Dark energy, or the possible lack thereof, grabbed a lot of headlines at the end of the year. However, it sounds like rumors of its demise are probably premature. This is a pattern in science, especially science journalism and popular science. An alternative to the consensus, previously only known within its field, comes to wider attention and causes a stir. The alternative idea seems to make sense to a lay audience because it is presented only in the context of the data that best match that idea. But the experts know … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Not All Vaccines are Created Equal
vaccination
Science Corner: Two for Me, One for You
Last week, I discussed what happens after a herd immunity threshold is reached, an aspect I had not seen widely talked about. Continuing in that vein, let's talk about COVID-19 boosters. Vaccines are valuable both as personal medical interventions and as public health interventions. Those roles overlap, but not completely. Articles like this one do a good job discussing the evidence for why boosters are being considered, and framing their value from a personal medical perspective. However, my sense is that the biggest … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Two for Me, One for You
Science Corner: Good Vaccine News from Another Vector
We've had to talk a lot about coronavirus vaccines in the past year, both here and elsewhere. But there are other infectious diseases in the world, and other vaccines being developed to prevent their spread. One of the bigger challenges, both in terms of numbers of infections and difficulty in developing a vaccine, is malaria. A variety of malaria vaccine approaches have been proposed and developed. The best result to date was a finding of 55% efficacy in a large scale trial, meaning vaccinated individuals were a little … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Good Vaccine News from Another Vector
Vaccine Communication: Strategies for Hope and Restoration
Over the past weeks, the Emerging Scholars Network has been addressing the concerns a number of people have about receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccines. Our previous posts have included an article provided by the Centers for Disease Control and two posts (Immunization is a Team Sport and Slowing Down to Build Trust) by our Science Corner writer, Andy Walsh. In both of Andy's articles, he offers an invitation to virtual office hours on weekdays from 4-5 pm ET, if you'd like to discuss some of your questions more … [Read more...] about Vaccine Communication: Strategies for Hope and Restoration
Science Corner: Slowing Down to Build Trust
The votes are in, the bracket is complete, and we have a most pressing science & faith question: How much should science inform religious practice? If I thought my seedings had any meaning, this would be a Cinderella story, the lowest seed in the Theology & Religion going on to take it all. Now that the results are known, I'll work on getting you some answers to the last quartet of questions, so stay tuned for those. In the mean time, I had planned on bringing you some science news about honeybee communication. But in … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Slowing Down to Build Trust