Science unscripted

Gabe makes a house call with Conor in quarantine to find out he's tested negative for the coronavirus. But he's not out of the woods yet. Also, why do some COVID-19 patients have symptoms long after the infection is gone? And we talk about loneliness and the pandemic.

Around a third of COVID-19 patients suffer symptoms well after the infection is gone, according to a German doctor who has been studying "Long Covid" since March. We hear from Götz Richter and one of his patients about a disease that won't go away.

It's a simple enough question. And yet a stunning number of people are either saying 'no,' or they aren't sure how to answer. Follow us to the streets of Mainz, Germany — to the spot where one of the most promising vaccines was developed — to find out how Germans are thinking about it.

Surely, in the face of a deadly pandemic, people would give anything to get a vaccination. Right? Think again. On this show, you'll hear from people who fall in that "not so sure" zone — and whether their questions, and legitimate concerns, can be answered.

Will the 'mink mutation' make our new vaccines less effective? And what percentage of people are NOT planning get vaccinated in the first place? Also, what's with the rumors of a 'coronavirus vaccine app'?

Lonely people die earlier. That much is known. And with new studies showing increased levels of isolation for older adults during the pandemic, it means the elderly are now facing dual threats to their health. But what if you could improve their chance at a long and healthy life, right this second, without the use of medicine?

Brand new medicines tend to scare people. And their concerns deserve an answer. So: What are the side effects of this new vaccine? Will it work equally well for everyone? Was it rushed in the name of profits? How long will immunity last? And who's to say it's "90% effective" if fewer than 100 people in the trial actually got COVID-19?

With coronavirus deaths rising, it's important to ask: What is grief, exactly? What actually happens inside our brains, at the chemical level, when we mourn the loss of a loved one? Are there studies on grieving, and how to do it "better?" And if a pill existed that would let you skip this process, would you take it?

Where does the pain come from when we lose people we love? Can it be reduced to chemicals in our brain? If so, are there ways to prevent it? Listen to our part two of our deep dive into the phenomenon of grief.

It's one of the sickening questions often overlooked with regard to the coronavirus. How should we deal with the pain of losing loved ones right now? Listen to part one of our deep dive into the phenomenon of grief.