✔️ The A&P Professor Science & Education Updates - Issue #133

Flexible fibres with a high piezoelectric coefficient. Another discovery that may contribute to more wearable sensors.

I’ve long told my A&P students that before long, we’ll all be wearing cloths that monitor our body functions!

Most studies linking features in brain imaging to traits such as cognitive abilities are too small to be reliable, argues a controversial analysis.

Two doses of COVID vaccine cut the risk of infection and mild illness from the rising BA.2 subvariant, although protection wanes quickly.

Companies are marketing polygenic risk scores as part of IVF well ahead of a full understanding of the potential benefits — or dangers.

Canadian researchers identify a highly mutated variant of the virus in white-tailed deer and link it to a human COVID-19 case in the region—though they emphasize that the infection risk to people is low.

Oh deer!

The rapid development of highly effective vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was a monumental achievement, yet a large fraction of the public rejected this means of defense, resulting in far too many preventable deaths. This response reflects a shocking failure of science to produce citizens who understand and respect scientific evidence, and it demands a rethinking of science education goals.

I prefer to ask what gifts the land offers. Gifts require a giver, a being with agency. Gifts invite reciprocity. Gifts help form relationships.

This essay may inspire us to think about the human body, its structures, and its functions differently.

Dr. Judi Nath returns for another chat, this time about her new book about nutrients, foods, diet, and our relationships with what we eat.