Podcasts can be a terrific source of long-form journalism, but if you don’t have a long commute and don’t want to sit in the living room and listen to the radio the way people did in the 1930’s before TV, podcasts can be too long.
That might be a problem with the excellent podcast Patient Zero from NHPR, about Lyme disease. It covers the story from soup to nuts, but only if devote 5 or 6 hours of listening.
Here’s my suggestion for Granite Geek types who are leery of giving up that much time: Listen to the last segment, No. 7, first. It’s about how Lyme exists and circulates in the environment, and CRISPR-related efforts to control it. Lots of geekery, not much politics.
Then check out Episode 5, about the quackery that has grown up to take advantage of people’s fears. Another excellent episode that pulls no punches.
If you like those, then go back to No. 1 and listen to the rest.
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