I'm Natalie Moore. I fell in love with soap operas when I was just five years old, and I still

watch them. Their television's longest scripted series and have zero reruns. Now let me tell you,

soap operas aren't just some silly art form. They are significant. In this season of making,

Stories Without End from WBEZ Chicago.

Join me as I share how the genre began, their social impact, and why these stories endure.

Listen wherever you get your podcast.

From WBEZ Chicago, this is Nerdette.

I'm Greta Johnson. It is the middle of November in the year 2021. COVID is very much still a thing. The holidays are around the corner. Temperatures are dropping and people are spending more time indoors. Luckily, there have been some recent game changers. Vaccines are widely available now to anyone who's five years older, boosters for any adults who want a third shot are coming soon to. And today's guest

says you should definitely get one. It's clear everybody's going to need one at some point because

we're not going to get to a herd of unity place or a point where we've got transmission under control soon enough

to avoid healthy people getting boosters.

That is Dr. Emily Landon.

She's an infectious disease specialist at the University of Chicago.

We also like to call her Nourdette's resident epidemiologist.

Emily, welcome back.

Hey, hi, Greta.

Thanks for having me.

I love being here. Oh, my gosh. Thanks for having me. I love being here.

Oh, my gosh.

Thanks for coming on.

I think being the resident epidemiologist for something called Nerda is exactly what I wanted my whole life.

It's the truth.

...