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Why Aren’t COVID Antibody Tests Better?

Many people are wondering if that bad cold they had back in February or March was actually the new coronavirus. In principle, an antibody test could tell you that, but most of the tests out there right now aren’t very good. We chatted with David Kroll to learn how these tests work, where they go wrong and why a test that’s 96% accurate is actually pretty bad.
Season 6 Episode 1 Length 08:24 Premiere: 05/27/20

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Specials

Season 6 Episodes

The Science of Kombucha
S6 E23 Length 08:12 Premiere Date 12/15/20

Why Does Fall Smell So Good?
S6 E22 Length 07:25 Premiere Date 11/24/20

What’s That “Fall Smell” and Why Do We Love It?
S6 E22 Length 07:06 Premiere Date 11/24/20

Do Your Dog’s Paws Smell Like Fritos?
S6 E21 Length 04:45 Premiere Date 11/17/20

How Can Fertilizer Explode?
S6 E20 Length 06:10 Premiere Date 10/21/20

We Found The Best Hot Pepper Cure (It’s Not Milk)
S6 E19 Length 08:34 Premiere Date 10/08/20

Color Changing Tea
S6 E18 Length 04:00 Premiere Date 09/24/20

Why Did the Sky Turn Orange in San Francisco?
S6 E17 Length 03:54 Premiere Date 09/18/20

How Can A Margarita Do This?
S6 E16 Length 03:47 Premiere Date 08/25/20

Cellulose: From Trees to Explosives
S6 E15 Length 12:31 Premiere Date 08/11/20

The World's Biggest Batteries Aren't What You Think
S6 E14 Length 14:13 Premiere Date 08/11/20

What Could An Explosion On the Sun Do Here On Earth?
S6 E13 Length 12:24 Premiere Date 08/07/20

Whatever Happened to the Ozone Hole?
S6 E12 Length 12:11 Premiere Date 08/06/20

What Meteors Reveal About Earth’s Hidden Past
S6 E11 Length 13:33 Premiere Date 08/05/20

The Invisible Tsunami That Killed 1,500 People in One Night
S6 E10 Length 11:28 Premiere Date 07/28/20

The Terrifying (but Awesome) Science Behind Red Tides
S6 E9 Length 11:39 Premiere Date 07/22/20

The Great MOLASSES Flood of 1919
S6 E8 Length 12:52 Premiere Date 07/21/20

Challenger: The Real Story of an Avoidable Disaster
S6 E7 Length 14:37 Premiere Date 07/20/20

The Loneliest Whale
S6 E6 Length 15:21 Premiere Date 07/16/20

The Ultimate Coffee Roasting Chemistry Throwdown
S6 E5 Length 10:33 Premiere Date 07/14/20

The Ultimate Coffee Roasting Chemistry Throwdown
S6 E5 Length 10:14 Premiere Date 07/14/20

Here’s How You Actually Have to Use Disinfectants
S6 E4 Length 05:35 Premiere Date 06/23/20

You’re Using Disinfectants Wrong
S6 E4 Length 06:11 Premiere Date 06/23/20

How Does Tear Gas Work?
S6 E3 Length 03:53 Premiere Date 06/18/20

We Surprised a Llama Antibody Researcher with an Actual Llam
S6 E2 Length 02:15 Premiere Date 06/08/20

We Surprised a Llama Antibody Researcher with a Llama
S6 E2 Length 02:33 Premiere Date 06/08/20

Why Aren’t COVID Antibody Tests Better?
S6 E1 Length 08:24 Premiere Date 05/27/20

Why Are Antibody Tests Failing?
S6 E1 Length 08:24 Premiere Date 05/27/20

Why Aren’t COVID Antibody Tests Better?
S6 E1 Length 08:24 Premiere Date 05/27/20

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