Benjamín Labatut's book “When We Cease to Understand the World” considers the fine line between the brilliance and darkness of human advancement. https://t.co/L8jd6W05b1
— New York Times Books (@nytimesbooks) September 24, 2021
Category Archives: Science
Front Covers: Science News Magazine – SEP 25
Science & Medicine: Story Behind The mRNA Vaccines
As mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines are deployed to protect hundreds of millions of people across the world from the deadly global pandemic, the University of Pennsylvania scientists whose research breakthroughs laid the foundation for swift vaccine development have been awarded the 2021 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award. Here, mRNA vaccine pioneers Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, and Katalin Karikó, PhD, share the story behind their development of this groundbreaking technology, and what it means for the future of medicine.
Front Covers: Science Magazine – September 24
Previews: New Scientist Magazine – September 25
Science: Floating ‘Seed’ Sensors, Human Walking Pace, Genome Editing
How tiny seed-like sensors could monitor the environment, and the latest from the Nature Briefing.
In this episode:
00:45 Spinning seeds inspire floating electronics
Researchers have developed miniature electronic-chips with wings that fall like seeds, which could be a new way to monitor the environment.
Research article: Kim et al.
Video: Seed-inspired spinners ride the wind and monitor the atmosphere
06:02 Research Highlights
How humans can adjust to an energy-efficient walking pace almost without thinking, and the viral shell that excels at delivering genome-editing tools.
Research Highlight: Humans walk efficiently even with their heads in the clouds
Research Highlight: A CRISPR fix for muscles hatches from a viral shell
08:34 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the mystery of the Sun’s super-hot corona, and the latest efforts to toilet-train cows.
Physics World: The enduring mystery of the solar corona
The Guardian: Cows ‘potty-trained’ in experiment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Front Covers: Science Magazine – September 17
Front Covers: Scientific American – October 2021
Science: Potty-Trained Cows, Massive Sardines Run Off South Africa
Online News Editor David Grimm joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about the health and environmental benefits of potty training cows.
Next, Peter Teske, a professor in the department of zoology at the University of Johannesburg, joins us to talk about his Science Advances paper on origins of the sardine run—a massive annual fish migration off the coast of South Africa.

