On Episode #10, here are the main topics:

1. The 2020 Nobel prize in Chemistry was awarded for the discovery of a genetic engineering technique. With all its benefits, the technique has some seriously concerned about its ethical implications.

2. Studies suggest that coronavirus could lead to neurological illnesses

3. New research reveals why coronavirus that once lived harmlessly in bats and other wildlife – has become uncontrollable once it jumped the species barrier and entered humans.

References

Doudna, J. A., & Charpentier, E. (2014). The new frontier of genome engineering with CRISPR-Cas9. Science, 346(6213).

Frontera, J. A., Sabadia, S., Lalchan, R., Fang, T., Flusty, B., Millar-Vernetti, P., ... & Morgan, N. (2020). A Prospective Study of Neurologic Disorders in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in New York City. Neurology.

Alejandro Berrio, Valerie Gartner, Gregory A. Wray. Positive selection within the genomes of SARS-CoV-2 and other Coronaviruses independent of impact on protein function. PeerJ, 2020; 8: e10234 

On Episode#9, we discuss:

1. NASA launches a 23m titanium toilet headed to the International Space Station

2. The 2020 Nobel prize for Medicine awarded for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus

3. What does the wastewater in Stockholm, Sweden tell about the uptick in coronavirus cases? 

2. Law, John Lok Man, et al. "A hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine comprising envelope glycoproteins gpE1/gpE2 derived from a single isolate elicits broad cross-genotype neutralizing antibodies in humans." PloS one 8.3 (2013): e59776. 

3. Lundkvist, Åke, Stefan Hanson, and Björn Olsen. "Pronounced difference in Covid-19 antibody prevalence indicates cluster transmission in Stockholm, Sweden." Infection ecology & epidemiology 10.1 (2020): 1806505.

On Episode#8, we talk about COVID vaccine updates, and Mega-Fires across the US

1. One candidate vaccine fore COVID-19 showed possible neurological sideeffects. What does this mean for the other vaccines in the pipeline currently in Phase 3?

2 New research explores the reason for the mega-wildfires that has moved across western United Sates.. and what it says about future extreme events moving further throughout the country over time.

References

Keech, C., Phase 1–2 Trial of a SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Spike Protein Nanoparticle Vaccine, NEJM, 2020 

Alizadeh, M., et al, A century of observations reveals increasing likelihood of continental-scale compound dry-hot extremes, Science Advances 2020

Jia, Shenyue, et al. "Patterns of population displacement during mega-fires in California detected using Facebook Disaster Maps." Environmental Research Letters (2020).

Burke, Marshall, et al. The Changing Risk and Burden of Wildfire in the US. No. w27423. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2020.