Science unscripted

Are saunas safe (or safer) during the coronavirus pandemic? And when it comes to groceries, do we need to be disinfecting items when we bring them home?

Scientific journals have been breaking with precedent this year and endorsing a candidate for US president, in light of the country's high death toll from the coronavirus pandemic. But what does this mean for the future of science?

Having Neanderthal DNA in your body means you face a higher risk of a severe COVID-19 infection. But how much higher? And how can I figure out if I'm part Neanderthal?

Humans are unpredictable, reality, chaotic. So how is it that from this mess, a certain kind of theorist can use tools and social science to look into the future — and often get it right? And what if that same theorist is now ringing the alarm bell about the potential for violent conflict in the US?

Let's face it: Swab tests kind of hurt. And if people are asked to do something that's painful and unpleasant, they'll tend to stop doing it over time. That's why it's so important that a new kind of COVID-19 test is being tried out in the city of Cologne, Germany — where authorities expect it to save lives.

A sharp rise in new COVID-19 infections suggests Germany's second wave is building faster — and will rise far higher — than the initial outbreak in spring. What's going on?

DW has been getting angry emails from people who don't believe PCR swab tests show an actual infection. So who's right? Also, new research shows an alarming rate of brain impairments in COVID-19 patients, and do eyeglasses really correlate with lower coronavirus infections?

A small Chinese study suggests wearing glasses correlates with lower COVID-19 rates. The question is, why would that be? Also, a German city rolls out coronavirus "gargle tests," and we hit the streets to ask Germans about the connection between sexual activity and health.

The only way to find out if having sex leads to a healthier life... is to ask people some really uncomfortable questions. And that is what the German government is doing right now in a national survey. We took to the streets instead.

Chancellor Merkel says roughly 20,000 Germans will contract COVID-19 by Christmas — every single day. And the only way to prevent that is with new rules. So, just what are Germans going to have to change?