Jeff writes:
I got started with your podcast during COVID. Really great, enjoy it very much. The TWIV team does an excellent job explaining virology/biology in terms that those of us without degrees in the field can understand. I also appreciate your taking on the misinformation out there.
Do please remember when your guests use terms of art, to either ask or clarify for those of us who are learning. You often do, but sometimes not. Don’t stop using the terms of art, or stop your guests from using them – I really appreciate learning the language of virology, and find it useful when I’m trying to understand papers I try to read.
Also, be aware that some of your listeners (such as myself) have hearing issues. I enjoyed episode 1163, but, as I was listening while exercising, had some issues, as I couldn’t look up the show notes. I cannot tell the difference between the sound of “b” and the sound of “p” due to hearing loss. I was originally at a loss as to whether the show was about HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) or HBV (Hepatitis B Virus). I did figure it out when one guest finally spelled it out, but would suggest that the first time an such a use of initials happens, spell out what it means. It would really help a lot with confusion, at least on my part.
Enough with the gentle requests – some suggestions on two specific episodes:
On episode 1149, your guest Mary Estes (great guest, lots of good information) commented about mosquitos, and wanted animals to eat them near her home. We lived in an area that had mosquitos, and we had bats around. They did a great job on the mosquitos.
On episode 1157, you talked about viruses and super worms. I was amazed that you didn’t talk about the classic tests of super creatures: Were they faster than a speeding bullet? More powerful than a locomotive? Able to leap a tall building in a single bound? Enquiring minds want to know.
More seriously, I would like to ask TWIV’s collective opinion on a paper I heard about on NPR (https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/08/08/nx-s1-5068027/mis-c-covid-children-icu) about a paper (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07722-4) indicating that MIS-C may be caused (or so I took away) by the person’s immune system reacting to a part of the virus that resembles the person’s own system, thus causing (I assume) their body to start rejecting itself. While I read the paper, I’m not qualified to comment on it. I’d appreciate your views on this. Is this what is happening? And if so, how often does this kind of thing happen with viral infections? Is it unique to COVID? Could it explain “long flu” and other such long-term disabling infections? Is it just children, or is it something that happens in adults too? Do the fact that vaccines cause antibodies to the spike protein help reduce the chances of a vaccinated person’s body reacting to other parts of the virus?
I also have a suggestion for a guest. Another person I started following during the COVID pandemic was Derek Lowe, who writes “In the Pipeline” https://www.science.org/blogs/pipeline He’s on the drug side of the medical industry, but also provides clear descriptions of what he’s talking about. Have you considered having him a guest on TWIV? I think it would be interesting to see the view from both the virologist side and the medicine production side regarding vaccines & treatments.
Finally, some recommendations for viewing – the YouTube channels of Brady Harran, a video journalist specializing in science education. He’s good enough to have been honored with a Member of the Order of Australia for his work. He has many channels, but I’ll mention three. First is the channel that got me started – The Periodic Table of Videos, about the elements and chemistry. The principal speaker is Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff, who was knighted for not only his work on green chemistry, but his work on science education – possibly the first time YouTube has been mentioned in an honors citation (Page 12). Second is Numberphile, about the universe of math. Finally, my favorite, Objectivity, mainly about the collections in the library and storage of the Royal Society. I especially enjoy the “white gloves of destiny” episodes, where someone pulls two random cards from the Royal Society archives catalog and they build the episode around them.
/vr/
Jeff
TWiV 815: MIS-C with Moshe Arditi and Ivet Bahar
John writes:
Drs. TWiV,
Re. the spectre of RFK Jr. looming, I’ve come across a few things recently that might be useful for people to have at hand.
This mass grave site of 1918 Flu victims, showed up in my FB feed and might be useful to have on hand if RFK Jr. and his loons gain traction:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=795812364991017
(Click View Post to see the rest of the present-day pix.)
More about it here: https://www.butlereagle.com/20230314/pandemic-of-the-past-spanish-flu-victims-rest-in-winfield-twp-grave/
Apparently it’s not the only such historical marker in the country, either, so while you can read about the enormous number of victims, places like this may make it a little more real.
And then there are all the other documented pandemics going back ~2400yrs, nicely summarized here.
https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/pandemics-timeline
It makes me wonder, as I have in the past, how many civilizations that seemingly vanished were the result of some virus. Did the more purebred Neandertals go out that way?
(And NB to RFK Jr.: Until some point in the 1900s, everything everyone ate was organic.)
Otherwise, since several of you are in Jersey, I suppose you saw in the WaPo that Jersey is way low in % of water supplies that are fluoridated – 16%. How is that possible?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/interactive/2024/fluoride-water-mandates
Related to that, I got curious why stannous fluoride is used in toothpaste. What’s so special about the tin ion? I figured that it must be sparingly soluble as a preventive vs. overloading, but it turns out that stannous ions have antibacterial activity and so it’s good vs. periodontal disease / gingivitis. Who knew? My colleague in infectious diseases didn’t. I haven’t asked my dentist yet.
And now that we’re post-Solstice, Greater Braddock is trending milder, even with some sunlight today. Tomorrow gets even a bit warmer, up to 50, and 60 in a couple days after that, before crashing back on New Year’s.
Best wishes,
John
Tobias writes:
Hi TWIV,
Love the podcast, I’ve been listening to you since the first year of my bachelor’s in 2020 and you have, in part, inspired me to pursue a career in virology.
One fear of vaccines I occasionally hear among family and friends is that they can cause autoimmune disease. However with the advent of the hygiene hypothesis, I have long wondered if the opposite may not be true: that vaccines educate our immune system in a positive way to potentially protect against autoimmune disease. What evidence is there for vaccines causing or protecting against autoimmune disease?
Best wishes,
Tobias Spliid Hansen
MSc student at University of Copenhagen
Anne writes:
Hello Drs. of TWiV,
I can’t imagine getting five feet of snow in one day!
But it reminded me of snow piles I’ve seen while living in Japan. Although I never saw 65-foot snow drifts (as shown in the photos), I did see 8-9 foot snowbanks when I went skiing in Niigata. Niigata is on the western coast of Japan.
https://izismile.com/2012/03/24/japans_65foot_towering_snow_walls_8_pics.html
Enjoy,
Anne