Covid-19: ‘The Rise Of The RNA Vaccines’ (Podcast)

Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker and Elie Dolgin discuss RNA vaccines.

In this episode:

01:16 How RNA vaccines came to prominence

In less than a year, two RNA vaccines against COVID-19 were designed, tested and rolled out across the world. We discuss these vaccines’ pros and cons, how RNA technology lends itself to rapid vaccine development, and what this means for the fight against other diseases.

News feature: How COVID unlocked the power of RNA vaccines

09:20 The hurdles for trialling new COVID-19 vaccines

Multiple candidates for new COVID-19 vaccines are still being developed, which may offer advantages over the vaccines currently available. However, running placebo-controlled trials of these candidates is becoming increasingly difficult, so researchers are looking for different ways to evaluate them.

News: Search for better COVID vaccines confounded by existing rollouts

14:45 How long will COVID vaccines be effective?

There is much concern around the world about two faster-spreading variants of SARS-CoV-2. We get an update on whether these variants could render vaccines ineffective.

News: Could new COVID variants undermine vaccines? Labs scramble to find out

Views: ‘Greenland’s Arctic Landscape’ (4K UHD Video)

Greenland is the world’s largest island, located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Like the Faroe Islands, it is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Economics: ‘How Biden Will Handle $1.6 Trillion Student Loan Debt’ (Video)

More than 43 million Americans owe a collective $1.6 trillion in federal student loans. WSJ’s Josh Mitchell explains how President-elect Joe Biden plans to help borrowers tackle that debt. Photo illustration: Carlos Waters

Electric Vehicle: ‘Mobilize EZ-1 Prototype By Renault’

Groupe Renault has revealed a new two-seat urban mobility vehicle designed called the EZ1-Prototype, which recalls the Twizy and will be the first machine offered under its new Mobilize mobility brand.

The Mobilize business venture is intended to help lead Groupe Renault’s efforts to break into new mobility, energy and data-related services, which it anticipates will become increasingly profitable in future years. It will focus on developing both hardware – with a range of purpose-built vehicles – software and services, such as car charging, subscription and finance schemes.

Mobilize is developing four purpose-built machines that will focus on ride-sharing and last-mile delivery services. The first is the EZ-1 Prototype, which “exemplifies the goals of the Mobilize brand” by putting “service at the heart of vehicle design”. 

Designed as a shared-use urban mobility vehicle, it takes cues from mobility concepts previously shown by Groupe Renault but has been honed for real-world use. Users will be able to rent by time or distance on a pay-per-use basis.

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Travel: ‘Spain – Cities & Landscapes’ (8K Video)

Spain, a country on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula, includes 17 autonomous regions with diverse geography and cultures. Capital city Madrid is home to the Royal Palace and Prado museum, housing works by European masters. Segovia has a medieval castle (the Alcázar) and an intact Roman aqueduct. Catalonia’s capital, Barcelona, is defined by Antoni Gaudí’s whimsical modernist landmarks like the Sagrada Família church.

Art: ‘Masterpieces From Buckingham Palace – A Curator’s Tour’ (Video)

Join exhibition curators Desmond Shawe-Taylor and Isabella Manning as they tour the highlights of the exhibition ‘Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace’. With an introduction from Director of the Royal Collection Tim Knox.

The exhibition brings together some of the most important paintings in the Royal Collection from the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace. Usually on public view during the annual Summer Opening of the Palace, the paintings will be shown in The Queen’s Gallery while Reservicing works are carried out to protect the historic building for future generations. The Picture Gallery was originally designed by the architect John Nash for George IV to display his collection of Dutch, Flemish and Italian Old Master paintings. Artists represented in the exhibition include Titian, Guercino, Guido Reni, Vermeer, Rembrandt, van Dyck, Rubens, Jan Steen, Claude and Canaletto.

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Aerial Travel: ‘Riga – Capital Of Latvia’ (4K Video)

Riga, Latvia’s capital, is set on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the River Daugava. It’s considered a cultural center and is home to many museums and concert halls. The city is also known for its wooden buildings, art nouveau architecture and medieval Old Town. The pedestrian-only Old Town has many shops and restaurants and is home to busy Livu Square, with bars and nightclubs. 

Smartphones: Samsung’s ‘2021 Galaxy S21 5G’ (Video)

During Samsung’s January 2021 Unpacked event, the company unveiled its line of S21 phones, including the S21, the S21 Plus and the S21 Ultra.

Politics: Tunisia – 10 Years After The Uprising (Video)

#Tunisia​ on Thursday commemorates the 10th #anniversary​ since the flight into exile of iron-fisted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, pushed from power in a popular revolt that foreshadowed strife and civil war in the region, known as the #ArabSpring​. FRANCE 24’s Chris Moore tells us more.

Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa, covering 163,610 square kilometres. Its northernmost point, Cape Angela, is also the northernmost point on the African continent.