Science Rules! with Bill Nye

Dr. Celine Gounder returns with wisdom gained from four months behind her personal protective equipment.

Randall Munroe, creator of the sciency webcomic, offers ridiculously complex ways to do simple things and indulges all our scientific “what-ifs.”

Erich Jarvis studies songbirds to understand how humans evolved speech. Along the way, he’s made discoveries about why we stutter, which animals can dance, and how to thrive as an underrepresented minority scientist. His research can be seen in the Netflix docuseries Babies .

It seems like every day brings a different prediction for how bad this pandemic will get. We set out to find what the data really say.

How we can help bring about the best-case scenario for the future of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

In most cases, the danger of transmitting COVID-19 makes avoiding large gatherings a no-brainer. Could the social changes the protestors are demanding lead to long-term health benefits that are worth the short-term risks?

If we want to achieve herd immunity to COVID-19, is the shortcut just to mingle without wearing masks, get a lot of us sick — and let a lot of people die?

The world is going to need billions and billions of vaccines. Who will make them, and where will they come from?

A key to staying safe from COVID-19 is contact tracing — breaking the chain of transmission from person to person. Kelly Driscoll, head of the Community Tracing Collaborative in Massachusetts, explains how contact tracing works and what it can do to block the spread of the virus.

We are definitely not out of the woods yet with COVID-19, but communities across the world have either eased their lockdowns already or are planning to do so within the next few weeks. Michael Osterholm, a professor of public health advising the state of New York on its reopening plan, explains how this pandemic will play out.

This isn’t the first pandemic humanity has faced. From the black death to Spanish flu, from AIDS to Ebola; we’ve been here before. But historian Mark Honigsbaum, author of The Pandemic Century , says that the complacency and hubris of scientific experts keep preventing us from learning from the past.

Researchers are moving at unprecedented speed, but they’re still struggling to understand this pandemic. What does the novel coronavirus do to our bodies? Virologist Dr. Angela Rasmussen answers questions about what happens when we get COVID-19, the role immunity and how small scientific discoveries will be the key to understanding this disease.

The hunt to find antiviral drugs has pressed on as we await a vaccine. Remdesivier is the latest treatment that has been touted to help patients suffering from COVID-19. But does this and other antiviral drugs really help cure patients? Scientist Derek Angus helps answer this and understand what role Antiviral drugs play in our community.

David Wallace-Wells has rung the alarm about climate change in the pages of New York Magazine and his book, The Uninhabitable Earth . Now he’s trained his sights on our latest all-encompassing challenge, covid19. Wallace-Wells tells us why climate change and pandemics are related, and he’ll examine humanity’s ability to solve existential crises.

There are billions and billions of planets out there. What could they be like? Could any of them be alive? Exoplanet-hunter and undergraduate MIT student Charlotte Minsky is helping to vet discoveries of possible planets outside our solar system. She tells us what she finds, and how she finds them.

It feels like we’re in a transitional moment. As some states begin to relax their social distancing measures, how do you know who to believe? Science Journalist for The New York Times Apoorva Mandavilli joins to talk about communicating risk responsibly, what happens if schools reopen and how to sift through conflicting information.

Tennessee is one of several states turning away from efforts to keep people at home. But is it happening too soon? Dr. James Hildreth, President/CEO of Meharry Medical College is in the group of medical professionals advising the mayor of Nashville on covid19 response. He'll describe the process of opening Tennessee and the consequences of moving too soon.

How do you measure immunity with the novel coronavirus? Antibody tests are supposed to tackle this question- but it seems they might have fallen short of expectation. James Hamblin is a journalist who joins to talk about the false promise of these tests, why some people get sick and why.

Changing the world requires breaking down the persistent barriers between researchers and the public. Science communicator and beloved television personality Alan Alda shares his advice and experiences on reaching people to connect science to everyday life, and challenge mindsets. For a free month of Stitcher Premium, go to stitcherpremium.com [ stitcherpremium.com ] and use promo code ‘SCIENCE.’

African Americans are dying at higher rates despite only being a segment of the population. There’s a constellation of factors that can lead to increased risk, but what makes COVID-19 unique reaches far beyond the current moment. Dr. Lisa Cooper joins to discuss what these contributing factors are and how some disproportionate effects continue to exist.

Misinformation about COVID-19 is spreading as fast as the virus itself. NYU’s Dr. Celine Gounder is back on the show, this time to dispel the most virulent myths that threaten society’s efforts to flatten the curve. WHO's Myth Busting document: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters

The world’s greatest observatory has not just delivered jaw-dropping images of distant galaxies and nebulas. It has deepened our intimate relationship to the universe. On the telescope's 30th birthday this week, NASA's senior project scientist for Hubble, Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, shares the Hubble's secrets with Science Rules. You can listen to ad-free new episodes of Science Rules! only on Stitcher...

Last week on SR! Coronavirus Edition we talked about what it takes to end a pandemic on a global scale. In the second half of this series, we look inward. When could the economy potentially reopen and what does the U.S. look like afterward? For more on the report we reference: https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/national-coronavirus-response-a-road-map-to-reopening/

When there's a deadly virus to worry about, how do you also look after your mental health? Queensland University of Technology mental health researcher Dr Olivia Fisher explains what's really driving the anxiety we're feeling through the pandemic, and how to respond to it.

What do gerrymandering and autism have in common? Neuroscientist Sam Wang is using giant datasets to help understand the way we think, the way we vote, and the way we focus our efforts to change the world. You can listen to ad-free new episodes of Science Rules! only on Stitcher Premium. For a free month of Stitcher Premium, go to stitcherpremium.com and use promo code ‘SCIENCE.’