Links to articles for the general public (in print in the Elko Daily Free Press) covering Covid-19, cool science news, and some of my favorite concepts and people in science.
Covid-19, Viruses, and Vaccines:
Scientists + Ideas:
Science Concepts:
- Names carry power, even if they're not scientifically accurate. 4 Oct 2022
- We need to review the recent history of infectious diseases. 23 Aug 2022
- How polio vaccines, but not Covid-19 vaccines, can make others sick. 9 Aug 2022
- Batty immune systems. 28 June 2022
- Based on the podcast Batty immune systems produced with Keerthana Chetlapalli and Julia Ramseyer. Listen here. 🦇🦇🦇
- How do we know Covid-19 is not the same as the common flu? 14 June 2022
- Why now? A look at the timing of the monkeypox outbreak and the tools we have to stop it. 24 May 2022
- On theories of SARS-CoV-2 origins. 1 Feb 2022
- Is immunity from viral infection different than immunity from vaccination? 18 Jan 2022
- How do Covid-19 treatments (including the new Covid pills) work? 4 Jan 2022
- Are vaccines responsible for viral variants? 21 Dec 2021
- A lot to be thankful for -- a look at the impact of Covid-19 vaccines. 24 Nov 2021
- Should we worry about long-term side effects from the Covid-19 vaccines? 11 Sept 2021
- Battle two against Covid-19: why boosters can help. 28 Aug 2021
- What to know about the fourth wave. 14 Aug 2021
- How does a virus become more infectious? 31 July 2021
- Looking at the numbers: how to perform your own risk analysis. 17 July 2021.
- Reality checks- moving beyond skeptical thinking. 2 July 2021.
- To eradicate a virus. 18 June 2021
- Tools for Skeptical Thinking (for Covid, UFOs, and Beyond). 5 June 2021.
- For more on high altitude balloons and UFOs, check out this excerpt from Sagan's Demon Haunted World.
- Scientific Progress and Understanding Raw Data (during the Covid-19 pandemic). 22 May 2021
- In the War Against Covid-19, train your immune system to fight back. 8 May 2021
- What about the blood clots? 24 April 2021
- PCR and Covid-19 testing. 10 April 2021
- Vaccine vs Virus. 27 March 2021
- What is a virus variant? 9 Jan 2020
- About the covid-19 vaccine (part 2 of 2). 26 Dec 2020
- About the covid-19 vaccine (part 1 of 2). 18 Dec 2020
- A lot to be thankful for -- a look at how Covid19 vaccines work. 27 Nov 2020
- How does a vaccine protect you from the flu? A look at the immune system. 30 October 2020
- Hepatitis C Virus- a success story amid the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. 10 Oct 2020
- When will it end? A look at challenges and ways out of the Covid-19 pandemic. 26 Sept 2020
- A look at Covid-19 tests. 12 Sept 2020
- A question of scale: what can and cannot pass through a mask. 29 Aug 2020
- Why do the facts keep changing? A look at active research during the Covid-19 pandemic. 8 Aug 2020
- Asymptomatic carriers: another important reason to wear a mask. 25 July 2020
- Can herd-immunity protect us from Covid-19? 11 July 2020
- Viruses and masks. 26 June 2020
- Structural biology to the rescue -- the race for a Covid-19 treatment. 4 April 2020
- Bacterial vs viral infection -- Why there is no medication (yet) for Covid-19. 28 March 2020
- What is a virus? 20 March 2020
Scientists + Ideas:
- Women In STEM. 12 March 2021
- Perseverance and perception: important lessons from the search for life on Mars. 27 Feb 2021
- The Pale Blue Dot- Some perspective for current times. 14 Nov 2020
- A Tribute to Rosalind Franklin. 25 July 2014
Science Concepts:
- Massive microbes- when categories fail. 12 July 2022
- All within one cell. 21 Dec 2019
- The science of '23 and Me.' 29 Nov 2019
- A very plastic problem. 13 July 2019
- Proteins are universal too. 11 Aug 2018
- Universality in the molecular world. 4 Aug 2018
- Cellular compartmentalization. 21 July 2018
- Mitochondria: Beyond 'The Powerhouse of the Cell.' 23 June 2018
- The macromolecules of life. 2 Dec 2017
- The Inner Life of the Cell. 5 Aug 2017
What is a virus?
A book explaining viruses for families during the Covid-19 pandemic
Read it for free as a PDF here: https://whatisavirusbook.weebly.com/
Puedes leer nuestro libro gratis aquí en PDF: https://whatisavirusbook.weebly.com/iexclleelo.html
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, I was really frustrated to be stuck at home, and even more frustrated to realize that younger kids across the country were also stuck at home without completely knowing why. After spending free time trying to help friends and family understand viruses and how they make us sick, I realized this was an amazing chance to share some science with the general public. With the goal of helping both kids and their families learn more about the basic science behind viruses, Emily and I put together this book.
It is my firm belief that scientists that talk down to the public or children, saying what they do is too complicated to be understood or appreciated, do an extreme disservice to science and society. While I'm presenting virus basics (Virus 101, perhaps), nothing is overly simplified at the cost of truth. I think we all should be more open to realizing we don't know it all and get to experience that sense of wonder at learning new things. I hope you enjoy! If you have any ideas or feedback, please feel free to contact me! |