If you’ve ever consulted a COVID-19 hot-spot map or noted the infection figures on the cable news crawl, you may have the experts at Johns Hopkins University to thank. Its Coronavirus Resource Center is the de facto clearinghouse for pandemic stats. The center’s data has been downloaded billions of times, helping governments to decide where to dispatch resources and when to reopen—and individuals to suss out the safety of hosting a socially distant backyard barbecue. —Marjorie Korn
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- Coco Gauff Is Playing for Herself Now
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- If You're Dating Right Now, You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time