The hottest spots of COVID in the U.S. are all on Native American lands.  In the absence of federal help, the Cheyenne River Sioux in South Dakota put up checkpoints in defiance of the Governor’s orders.  So far, they’re working.  

Click above to listen to part 5 of Race and COVID, featuring Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, South Dakota. The Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation COVID checkpoint on Highway 212 is featured in an article on Indianz.com.

Race and COVID:
Part 1: Marcella Nunez Smith / Racial Disparity
Part 2: Utibe Essien / Racial Data
Part 3: Nina Jablonski / Skin Color
Part 4: Robert Sapolsky / Us vs. Them
Part 5: Harold Frazier / COVID checkpoint

Podcast also available on PocketCasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and RSS.

2026 Webby Award Nominee
for our three part series on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Big Picture Science is an immersive radio show and podcast that reveals the unexpected connections in science.

Our Skeptic Check episodes take a critical look at extraordinary science claims and pseudoscience.

Don’t settle for a science snapshot. Get the big picture. 

Hosted By

Molly Bentley Executive Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science  

Seth Shostak Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science
Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

Latest episodes