This week on How Your World Works, New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacobs drops by the studio to to discuss, germs, healthy living, and why he once let his son lick ice cream off the sidewalk. Plus: Dr. Christopher Mason of Weil Cornell Medical College explains whether or not you should be worried about touching the subway pole, and Dr. Joseph Bresee, chief of the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the CDC’s Influenza Division, reminds you of the best ways to avoid the flu.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices