Dicky birds: the next pandemic?

A dive into the data reveals that, despite dire past predictions, the prevalence of dementia is actually waning. We take a look at Pix, a beloved Brazilian digital-payments system, and why it so bothers President Donald Trump. And we attend one of the concerts that reveals how th ...  Show more

An ousted former opposition leader started a new party—called the New Party. We assess its chances at the ballot box, and under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s thumb. A surrogacy scandal in Germany has prompted a government reshuffle, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz left holding ...  Show more

An outbreak of bird flu has been tearing through the nation’s dairy farms and infecting more and more people.

Now there are troubling signs that the United States may be closer to another pandemic, even as President Trump dismantles the country’s public health system.

In the news podcast this week, the first human death from bird flu in the US has made virologists vigilant about its potential threat. Also, we learn about the potentially billions of tonnes of sequestered hydrogen on Earth that could be used for clean energy, and hear of the pro ...  Show more

The phenomenon of zoonotic spillover — of viruses jumping from animals to people — is incredibly common. The question is: which one will start the next pandemic? NPR science desk correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff brings us her reporting on Influenza D, an emerging virus spreading ...  Show more

The clock is ticking down to the next pandemic, which could be deadlier than the last, as new zoonotic diseases emerge and global vaccine inequity persists. Five years since COVID-19, what lessons have we learned and what needs to change before it’s too late? In this episode: Dre ...  Show more