At the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, canine studies are being done to see if man's best friend can sniff out coronavirus. So far, they are doing a pretty good job of it! Nine dogs are currently enrolled in the study with the hopes that one day they might be able to pick out infected individuals, including those that are asymptomatic, in nursing homes, businesses and airports. Dogs have already been proven to be able to detect explosives and some diseases such as hidden cancers, diabetes, and bacterial and viral infections. Frances Stead Sellers, senior writer at the Washington Post, joins us for more.




Next, the reopening of schools was a huge topic this past year and it might not be the best course of action to treat schools like COVID hot zones. Thankfully, children are, by and large, spared most of the effects of the virus. They are only half as likely to get infected as adults and while they can transmit the disease, they seldom cause outbreaks. In the meantime, as schools in other countries have already opened, we can look to them to see what has worked and what has not. Some of the most appropriate safety measures could include testing and contact tracing, improved ventilation in classes, and keeping students with a single group of peers throughout each day. David Zweig, contributor to Wired, joins us for more.

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