logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2020
19m 9s

Dispatch 4: Six Feet

Wnyc Studios
About this episode
Since the onset of the pandemic, we exist in a constant state of calculation, trying to define our own personal bubble. We’ve all been given a simple rule: maintain six feet of distance between yourself and others. But why six? Producer Sarah Qari uncovers the answer, and talks to some scientists who now say six might not be the right number after all.  This ... Show More
Up next
Oct 16
The Smell of Hell
Throughout human history, there’s been one element we’ve always associated with death. Just the smell of it is an alarm bell that says, “something here is dangerous.” But what if our noses have been wrong all along?In this episode of our series Viscera: Gripping Tales of the Huma ... Show More
43m 9s
Oct 9
Math Vs Machine
In less than four years, mathematician Steve Strogatz watched AI go from flailing at basic arithmetic to solving problems that baffle the world’s best mathematicians. In September of 2026, Open AI announced it had solved a Millennium Prize Problem, one of math’s highest achieveme ... Show More
31m 22s
Oct 2
A 4-Track Mind
In this short episode, first aired in 2011, a neurologist issues a dare to a ragtime piano player and a famous conductor. When the two men face off in an fMRI machine, the challenge is so unimaginably difficult that one man instantly gives up. But the other achieves a musical fea ... Show More
21m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2020
#191 — Early Thoughts on a Pandemic
Sam Harris speaks with Amesh Adalja about the spreading coronavirus pandemic. They discuss the contagiousness of the virus and the severity of the resultant illness, the mortality rate and risk factors, vectors of transmission, how long coronavirus can live on surfaces, the impor ... Show More
1h 6m
Mar 2020
#190 — How Should We Respond to Coronavirus?
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about the coronavirus pandemic. They discuss the likely effects on society, proactive vs reactive school closures, community transmission, false comparisons between coronavirus and flu, the imperative o ... Show More
1h 18m
Jun 2020
Managing Our Anxiety and Fear During Covid-19
In this challenging time, motivational speaker Jay Shetty and psychologist Dr. Ramani come to the Red Table with tips and tools for managing the emotional toll that's been brought on by COVID-19. This episode was filmed prior to the enactment of the current COVID-19 guidelines by ... Show More
31m 9s
Apr 2020
Stay Social While Staying Distant - How to Strengthen Your Network During COVID-19
In this episode, we explore the science of networks and human relationships, uncover how people you’ve never met have a huge impact on your life, and look at how we can respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic with our guest David Burkus.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co ... Show More
53m 6s
Feb 2022
COVID-19: Beginnings... and endings?
With the prime minister proposing an end to self-isolation requirements as early as the end of the month, we thought we would check in with all things pandemic-related this week. We hear from mathematical biologist Dr Kit Yates from the University of Bath and UCL’s Professor Chri ... Show More
32m 41s
Jan 2025
Circles, circumferences and Covid
After the comic malfunctions of a self-driving car, which drove its passenger/prisoner in endless circles, Unexpected Elements rounds its attention on the humble circle. Explore how one man calculated the circumference of the Earth 2,000 years before GPS was invented, then be spe ... Show More
49m 29s
May 2022
Safer Indoor Air, and People Want Masks on Planes and Trains: COVID Quickly, Episode 29
Today we bring you a new episode in our podcast series COVID, Quickly. Every two weeks, Scientific American’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between. ... Show More
7m 10s
Jul 2020
Coronavirus: Are We Back Where We Started?
We’re six months into this coronavirus pandemic, which has shaken the world and stunned scientists. What have we learned? Where are we headed? To find out, we talk to virologist Professor John Dennehy, virologist and immunologist Professor Ann Sheehy, and hospital epidemiologist ... Show More
34m 7s