logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2021
14m 14s

Three Guidelines To Understanding The De...

NPR
About this episode
Delta is quickly becoming the dominant coronavirus variant in multiple countries. The variant has spread so fast because it is more contagious than the variants that came before it. At the same time, the U.S. is equipped with highly effective vaccines. Ed Yong, science writer for The Atlantic, talks with Maddie about the interaction between the variants and the vaccines and how that will be crucial in the months ahead.

Reach the show by emailing shortwave@npr.org.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Feb 13
Why do we kiss? It's an evolutionary conundrum
The evolutionary purpose of kissing has long eluded scientists. Smooching is risky, given things like pointy teeth, and inherently gross, given an estimated 80 million bacteria are transferred in a 10 second kiss. And yet, from polar bears to humans, albatrosses and prairie dogs, ... Show More
14 m
Feb 11
AI is great at predicting text. Can it guide robots?
It seems like artificial intelligence is everywhere in our virtual lives. It's in our search results and our phones. But what happens when AI moves out of the chat and into the real world? NPR science editor and correspondent Geoff Brumfiel took a trip to the Intelligence through ... Show More
12m 44s
Feb 10
The physics of the Winter Olympics
Watching a ski jumper fly through the air might get you wondering, “How do they do that?” The answer is – physics!That’s why this episode, we have two physicists – Amy Pope, a physicist from Clemson University and host Regina G. Barber – break down the science at play across some ... Show More
13 m
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2021
The Rise of Delta
<p>The Delta variant of the coronavirus is threatening to put the world in an entirely new stage of the pandemic.</p><p>The variant is spreading fast, particularly in places with low vaccination rates — it is thought to be around 50 percent more transmissible than previous versio ... Show More
21m 17s
Aug 2021
A New Chapter of the Coronavirus
<p>Recent data from the C.D.C. has found that not only can vaccinated people get infected with the Delta variant of the coronavirus, though instances are rare, but they also can potentially spread the virus just as much as an unvaccinated person.</p><p>What are the practical impl ... Show More
21m 2s
Sep 2021
Ep 959 | Are the Vaccinated Actually the True Super Spreaders? | Guest: Dr. Lynn
Nothing makes sense. “The Delta variant” canard doesn’t explain how the virus is now much worse than ever before when nearly every adult is vaccinated in a lot of areas getting hit hard. Today, we are joined by Dr. Lynn (pseudonym), associate medical director of America’s Frontli ... Show More
1h 13m
Jan 2021
Why U.S. Vaccinations Started Slow And What We Know About The New Coronavirus Variant
Initially, U.S. officials predicted that as many as 20 million Americans would be fully vaccinated before the end of 2020. And while that many vaccine doses were distributed, only a fraction of them have been administered. The federal government has given states control over dist ... Show More
12m 21s
Sep 2021
The Summer of Delta
<p>This summer was supposed to be, in the words of President Biden, the “summer of freedom” from the coronavirus. What we saw instead was the summer of the Delta variant.</p><p>The surge driven by Delta — which has seen rises in cases, hospitalizations and deaths across the Unite ... Show More
24m 10s
Jan 2021
Why Are U.S. Coronavirus Cases Falling? And Will the Trend Last?
<p>The number of new coronavirus cases in the United States is falling, but has the country turned a corner in the pandemic? And what kind of threats do the new variants pose to people and to the vaccine rollout?</p><p>Today, we discuss the latest in the quest to stamp out the pa ... Show More
26m 17s