In 2021, mRNA vaccines played a major role in our lives, primarily due to their use in the COVID 19 vaccines that were implemented in May of that year. mRNA vaccines tell our body to create copies of viral proteins that are used by pathogens to hijack cells. In the case of the COVID 19 vaccine, the targeted protein is the SPIKE protein, which is used to bind to the ACE2 receptors of epithelial lung cells. However, despite minimal progress in the last 10 years, due to the pandemic, new discoveries are being made regarding mRNA technology for almost weekly, including potential use cases for other diseases, such as influenza and HIV.

Influenza: Our current flu vaccines inject a dead part of the virus into our bodies so that antibodies can be generated against it, but these vaccines have a low efficacy rate, usually hovering around 40-60%. However, in clinical trials done by Moderna, a mRNA flu vaccine is 5 to 25% more effective, and these vaccines could be implemented as soon as next year.

HIV: HIV is a disease that was previously thought to be uncurable, having spread like wildfire during the HIV epidemic in the early 21st century. However, mRNA vaccines are in the works for HIV, as these vaccines may be able to detect HIV, even at undetectable viral loads. Clinical trials are also currently underway to investigate the effectiveness of this vaccine.

Zika: The final disease on this list is Zika, which took the world by storm in 2016, when an outbreak occurred in West and Central Africa, with the primary symptom being birth defects in newborns with mothers affected by the disease. mRNA vaccines are being tested by Moderna, with clinical trials with 800 adults beginning this year.

To read more, click on this link: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mrna-vaccine-next-viruses-flu-hiv-zika

Recently, scientists have made a shocking discovery: a foam like substance that is able to dissolve chunks of the inner membrane of bacteria, killing them. Scientists have admitted that these amazing features have been overlooked for centuries, and they could be the key to many new treatments. A signal is sent out by immune cells to non-immune cells alerting them of infection, called an interferon. The interferon prepares the cells to fight incoming disease. However, a specific gene stood out in the skin cells, or epithelial cells, called APOL3. When removed, the Epithelial Cells succumbed to infection even after being warned by the interferon. Upon closer inspection, scientists saw that these cells were secreting a soapy, foamy substance that was dissolving bacterial membrane. Scientists were in awe about this discovery, as the substance could very easily dissolve host cells as well. However, the substance specifically targets lipids in bacteria, leaving host cells unharmed. This is a breakthrough in the immune response system, as most infections start from the epithelial cells, and understanding how they work is key to understanding the immune responses of the human body. To learn more, click on this link: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/human-cells-soap-substance-bacteria-immunity

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, more commonly known as HIV, is one of the most concerning viruses in the world, even to this day. Even after over 40 years of research, HIV still doesn’t have a vaccine nor a cure. Even with the potential cures, HIV inserts its genetic code into a T Cell, rendering that T cell undetectable to the rest of the body, hence creating a reservoir of HIV that can go undetected for over 10 years. Additionally, HIV has many different variants, which makes it very hard to develop a singular vaccine for it that can prevent all the variants. This article talks about all these details and even more. To learn more, click on this link: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/aids-hiv-vaccine-anniversary-immunity-antibodies

COVID 19 has devastated the world for over a year, but nobody in the scientific community still knows exactly how it originated. This article explores possible scenarios that could’ve led to the creation and discovery of COVID 19. One such scenario is a lab leak, as this is what played a major role in the rapid spread of the SARS throughout 2003 and 2004 in China. To learn more about the potential origins of COVID 19, click on this link: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-origins-questions-wuhan-lab-leak-nature

According to a recent study, teen depression has been linked to how the brain processes rewards. When the brain develops, the part of the brain that limits impulsive urges develops slower than other parts, causing depression and anxiety in teens. Therefore, a study was conducted, stating that teens would win money if they got a question right. However, teens with depression felt less happy when they got a question right and felt sadder when they got a question wrong. To learn more, visit this link: https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/teen-depression-sadness-brain-processes-rewards

Researchers from the BOREAS magazine have found that two of the world's most different creatures, the mammoth, and human, existed in harmony in New England 12,000 years ago. To learn more click on this link - http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/mount-holly-mammoth-09418.html

A Black Hole is an area in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that not even light can exist! Researchers have been trying to find black holes for years, and recently, they were able to discover one, called Cygnus. However, this black hole is much bigger than previously thought, being almost 150% larger.

Click on this link to find out+: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/first-black-hole-discovery-cygnus-massive

After almost 9 months, the Perseverance Mars rover has finally landed on the planet Mars. This is a huge breakthrough for our discovery of the red planet. We now are able to analyze if forms of life actually do live on Mars! The rover will start analyzing the Jezero Crater and start searching for signs of life there.

To learn more, click on this link (note: it may as you to enter an email, just enter a parent or guardians email) - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/nasa-perseverance-rover-has-just-landed-on-mars

The COVID 19 pandemic has ravaged the world throughout 2020 and into 2021. But, there is some good news on the horizon. After being vaccinated with both doses of the COVID 19 virus, one won’t have to quarantine anymore. However, there are some caveats to this system.

To learn more, click on this link - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cdc-guidelines-vaccinated-quarantine_n_60255816c5b6591becd72c19

Earlier this year, I had written about the one COVID 19 vaccine that had been approved by the FDA. However, that number has now increased to 4 - Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer, and NovaVax. Each vaccine uses a different kind of method to deliver immunity from COVID 19. For example, the new NovaVax vaccine uses a harmless piece of the spike protein to create antibodies against COVID 19.

To learn more, click on this link - https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/29/covid-vaccine-comparing-jnj-pfizer-moderna-novavax.html