The Dose: The Bubble Gum Lake
Welcome to The Dose! If you haven’t already, subscribe to receive 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.
Booster myths debunked. Boosters are needed, particularly in the face of new variants. First of all, boosters, like primary vaccination, help to reduce the risk of infection, hospitalization and mortality. Second, a booster is able to confer protection that is more robust than natural immunity from a COVID-19 infection. Third, you should still get a booster shot even if you have received the initial vaccine doses. This is because vaccine-immunity declines over time, and a booster shot is able to further enhance immunity against severe outcomes for both the Delta and Omicron variants. Read More
COVID-19 and changes in brain structure. A UK study compared brain scans taken about three years ago versus now, among those who had COVID-19 infections and those who did not. The brain scans of those infected had showed greater tissue loss in specific regions of the brain involved in sensation and memory processing, as well as the regions responsible for decision-making. Those infected also performed worse on cognitive tests than those who did not.These observations were made for individuals with both mild and severe infections, implying that tissue loss and damage occurs regardless of disease severity. Read more
Suicide: a public health crisis. Suicide is the12th leading cause of death in the US. For every one suicide death, there are five hospitalizations associated with self-inflicted harm, 25 attempts at suicide and seven to ten family members whose lives are profoundly changed by the suicide loss. There is more to these statistics. Every year, 12 million adults have suicidal ideations, 3.5 million make plans to commit suicide and 1.4 million attempt it. If you ever need to reach out, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7. If you are struggling with mental illness, there are resources available. To combat suicide, we need to make effective and affordable mental health services more accessible to everyone. Read more
The Beautiful Stuff
In this section, we share pieces at the intersection of science and art that have us obsessed.
🎨 Shuntaro Yamada, the person behind the Stem Cells Art page, is obsessed with creating art beneath the microscope. Yamada uses a technique called immunofluorescence microscopy to inspire all that is fascinating and beautiful about cell biology. In this mesmerizing confluence of magenta streaks and starlight yellows, he sheds light on a cell’s ability to stop growing and lose their ability to divide into new cells under overcrowded conditions.
Trained as a dentist and with specific interests in advanced microscopy and histology, Yamada has turned passion into art. His eye for detail and thoughtful composition shows in his bewitching micrographs. Using his microscope as a medium for artistic expression, he combines the intricate art of color and composition with advanced technique to bring out the most delicate details of life.
He has developed the perfect immunofluorescence protocol for his cells, which he generously shared here. And his technique speaks for itself- his images are crisp and clear, and illuminated using the most invigorating fusion of colors and technique. Check out his shot of stem cells found in the intestinal crypt.
🌱 Not all cannabis is going to get you high. Can marijuana be used to treat diseases? Feast your eyes on this electrifying, compelling video clip that illuminates the differences between the compounds in weed that makes us high, versus the one that can be used to treat diseases like epilepsy. THC is the chemical in marijuana that makes you feel high, lightheaded, giddy, relaxed. But not all cannabis is going to make you high. Apart from THC, weed also contains another compound called CBD. This upbeat clip sheds light on two out of 500 different chemical compounds in marijuana that work together to give rise to its therapeutic effect. Watch the full documentary here.
🧠 Help map the brain, neurone by neurone. Want to contribute to a crowdsourcing event to map the brain? Try out Eyewire, a game developed by Seung Computational Neuroscience Lab at Princeton University that leverages on the ordinary citizen to help map the human brain. This is the game for anyone who is curious and enjoys solving puzzles. Players scroll levels up and down a cube and reconstruct neurones, and can gain achievement badges, chat with other players and unlock privileges as they level up. Among the game’s numerous accomplishments, the Eyewire community recently mapped 6 new cell types- a groundbreaking achievement. Try Eyewire
🔬 A high-definition glimpse into the cell. Check out this 40-second deep-dive of a 3-D cross sectional view of a human cell at work. This clip offers more than a snippet of the cell’s breathtaking complexity. View chromatin up close, as well as tiny protein-making factories (ribosomes) gliding across the surface of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Our favorites include the shimmery, jelly-like surface of the fluid contained within our cells, and the adorable cargo-carrying motor proteins that traverse our cellular super highway.
🍬 The bubble gum lake. What could be responsible for the mysterious shade of pink that colors Lake Hillier in Western Australia? You should know that Lake Hillier is just as salty as the Dead Sea. Having been a scientific mystery for years, it turns out that a group of bacteria, algae and viruses that can tolerate high levels of salt were responsible for the lake’s striking color. These creatures are also called halophiles, a group of microbes that can survive in environments that are salty enough to kill other microbes. A possible reason why halophiles are found to be shades of red, purple, and orange, is that these carotenoids may provide some protection against high levels of salt.
🥧 And just in case you missed it… happy Pi Day!
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!
👇