TWiV 666: A far-UVC light bulb went off for David Brenner

September 24, 2020

David Brenner joins TWiV to explain how far-UVC lights could provide protection from SARS-CoV-2 and other airborne viruses in public places, solutions to face mask fogging, transmission during airplane flights, and listener questions.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler and Brianne Barker

Guest: David Brenner

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Download TWiV 666 (78 MB .mp3, 129 min)
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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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11 comments on “TWiV 666: A far-UVC light bulb went off for David Brenner

  1. Keith Robinson Sep 24, 2020

    I am so glad that Dr. Brenner’s mice aren’t in the rat race–an eight hour work day with weekends off!

  2. Dennis Mathias Sep 24, 2020

    222 to 220 nm seems very narrow. How can you monitor the output of the LED such that you ensure no deviation just up 2 nm? Also, any comments on using an ionizer for decontamination. No shadows that way and it would get into the very narrowest of cavities. It is easily removed from the air (automatically since it breaks down quickly) in 30 minutes or so. I can’t get myself over the shadow problem. UV is strictly line of sight. Go under a tree and you will get no UV.

    • Jeffery Biss Sep 24, 2020

      Yes, your gum saved under the operating table is safe!

  3. Don Sieracki Sep 24, 2020

    Please include links to Kathy’s picks.

  4. Maria Comninou Sep 24, 2020

    The link to the letters read does not work. 9/24/20 11:30 am EST

  5. MIT is offering a freshman level course on SARS CoV-2 and Covid-19. It is available free at this link:
    https://biology.mit.edu/undergraduate/current-students/subject-offerings/covid-19-sars-cov-2-and-the-pandemic/

    The second lecture on the way a corona virus works by Dr. Brett Glaunsinger of UC Berkeley is at the perfect level for someone like myself with no background in biology. Amazing how the virus does its work within the infected cell.

    I am a mere Mathematician who worked as an engineer, so all of this new to me. I’ve been enjoying TWIV starting with #598. Wonderful stuff.

  6. Hi Masters of the TWIVerse,

    You keep me interested in things and I fully intend to start listening from the beginning. If you would only slow down. No, don’t do that.

    I went and got my flu shot today and they asked me if I wanted the information sheet. I said, “Sure, why not.” The first sentence on the sheet is Influenze vaccine can prevent influenza(flue).

    Pregnant pause for Vincent (pardon the informality) to reclaim composure.

    I told them, based on your TWIV 663, that the influenza vaccine was not a preventative but only symptom reducing. That fell on deaf ears. Oh, well, I know the answer.

    On the subject of mask nose covering, I have ordered a TWIV mask, that I will put into my rotation. I have two masks per vehicle that are left on the dash. The vehicles are parked outside, so are subject to dash sun when parked. I figure the heat, UV and alternating days is good for ‘sterility’.

    On one mask, I have marked NOSE CONDOM, as somewhere I heard the explanation that wearing a mask below the nose was like having sex with a condom on your scrotum(well, the derisive term)

    Thanks for all your good work,

    Rob

  7. Richard Cornell Oct 5, 2020

    Why is this number #666 is not listed as the other are in archive?
    This is a virus or disease that the handbook for a terrorist handbook on how to spread a plague in the US.
    Just look at the various types of computer virus being spread at any given time.
    Give flash drives or disc to children who take the virus infected flash drive home and put it into their computer and it will infect every computer in the house by the way of the home Ethernet tie ins .
    A biology type of virus give it to children who will spread it to each other, then to their parents who will take it into their work place. A terrorist could in theory slaughter a city like New York City in a very short time.
    Wait a minute, me think, is not that being done now when ever school has students who gather en-mass at parties not wearing masks.
    I could have gone down in history as a mass murder, now I have to share that with dozens of other unknowns.
    Wait! Halloween is coming up. There is hope for my part in history after all.
    Boo!

  8. Gene Wollaston Oct 13, 2020

    There was a study several months ago saying that Covid-19 virus could stay active on some surfaces for 72 hours. I saw a commentary that that experiment used very unrealistically high viral loads. Then the more recent study saying that viruses could stay active on surfaces for almost a month. A commentary about that experiment was that the virus was embedded in an artificial mucus, and if it had been a real (human) mucus, the virus would have lasted only hours/days.
    We are spending a lot of time/money on deep cleaning, using sometimes agents sprayed on surfaces that can actively kill virus for a week or whatever. We need the truth with realistic experiments so that we can use really appropriate cleaning techniques.
    As a PhD Chemical Engineer that did research, I know it is possible to construct experiments that get attention in the press. However those experiments are not always helpful.