Summary: <p>A year and a half into the pandemic, we still don’t know how it began. This week, a look at how investigating COVID-19’s origins became a political and scientific minefield. Plus, how a mistake of microns caused so much confusion about how COVID spreads. And, making sense of the "metaverse."</p> <p>1. Alina Chan [<a href="https://twitter.com/Ayjchan">@Ayjchan</a>], postdoctoral researcher at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, on the lack of investigation into COVID's origins. <a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/lab-leak-theory-on-the-media">Listen.</a></p> <p>2. Megan Molteni [<a href="https://twitter.com/MeganMolteni">@MeganMolteni</a>], science writer at Stat News, on the 60-year-old mix-up that helped COVID-10 kill. <a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/five-micron-mistake">Listen.</a></p> <p>3. Gene Park [<a href="https://twitter.com/genepark">@GenePark</a>], gaming reporter for <em>The Washington Post</em>, on what the "metaverse" really means. <a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/making-sense-metaverse">Listen.</a></p> <p>4. Margaret Atwood [<a href="https://twitter.com/MargaretAtwood?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">@MargaretAtwood</a>], novelist, on submitting a manuscript to a library of the future. <a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/margaret-atwood-writes-future-on-the-media">Listen</a>.</p> <p><em>Music from this week's show:</em></p> <p><em>Sacred Oracle - John Zorn</em><em>Eye Surgery - Thomas Newman </em><em>The Old House - Marcos Ciscar </em><em>Tomorrow Never Knows - Quartetto d’ Archi Dell'orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi </em><em>72 Degrees and Sunny - Thomas Newman</em><em>Viderunt Omnes - Kronos Quartet</em><em>Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads</em></p>
