SciFri producer Kathleen Davis talks with Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire, assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health to help answer our listeners’ top questions about the updated COVID-19 vaccines.This Q&A, which includes questions from our audience members, has been adapted from our interview with Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire. It has been edited for clarity and brevity.If I’ve already had COVID and it wasn’t so bad, why should I even bother with this new booster?There’s always a chance that COVID-19 will cause more than the sniffles, or that you could end up in the emergency room—especially for older people. Why take that chance when you have the option to go to your local CVS and, in many cases, get a free vaccine that has been proven to decrease your chances of more severe disease?My hope is that as time progresses, people become more comfortable with the idea of getting seasonal vaccinations for COVID-19 along with flu. Is the new COVID-19 vaccine one shot?Yes.Read the full Q&A at sciencefriday.com.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.
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Science Friday Folgen
Covering the outer reaches of space to the tiniest microbes in our bodies, Science Friday is the source for entertaining and educational stories about science, technology, and other cool stuff.
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1223 Folgen
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Folge vom 18.09.2024Your Questions About The Updated COVID Vaccines, Answered
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Folge vom 17.09.2024To Confront Climate Change, Imagine Getting It RightPart of the reason it’s difficult to talk about climate change is that it can be hard to see a long-term positive outcome for people and the planet. But Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist and co-founder of the Urban Ocean Lab, argues that to prevent the worst effects of climate change, we have to start by asking ourselves, what if we get it right?She’s the author of a new book with that same title, What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures. In the book, she poses that question to experts in oceans, farming, architecture, finance, and even Hollywood to find out what getting it right looks like in their own fields and what those solutions could look like for the rest of us.Read an excerpt from What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
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Folge vom 16.09.2024What Research Shows About Smartphone Bans In SchoolsKids and teens are back in school, and the battle over the smartphones in their pockets is becoming more prominent. For years, teachers and parents have lamented about the distractions these devices cause in and out of the classroom. Last year, the US surgeon general declared a youth mental health crisis, citing social media as a significant factor, and more than 40 US states are suing Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, arguing that the company intentionally manipulated their apps to addict teens and kids.A 2021 survey showed that 76% of US public schools prohibit cellphones. Seven states have implemented bans, and 14 more recently introduced similar legislation.To parents and educators, it might seem that phones and social media are bad for kids and bad for learning. But research shows that the reality is more complicated, with some suggesting that a blanket smartphone ban isn’t necessarily the solution.So what are the best ways to approach school phone bans? What do we know about the psychological effects of smartphones on kids and teens? And why does this research tend to defy simple answers?To answer these questions, guest host and SciFri producer Kathleen Davis is joined by Dr. Emily Weinstein, co-director of the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard University, and the author of Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing (And Adults Are Missing), and Sandy Roberts, education program manager at Science Friday and former middle school teacher.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
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Folge vom 13.09.2024First Citizen Spacewalk | First Successful Whole-Eye Transplant, Over A Year LaterSpaceX Crew Completes First Citizen SpacewalkBig news in the world of commercial space flight: On Thursday morning, Jared Iasaacman and Sarah Gillis, members of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission, became the first civilians to complete a spacewalk. The mission is a collaboration between Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Isaacman, a billionaire tech entrepreneur. While outside the spacecraft, the two crew members conducted mobility tests on their spacesuits.SciFri Producer Kathleen Davis talks with Jason Dinh, climate editor at Atmos Magazine about this and other top science news of the week including deadly cholera outbreaks, germs at 10,000 ft, and Japanese eels that can escape a fish stomach through their gills.The First Successful Whole-Eye Transplant, Over A Year LaterIn May of 2023, there was a massive advance in the world of organ transplantation: the first whole human eye and partial face transplant. The man at the center of this procedure is 46-year-old Aaron James, who sustained significant facial injuries from a high-voltage work accident.At the time, it was unclear just how successful the operation would be. Previous tests in animals had resulted in shrinkage of the transplanted eye, if not outright rejection. But now, more than a year after the transplant, a new paper in the journal JAMA outlines the success of this first-of-its-kind operation. While James cannot see out of his new eye, there is blood flow, normal pressure, and a retinal response to light.Guest host Kathleen Davis speaks with Dr. Daniel Ceradini, director of research at NYU Langone’s Department of Plastic Surgery and first author of the JAMA study. They discuss the implications this success could have for the future of eye surgery, and the dramatic improvements in James’ quality of life.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.