On this episode of the podcast Social Distance, Katherine Wells gets the results of her coronavirus and antibody tests. She has questions about what they mean, so an expert joins to explain the immune system (with help from James Hamblin’s metaphors).Lisa Butterfield is a tumor immunologist who works in cancer immunotherapy.

Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox.THE ATLANTICThe development of a coronavirus vaccine won’t end this pandemic overnight. Instead, it’ll merely mark “the beginning of the end.

A few decades ago, “American beer” had the same connotation in the world of brewing as Velveeta-style “American cheese” had for connoisseurs of Stilton or Brie. Mid-20th-century American beer culture was known for its handful of giant breweries, and for the unadventurous, bland lagers they pumped out.In those days, brewers in England or Belgium or Germany would roll their eyes at what Yanks considered “good beer.

Twenty years ago, Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist—not generally thought of as a radical liberal—said: “We can think of no better example of the police power, which the Founders denied the National Government and reposed in the States, than the suppression of violent crime and vindication of its victims.

The Atlantic has hired Clint Smith as a staff writer, editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg announced today. Smith, who received his Ph.D. in education from Harvard University this spring, has contributed to The Atlantic over the past several years––in June, he wrote on becoming a parent in the age of Black Lives Matter, and was part of The Atlantic’s KING special issue in 2018.