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HE WHO HESITATES IS LOST
Why are COVID-19 vaccination rates stagnating in the developed world? It all comes down to the vaccine-hesitant. Vaccine-hesitant people are certainly not anti-vaxxers - but they aren’t exactly jumping in line for their shot. In this article, we’ll learn why vaccine-hesitant groups exist and what you can do in your personal network to address the very-real threat that they pose.
SAFE AND EFFECTIVE? LET’S BE OBJECTIVE.
These days, there is a lot of misinformation circulating about vaccines. In part 1 of our COVID-19 vaccines miniseries, we learned about your body’s immune response to vaccines, how each type of COVID-19 vaccine works, and what it means to be approved by the FDA. Here, in part 2, we’ll break down the numbers - what does it mean to be 95% effective? Is one vaccine better than the others? Are COVID-19 vaccines actually safe? What is my risk of side effects?
FROM PIPETTE TO GAVEL: USING DNA SEQUENCING TO COMBAT IVORY CARTELS
Using DNA analysis of ivory and dung samples from Elephants across Africa, a team at the University of Washington demonstrates how tusks shipped across the world can be linked to incriminate traffickers. This new strategy may help save African Elephants from devastating population loss due to poaching.
SCIENTISTS RESTRICTING THEIR OWN RESEARCH: THE HISTORICAL ASILOMAR MEETING
Forty years ago, at the birth of gene-editing technology, 140 brilliant scientists from all over the world met at Asilomar to discuss its usage. Now that they could join pieces of DNA in artificial ways, what should they do with it? What are the experiments they need to answer relevant questions? And more importantly, are those experiments safe and responsible? After 3 long days of intense discussion, scientists showed the public that they could self-regulate and set a precedent for scientific regulation.