Science unscripted

Why have stillbirth rates gone up during the pandemic? What does it mean to behave "ethically" during this crisis? And why on earth did scientists create a knife out of human feces?

It's important to talk about non-Coronavirus science. And it's also important to have a good laugh. With that in mind, we present the 2020 winners of the Ig Nobel Prize (the satirical alternative to the Nobel). Just don't raise your eyebrows.

Are we doing too little for elderly coronavirus victims (and potential ones) — or sacrificing too much? Why can't we test vaccines on people who want to get COVID-19 anyway? And how can we navigate this crisis, certain in the knowledge that we've behaved morally throughout? Enter the field of bioethics.

During the coronavirus pandemic, stillbirths have increased at alarming rates. But why? We ask Asma Khalil — a professor of obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine from St. George’s Hospital in London — why these tragic pregnancy outcomes have increased and what expectant parents can do.

What's coming next in the coronavirus pandemic? Which countries are the cause for most concern? And when will it all be over? Germany's most prominent virologist, Christian Drosten, gives his prognosis.

Just how does COVID-19 impact the brain? A look at human brain organoids connects the dots. Also, we hear the latest from Germany's top virologist, Christian Drosten, break down the many types of coronavirus tests, and find out why you should care about a dead wild boar.

We're testing for COVID-19 more than ever, but what does that tell us? With more than 350 products worldwide, what do people need to know about the different types of tests? Today we ask — what's the latest in testing and who's doing it right?

Neurological symptoms like headaches, confusion, memory loss and delirium have been reported in many COVID-19 patients, but how can we study what's going on in the brain at a cellular level? Researchers at Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf have been using human brain organoids, or mini-brains, grown in a lab to see how brain cells react to COVID-19.

The carcass of a wild boar discovered in a German forest has confirmed what rangers and pork producers have long feared: African swine fever, which is almost always nearly fatal to the infected animals, is here.

New models can help us predict the damage what colder months will do to coronavirus numbers. But to look further ahead, we'll have to completely change how we think about the way a pandemic "ends". Listen to DW's science podcast for a different angle on the coronavirus — every day from Germany.