# The dormant viruses in all of us may help explain long COVID

An episode of [Short Wave](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1482575855), 23 Oct 2026, 14 min.

Audio: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-510351/npr.simplecastaudio.com/72da6803-9aa4-4e2e-a973-3bc436f0e9fa/episodes/70d14efb-5797-4acd-b8aa-a16f9e9963b9/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=72da6803-9aa4-4e2e-a973-3bc436f0e9fa&awEpisodeId=70d14efb-5797-4acd-b8aa-a16f9e9963b9&feed=F0qJcgXZ&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-5985807&p=510351&d=865&size=13842477

Virtually every human on Earth has a slew of different types of dormant viruses in our bodies. They are remnants of past infections and are—generally—harmless. Unless they wake up, which can be triggered by extreme stress or something that severely compromises the immune system. But now, through a unique study on the immune systems of astronauts, scientists are considering broadening their ideas about what can wake up our dormant viruses…and learning what all this has to do with long COVID. If you liked this episode, check out our episodes on a universal flu vaccine and what scientists got wrong about covid. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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