Science

Scientists Debunk Lab Accident Theory Of Pandemic Emergence

4:13pm April 22, 2020

by Geoff Brumfiel

Scientists dismiss the idea that the coronavirus pandemic was caused by the accident in a lab. They believe the close interactions of people with wildlife worldwide are a far more likely culprit.

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Science

So Your Sourdough Starter Failed? That's OK, Science Needs It

4:13pm April 22, 2020

The Wild Sourdough Project is studying how different regions and flours influence a sourdough starter's composition and aroma.

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The job of contact tracing can involve detective work. During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014, a hand-drawn map on the wall of a rural clinic in Liberia showed health workers how to get to a remote village where a woman with Ebola may have trave

How Do You Do Contact Tracing? Poor Countries Have Plenty Of Advice

11:16am April 22, 2020

by Jason Beaubien

As parts of the U.S. aim to move out of lockdown, a key tool to contain coronavirus cases will be contact tracing. It's something health workers in low-income countries have lots of experience with.

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Coronavirus Updates: The Latest In The U.S. Response

6:01pm April 21, 2020

NPR economics, science and politics correspondents relay the latest in the response to the coronavirus epidemic in the United States.

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of President Trump's coronavirus task force, directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which had convened the panel of experts.

NIH Panel Recommends Against Drug Combination Promoted By Trump For COVID-19

5:55pm April 21, 2020

by Joe Palca

The group of experts, assembled under the agency run by Dr. Anthony Fauci, warns that using a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin could result in potential toxicities.

People stand in line as they wait to get tested for COVID-19 at a just-opened testing center in the Harlem section of New York on Monday.

Study Raises Questions About False Negatives From Quick COVID-19 Test

11:33am April 21, 2020

by Rob Stein

New research suggests the Abbott ID NOW test, which produces results in less than 15 minutes, is the most likely among common tests to reassure people they are not infected when they really are.

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Wildfires caused high levels of air pollution in San Francisco in November 2018. Climate change is making wildfires and heat waves more likely, and driving more days of unhealthy air in many U.S. cities.

Science

Climate Change Undercuts Air Pollution Improvements

12:02am April 21, 2020

by Rebecca Hersher

More Americans are breathing unhealthy air, even though overall air pollution has decreased in recent decades. In the tug-of-war between air regulations and climate change, global warming is winning.

Study Links Racial Prejudices And Disease Outbreaks

5:53pm April 20, 2020

by Shankar Vedantam

How might a pandemic affect racial prejudice? A new study finds that living in a region with higher infectious disease rates is linked to greater racial prejudice.

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Coronavirus Updates: The Latest In The United States

5:12pm April 20, 2020

NPR political and science correspondents break down the latest in the response to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

President Trump's guidelines for "reopening" the country put the onus on governors.

Coronavirus Latest: Trump's Fight With Governors Is One He Can't Win

9:22am April 20, 2020

by Domenico Montanaro

President Trump is passing the buck on testing and plans to "reopen" states, and many of governors don't like it.