There’s a race to see which — if any — anti-viral drugs might be effective against COVID-19. But while we’re focused on viruses, we can’t let our guard down against bacteria. Muhammad H. Zaman, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor of Biomedical Engineering and International Health at Boston University, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about antibiotic-resistant superbugs and why he’s worried we could face yet another public health threat. His book is called “Biography of Resistance: The Epic Battle Between People and Pathogens.”

Before the pandemic, we joked about having a case of “the Mondays.” Now, during shelter-at-home, can we even remember which day Monday is? Shayla Love, a senior staff writer at Vice, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the psychology of why we’re all a little disoriented since our 9-to-5 routine disappeared. Her article “Time is Meaningless Now” was recently published by Vice.

Sometimes a deep look into someone else’s life can help us to better understand our own. Lulu Miller, co-founder of NPR’s“Invisibilia,” joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her study of the first president of Stanford University, a taxonomist obsessed with fish, and how his discoveries — and ultimately his intellectual myopia — helped her to make sense of her own world. Her new book is called “Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life.”

The 2020 presidential election is down to a two-man race. And while one of those men is on TV every day, the other is trying to figure out how to stay relevant. Amy K. Dacey is executive director of the Sine Institute of Policy & Politics at American University, and she joins host Krys Boyd to analyze Joe Biden’s presumptive nomination, what leadership and campaigning during the pandemic will look like, and strategies he’ll use to reach voters.

Living to a ripe old age is everyone’s goal – and researchers are developing new techniques to have us functioning at a high level even in our later years. Daniel Levitin is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at McGill University, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what he calls human life’s two stages: “healthspan” and “disease span,” and explain how brain science can promote the former. His book is called “Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives.”

When the world is full of bad news, pop culture can at least provide a respite. Host Krys Boyd talks with comedian and “Daily Show” correspondent Roy Wood Jr. about how to be funny in such a serious time. We’ll also talk with Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding – co-hosts of the podcast “Switched on Pop”– about how pop music reflects the age in which it’s created. And we’ll finish up talking with a television critic about how binge-watching changes the viewing experience.

A question on everyone’s minds these days is: When will life get back to normal? Atlantic staff writer Ed Yong joins host Krys Boyd to explain why that’s the wrong thing to be asking – and why what we should instead focus our energies on incremental steps to a more livable future. His story “Our Pandemic Summer” appears on The Atlantic’s website.

How does a kid with over-protective parents go from being a nice French horn player to shooting adult films to earning industry renown as a successful director of big-budget films? Barry Sonnenfeld joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his winding road to success that eventually led to making the “Men in Black” franchise and other blockbusters. His new book is called “Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker.”

Beauty, style, fashion – influence in all its forms has jumped from the runway into the palm of our hand thanks to Instagram. Bloomberg News technology reporter Sarah Frier joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the fierce Silicon Valley competition to create a dominant social media platform and the ways Instagram has changed our lives in unexpected ways. Her book is called “No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram.”

When famine ravaged India in 1966, the nation turned to one man: a small-town Iowan obsessed with wheat. Rob Rapley joins host Krys Boyd to talk about Norman E. Borlaug, who won praise for his work on disease resistance crops – which also came with unintended consequences. His American Experience film “The Man Who Tried to Feed The World” airs tonight on PBS stations.