2020 has finally coming to an end. On this week's show, we look back at moments and big ideas from the show that helped us make sense of that strange and unprecedented year.

Back in the spring when we we're just starting to understand what a global pandemic would mean for us, the story of the1918 Spanish Flu reemerged as a cautionary tale. Historian Laura Spinney reflects on the Spanish Flu and on how societies learn to move forward after pandemics, for better and for worse.

For millennia, China has taught its citizens to embrace individual sacrifice for the greater good. Writer Huang Hung explains how this mindset allows the country to preserve safety during a health crisis. And -- MERS, Ebola, COVID-19 -- the viruses that cause these diseases likely have the same patient zero -- bats. For ecologist and epidemiologist Daniel Streicker, the key to preventing an outbreak is the bats themselves.

In a year when so many of us experienced loneliness, writer Jonny Sun shares how loneliness can feel like being an alien on a distant world, alone in the universe. But, when he started to share those feelings online, he found a community of people who felt exactly the same way. And JayaShri Maatha is a monk and spiritual teacher who shares how changing the purpose of her life led to a profound appreciation of giving th