Israel is something of the world’s research lab when it comes to COVID-19. It was one of the first countries to start mass vaccinations, and scientific research there often forms the basis for global public health and medical decisions, including in the United States. In this episode, Dr. Cyrille Cohen, who advises the Israeli Ministry of Health, talks about why booster shots are needed now; why this winter may prove difficult; and why he remains an optimist.

When Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos blasted off on their own private spacecrafts this summer, it became clear that space travel was no longer solely the domain of government agencies. The question now is: How long will it be for those who aren’t super-wealthy to one day hitch rides beyond the Earth’s atmosphere? Josh Robin interviews Dr. Wendy Whitman Cobb of the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. They talk about the cost of space travel, why leaving Earth on a rocket doesn’t neglect problems on our planet -- and the Jetsons. Plus, a debunked prediction about bacon of the future.

Humans have always slept, but our descendants may be doing it quite differently than current generations. Dr. Clete Kushida, former president of the World Sleep Society and a neurologist at the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, tells Josh Robin that technological advancements may make fewer hours of shut-eye just as healthy; that deep sleep may one day prove easier to get; and that one day we may even be recording our dreams. Scientists are also hoping to answer the most basic, but elusive question: Why are our bodies programmed to need sleep at all? Plus, a debunked prediction on pajamas.