The Dose: Brilliant Blue Blooms
Closer to vaccine equity, 20 years of deforestation, and brilliant blue blooms.
Welcome to The Dose! If you haven’t already, subscribe to never miss the latest pandemic updates and some exciting, beautiful science twice a month right in your inbox.
The Serious Stuff
In this section, we share the most important pandemic and science updates.
❣️ Closer to vaccine equity. Developed by Texas Children’s Hospital For Vaccine Development and Baylor College Medicine, CORBEVAX is a novel COVID-19 vaccine that spells a critical step forward for vaccine equity. Unlike other COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, CORBEVAX’s developers have chosen not to file for a patent and have even shared the vaccine technology with other countries around the world. Created using recombinant protein technology, CORBEVAX is easy to store, inexpensive to produce and easier to manufacture globally- making it perfect for low-income countries. Not only is it a lifeline for low-income countries where vaccine access is limited, it will also help slow the emergence of new variants and enable progress towards vaccine equity. Read more
✅ Novavax pending approval. If authorized for emergency use authorization by the FDA, the Novavax vaccine would be the fourth COVID-19 vaccine available in the US. The vaccine was found to have vaccine efficacy of 90.4%, and had common side effects such as headache, nausea/vomiting, muscle and joint pain and tiredness. Already authorized for Emergency Use by the WHO and the European Medicines Agency, this vaccine utilizes protein subunit technology and presents an option for those unable to receive other COVID-19 vaccines. A trial for a booster dose is currently ongoing. Read more
🛫 Catalysing outbreaks. Our experience of the climate emergency isn’t just limited to feeling the heat. Warmer temperatures, increased humidities, and more frequent extreme events such as floods, are likely to also change one thing: an increase in the number of infectious disease outbreaks we will experience. For example, increased rainfall, storms and floods can lead to increase in bacteria-contaminated water and food. The same environmental changes can also alter the ways mosquitos breed and transmit infectious diseases such as dengue and malaria. Kenya and Ethiopia have already found a direct link between increased temperature and a rising number of malaria cases. Read more
The Beautiful Stuff
In this section, we share pieces at the intersection of science and art that have us obsessed.
🎨 Jill Bliss lives on and travels among the islands in the Salish Sea, home to interconnecting channels and waterways spanning British Columbia to Washington. Living amidst the thriving network of coastal waterways, Bliss creates artwork delicately pieced together from local plants, mushrooms and other items she can get her hands on.
🍄 Bliss’s vibrant arrangements of diverse mushroom species enthrals like no other. Arranged cap side down, Bliss unveils colourful secrets hidden behind these wild mushrooms’ gills in their stunning shades of orange, pinks and purple. Whoever thought that a bouquet of faerie fungi could be so radiant and delightful?
🌎 She is also well known for her collection of ecosystem illustrations- art where she spotlights a living creature and immerses it in a medley of life that contributes to its sustenance. Her compelling visuals have helped scientists and environmental organizations communicate the relationships between animals and their natural environments. If you’re interested in supporting her art, a portion of profits from her art are donated to local indigenous, environmental and social justice organizations.
🌊 A brilliant blue bloom. Photographed in August 2015 when this ancient type of marine bacteria species bloomed an area spanning beyond 100 square kilometres in the Baltic Sea. Although these creatures play a key role in this aquatic ecosystem, excessive growth can diminish oxygen levels in the water- causing dead zones. Visit NASA’s Earth Observatory for more images of the ocean coming alive with other types of phytoplankton, algae and seaweed.
🐤 Beaked masks and leather gloves. Why didn’t this outfit make a difference in fighting the bubonic plague back in the 17th century Europe? This mask had a nose “half a foot long, shaped like a beak, filled with perfume with only two holes, one on each side near the nostrils.” This “perfume” comprised of a combination of more than 55 herbs. Designed to protect doctors from the plague, this outfit reveals past beliefs about how diseases spread- through poisoned air that caused disruptions in a person’s bodily fluids.
👀 Peer into the eyes of scientists. Check out the award-winning entries in Olympus’ second Global Image of the Year Life Science Light Photography Microscopy Award. Microscopy images often pull back the curtains on the beauty of biological structures and processes- enabling us a close up view of life itself. Our favourite 2020 awardees include these snapshots of collagen fibres and dermal pigment cells from the embryonic skins scales of the African house snake.
🌴 20 years of deforestation in 20 seconds. What does two decades of forest loss in Southeast Asia look like? Home to half the world’s tropical mountain forests, the region has received the brunt of extensive logging and environmental destruction, putting at risk its rich biodiversity, rainforests and the world’s precious carbon stores. Watch the clip here.
The Personal Stuff
❤️ The Intern Corner
This week, we asked our team the question, “What do you value most in a friendship?”
Montana Mullins: “Loyalty, dependability, compassion, and a sense of humor!”
Miguel Borbon: “Trust, empathy, patience!”
Maria Victoria Dreher: “Trust, honesty, kindness and sense of humor!”
He Shiying: “Compassion, a sense of humor, and a strong sense of their own principles!”
What do you value most in a friendship? Hit reply and let us know!
That’s it for this issue!
If you’re new here, we’d love to have you as a subscriber.
If you enjoyed this piece, feel free to smash the heart button below! What was your favorite feature this week? Comment or hit reply to let us know!
👇