You're listening to shortwave from NPR.

So you might have heard that there's new evidence that coronavirus can live in air for several

hours and live on some surfaces for up to two to three days.

And that sounds kind of scary, but it's actually not that unusual.

So to put it all in perspective, we have NPR Health correspondent Allison Aubrey with us.

Hey Allison.

Hey there Maddie.

So we're talking about a study led by scientists at a NIH lab.

What's the main finding?

The new study looked at the novel coronavirus in a laboratory setting and found the virus

can survive for up to 72 hours on certain surfaces.

We'll get to which of those surfaces later.

But like you said, there are a few caveats here.

For example, the study was done in a lab where the conditions are very stable and the real

world factors such as sunlight can kill off viruses faster.

Unlight.

A literal and figurative disinfectant, Allison.

That's right.

Okay, so sit tight and we'll explain more about how long the virus lives in the environment,

what we know now about how coronavirus is transmitted and some tips for keeping surfaces

in your self-clean.

I'm Maddie Safiah and this is shortwave, the Daily Science Podcast from NPR.

...