Post-vaccination Inertia Is Real
Readjusting our ideas about what’s safe is going to take time.
No One Actually Knows If You’re Vaccinated
Vaccination requirements in stores, offices, and schools can offer peace of mind. But they’re rarely going to prove anything.
We Can’t Hide in Our Bubble of Immunity Forever
As Americans abandon masks, the world is suffering around them.
Podcast: Share the Vaccine ‘Recipe’
What difference could it make worldwide if the U.S. waived patents for vaccines?
The Doctors Who Bet Their Patients’ Lives on COVID-19 Test Results
Those waiting for an organ transplant are at risk of contracting the coronavirus whether they choose to avoid the health-care system or to interact with it.
There’s a Perfect Number of Days to Work From Home, and It’s 2
The best job perk is self-determination.
The J&J Rescue Mission Starts With a Choice
The reputation of all COVID-19 vaccines hinges on improving perceptions of the Johnson & Johnson shot.
Podcast: Long-COVID Questions Answered
A long-COVID patient and an immunologist help us understand the mysterious condition.
The Era of Mass Vaccinations Is Ending
To reach the remaining holdouts, America’s approach to vaccine distribution is going hyperlocal.
6 Questions for the Boss Who Wants You Back in Your Cubicle
Here’s how to find out if your workplace’s return-to-office plans are actually safe.
Germany’s Anti-vaccination History Is Riddled With Anti-Semitism
Jewish people were blamed for spreading disease, and considered expendable victims.
Indian Americans Don’t Know What to Feel Right Now
The pandemic is ravaging India at the same moment that it is relenting in the United States.
A Year Without Germs
Months of exuberant hand-sanitizing and social isolation during the pandemic have changed our exposure to microbes, in ways good and bad.
Listen: The Consequences of Vaccine Nationalism
“One country’s crisis is every country’s crisis.”
The CDC Is Still Repeating Its Mistakes
The agency’s new guidelines are too timid and too complicated.
The Pandemic Made Her Sick, Even Before She Caught COVID-19
Headaches, eye pain, nausea—her symptoms began last spring. No one knows exactly why, except that the pandemic is to blame.
The Coming Conflict Between Introverts and Extroverts
When the social floodgates open, not everyone will want to use their newfound freedom in the same way.
The Tyranny of the Female-Orgasm Industrial Complex
What one woman’s quest for sexual satisfaction reveals about desire, hysteria, feminism, and capitalism
The King of AIDS Treatments Is Turning to COVID-19
There are few drugs proven to help people infected with the coronavirus, and it’s giving John James déjà vu.
Podcast: When Can I Take Off My Mask?
The rules need to change after vaccination. But carefully.
Show Your Immune System Some Love
Antibodies are great and all, but macrophages, B cells, and helper T cells deserve some attention too.