Social Distance
Journalists from The Atlantic document the first 15 months of the coronavirus pandemic through regular phone calls. Listen in as Dr. Jim Hamblin, the producer Katherine Wells, and the comedian and the writer Maeve Higgins ask journalists, experts, and friends about the news and science behind the pandemic, get some advice, and learn how to apply it.
76
Am I Depressed?
Or is the world just depressing?
23 min
77
The Comforting Appeal of Conspiracy Theories
Why false narratives can sometimes outrun facts
26 min
78
Have the Uncomfortable Conversation
It’s hard to talk about end-of-life care. You should do it anyway.
25 min
79
The Racial Contract
The structures of “The Before” shape the present.
24 min
80
Have You Seen 'The Wretched'?
Hollywood is on hiatus. What do we watch while we wait?
25 min
81
Will You Merge Bubbles With Me?
How we reopen dating
27 min
82
Don’t Worry About a ‘New Strain’
At least not yet.
21 min
83
High Risk
Caitlin Flanagan on navigating Stage IV cancer during a pandemic.
18 min
84
So The Economy is a Disaster
But maybe we're at least nearing the bottom?
17 min
85
‘Things Can Change In an Instant’
Lessons from the last time a virus changed us
25 min
86
The Georgia Experiment
Can reopening ever really be voluntary?
22 min
87
You Are Worthy of Sleep
Katherine is worried Jim is endangering himself and needs to sleep more, so she’s holding an intervention.
29 min
88
Is Human Touch Necessary?
What does a pulse oximeter do? And answers to your other questions.
18 min
89
Will the Restaurants Come Back?
And what will your neighborhood look like if they don’t?
25 min
90
How Much Does It Cost to Get COVID-19?
What is the financial toll on those who get sick? And will the pandemic change our healthcare system? Dr. Howard Forman, a Yale professor of public health and economics, joins Jim and Katherine to explain the costs of American medicine and what it would take to bring those costs down.
28 min
91
Are the Celebrities Okay?
A culture in quarantine
21 min
92
Why Do Some People Get Sicker?
Jim explains why COVID-19 can be fatal for some and mild for others.
22 min
93
‘You Think of Things You Shouldn’t’
Perspective can change a lot in a month.
28 min
94
Immunity Passports
Will we need them to restart the economy?
21 min
95
Text Your Ex?
A guide to new dating realities
19 min
96
What Will the Summer Be Like?
And how do we make the best of it?
24 min
97
Are These Tweets Real?
James has been getting a lot of strange replies on social media. McKay Coppins joins to talk about modern propaganda, the history of disinformation, and where these comments might be coming from.
22 min
98
Something Less Bad
The thing you’re looking forward to will happen again.
23 min
99
Where the Curve Has Flattened
What's been the difference in the parts of the country that haven't seen as bad an outbreak? Staff writer Russell Berman talks about how officials on the West Coast responded to the problem.
22 min
100
What It’s Like to Have COVID-19
F.T. Kola and Karan Mahajan talk about their contrasting experiences of illness and recovery.
35 min