Short Wave

Bats are critically important for ecosystems around the world. But they also harbor some of the toughest known zoonotic diseases, and are the likely origin point for this coronavirus. Short Wave reporter Emily Kwong talks about leading theories on where this coronavirus came from, the work of virus hunters, and the rise of emerging zoonotic diseases.

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Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden in a twelve-minute video shared online Tuesday morning. So what does the former president's endorsement mean in an election cycle where Democrats have moved to his left and traditional campaigning has become impossible?

This episode: campaign correspondent Asma Khalid, demographics and culture reporter Juana Summers, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

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Social distancing has some of us taking up bread baking for the first time, including host Maddie Sofia. Chemist and baker Patricia Christie explains the science of making bread, including a few tips for when things go wrong with your bread dough. And she offers some advice for first-time bakers everywhere.

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Rather than a sweeping national campaign of screening, drive-through sample collection and lab testing, NPR found a smattering of small pilot projects and aborted efforts.

Also, the White House is working to reduce wage rates for foreign guest workers on American farms. Opponents of the plan argue it will hurt vulnerable workers and depress domestic wages.

This episode: campaign correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and investigations correspondent Tim Mak.

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Liz Neeley, science communication expert and executive director of The Story Collider, shares some advice for how to talk to your friends and family about the coronavirus. Here's her article for The Atlantic: 'How To Talk About The Coronavirus.'

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In a White House briefing Friday, the top medical experts from the coronavirus task force said the social distancing measures appeared to be constraining the outbreak. President Trump said that he would not take any steps to reopen the economy unless he was sure Americans would be healthy.

Also, early data suggest that COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting African Americans.

This episode: White House correspondents Tamara Keith and Ayesha Rascoe, demographics and culture reporter Juana Summers, congressional correspondent Susan Davis, and science correspondent Allison Aubrey.

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Some patients with COVID-19 are experiencing a crash after about a week of showing symptoms of the disease. The cause?

Well, as NPR's Geoff Brumfiel explains, doctors are starting to think it might not be the virus.

For more reporting on the coronavirus and other science topics, follow Maddie and Geoff on Twitter. They're @maddie_sofia and @gbrumfiel.

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The number of people seeking unemployment benefits shot up again last week, as 6.6 million more people filed initial claims, and analysts expect the numbers to keep rising. Also, the Federal Reserve announced several new lending programs Thursday, designed to pump an additional $2.3 trillion into a U.S. economy that has been severely battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Today's episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley, and political reporter Danielle Kurtzleben.

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Brandon Taylor's story has a happy ending. Today he's a successful writer whose debut novel 'Real Life' received glowing reviews earlier this year. But his success only underscores what science lost when Brandon walked away from a graduate biochemistry program in 2016. He tells host Maddie Sofia why he left, and what he misses.

Read his essay in BuzzFeed, 'Working In Science Was A Brutal Education. That's Why I Left.'

Find and support your local public radio station at donate.npr.org/short.

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In a livestream announcing his exit from the presidential contest, Bernie Sanders told support that while there was no viable path forward for his campaign, the progressive movement was as strong as ever. Sanders' decision comes weeks after the coronavirus pandemic upended the Democratic race.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and campaign correspondents Scott Detrow and Asma Khalid.

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