Vaccine Safety – Delving Beneath the Surface w/ Stewart Lyman, Florian Krammer & Art Krieg Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

Covid-19 vaccines are rolling out, and for many they could be mandatory. But how do we really know if they’re safe and how well they work? I’ll be talking with a variety of scientists to learn what vaccines do once they get into your body, and how they might end the pandemic if anti-vaxxers don’t slow things down.

“Follow the Science" is produced, written, and hosted by Faye Flam, with funding by the Society for Professional Journalists. Today’s episode was edited and scored by Seth Gliksman. If you’d like to hear more "Follow the Science," please like, follow, and subscribe!

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