Hello from the Heartland. My name is Jenna, and this is Smarter News, news when it matters and why it matters.

Our Smarter series features unique people who help us think and live smarter.

We're closing out the month of May.

We're about five months since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in America.

And we're about 10 weeks since the federal government recommended social distancing guidelines.

That's right around the same time that we had our first conversation with Dr. Michael Lynn, PhD, MD from Stanford

University, focusing on neurobiology and bioengineering. His research team is actively looking

at ways to better understand the virus that causes COVID-19. And we've been in touch over the last

10 weeks, and I am so grateful for Dr. Lynn's generosity

because it is a challenging time, whether you're in journalism or not, to figure out what's what when it comes to this new coronavirus.

So let's not hesitate.

Here's what we know, and here's what we're still learning about COVID-19 in our second conversation

with Dr. Michael Lynn.

Let's just start off with this one question, and it's a big one, so you can take it any direction

that you want.

Over the last 10 weeks, what has been the most surprising, most interesting item that you've learned about the

virus that causes COVID-19? What's been the most surprising thing to you? That's a good question.

I think the most surprising thing to me is that is not the virus itself, but how

our public health officials have responded to it. I think it's become more and more clear that

the virus spreads primarily through the air, through respiratory droplets. And the response of our

officials has been both good and bad. The CDC

has come around to recommending face coverings for everybody, which is good. And many, many smaller

...