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Seth Berkley – Fair Doses: An Insider’s Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity

    Ground Truths | 5 November 2025 | 0h 47m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
    Interview with Seth Berkley about his book Fair Doses: An Insider’s Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity. Recounts the creation of COVAX, which delivered 2 billion doses globally to save 2.7 million lives. Explains overcoming vaccine nationalism, funding gaps, and logistics to achieve a record 327-day rollout. Critiques the current politicisation of science and declining support for mRNA research, arguing that global health security is vital for national defense. Advocates for universal vaccines and sustained innovation to combat future epidemics.

    Did Shutting Down Schools Help or Hurt? A Covid-19 Postmortem

    The Michael Shermer Show | 26 April 2025 | 0h 56m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
    Interview with David Zweig about his book An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions. Discusses the decision-making process behind the extended closures of American public schools during the pandemic, showing how some of the most trusted members of society – from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists to eminent health officials – repeatedly made fundamental errors in their assessment and presentation of evidence.

    Carl Zimmer on the Hidden Life in the Air We Breathe

      Conversations with Tyler | 5 March 2025 | 0h 51m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
      Interview with Carl Zimmer about his book Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe. Discusses why it took scientists so long to accept airborne disease transmission and more, including why 19th-century doctors thought hay fever was a neurosis, why it took so long for the WHO and CDC to acknowledge COVID-19 was airborne, whether ultraviolet lamps can save us from the next pandemic, how effective masking is, the best theory on the anthrax mailings, how the U.S. military stunted aerobiology, the chance of extraterrestrial life in our solar system, what Lee Cronin’s “assembly theory” could mean for defining life itself, the use of genetic information to inform decision-making, the strangeness of the Flynn effect, what he learned about politics from growing up as the son of a New Jersey congressman, and more.

      Carl Zimmer on Air-Borne

        Peculiar Book Club Podcast | 20 February 2025 | 0h 32m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
        Interview with Carl Zimmer about his book Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe. Discusses the history of our understanding of the life in the air we breathe, the pioneering aerobiology of William and Mildred Wells who warned about airborne infections, and the confusion around covid-19 being spread through the air.

        Matt Ridley: Britain’s Solar Output in December is “The Square Root of Sod All”

          The Robert Bryce Show | 25 November 2024 | 1h 07m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
          Interview with Matt Ridley discussing Britain’s energy policies, the closure of the country’s last blast furnace, his investigation into the origins of covid-19, why he now is convinced the pandemic was caused by a lab leak, and more.

          This podcast contains the great news that Ridley has a new book out March 2025: Birds, Sex and Beauty: The Extraordinary Implications of Charles Darwin’s Strangest Idea.

          Francis Collins on The Road to Wisdom

            C-SPAN Bookshelf | 7 October 2024 | 1h 06m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
            Interview with the former National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins about his book The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust. Discusses his career, including his work on the Human Genome Project and the covid-19 vaccine, his Christian faith and science, and the current distrust of science and government in the United States. Notable is the discussion about his walking the talk on engaging in good faith to find common ground with those we disagree with.

            The Fragile Balancing Act: How Healthcare Fails America feat. Bethany McLean

              unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc | 12 January 2024 | 0h 54m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
              Interview with Bethany McLean about her book The Big Fail: What the Pandemic Revealed About Who America Protects and Who It Leaves Behind, co-authored with Joe Nocera. Discusses the paradox of America’s healthcare system – immense spending that does not equate to superior care, a disparity made glaringly obvious during the global COVID crisis. Dissects the financial interventions of recent administrations and biases that tip the scales in favor of the affluent, leaving small enterprises and the vulnerable in the lurch. Examines the swift mobilization that birthed vaccines under Operation Warp Speed, an emblem of successful government-industry collaboration amidst a turbulent political backdrop.

              The Man Who Talked Back: Jay Bhattacharya On the Fight Against Covid Lockdowns

                Uncommon Knowledge | 18 May 2023 | 0h 50m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
                Interview with Jay Bhattacharya discussing his Santa Clara Study – a seroprevalance covid study assessing how the disease spread and impacted populations; his involvement with the Great Barrington Declaration, one of the first public declarations questioning the lockdown policies then being instituted worldwide; and his subsequent targeting and censoring by public health authorities. Reflects on those battles, the need for free speech and proper scientific debate, and how we might better manage future pandemics.