Steministas

Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): What do we know?

The Coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2 as it is actually named, has in a matter of months killed over 1,170 people and sickened over 70,000 others with a pneumonia-like disease called COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). A lot of questions are being asked about how it can spread, what the research says and what this means for the rest of the world.
In this week's episode we talk about the basic biology behind SARs-CoV-2, we discuss recently published science about transmission dynamics, the reproduction value, incubation period and doubling time of the virus, and we end discussing China's response to the virus and the misplaced xenophobia people have during this time. 
SOURCES // 
Chinese woman study: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/paper-non-symptomatic-patient-transmitting-coronavirus-wrong
Reproduction value: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/01/how-fast-and-far-will-new-coronavirus-spread/605632/
Coronavirus background: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
Epidemiological study: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2001316#article_references
Coronavirus (animals to human transmission): https://www.wsj.com/articles/scientists-link-china-virus-to-intersection-of-humans-and-wildlife-11580997600
Travel: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/coronavirus-travel-advice/index.html 
Pandemic: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/02/health/coronavirus-pandemic-china.html?auth=login-google
Lockdown in China: https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/11/economy/china-coronavirus-returning-to-work-economy/index.html
Xenophobia: https://abc7news.com/5922670/
China cancels Lunar New Year: https://www.dw.com/en/china-cancels-lunar-new-year-events-over-deadly-virus-fears/a-52121516
Dr. Li, the whistleblower: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51403795
Map of where SARS-CoV-2 is: https://systems.jhu.edu/research/public-health/ncov/

What is a Genetics Dating App?

With DNA sequencing getting cheaper and cheaper more and more people are using services like 23andme and Ancestry.com to find out about their health and ancestry. What if there was a way to choose who you date based on your genetics? 
Harvard scientist, George Church, is working on this idea in his app, Digid8 which will pair people up based on the likelihood of them not having a child with a genetic disease. 
In this episode we do a refreshment on DNA sequencing, talk about the diseases this app is planning to screen for and get into the whole ethical situation and discuss if the term eugenics is appropriate for this idea of a genetics dating app. 
 
SOURCES //
60 minutes article 
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvard-geneticist-george-church-goal-to-protect-humans-from-viruses-genetic-diseases-and-aging-60-minutes-2019-12-08/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7d&linkId=78498957
Facts about the dating app
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614920/actual-facts-about-george-church-dna-dating-company-digid8/
FAQ questions that George answers 
http://arep.med.harvard.edu/gmc/gen_faq.html
Church lab ethics policies
http://arep.med.harvard.edu/gmc/ELSI_gc.html
Points of view that the app is promoting eugenics 
https://gizmodo.com/jeffrey-epstein-funded-geneticist-is-building-a-dating-1840315470
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/43kkmq/a-genetic-dating-app-is-a-horrifying-thing-that-shouldnt-exist

Are E-cigarettes safe? 2.0

E-cigarettes are sweeping the nation with their ease of use and claims that vaping is better than smoking. Recently, there have been many E-cig related deaths. In this video we delve into the research behind Vitamin E acetate in E-cigs.
Main source:https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6845e2.htm?s_cid=mm6845e2_w

What are CRISPR babies 3.0?

Over a year ago, Chinese scientist Dr. He Jianku announced the birth of the first two genetically modified human babies. Now, we return to this story with new discoveries about the details of the study and the fate of the senior scientist. Main article:https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614764/chinas-crispr-babies-read-exclusive-excerpts-he-jiankui-paper/

What are Brain Organoids?

In this episode, we discuss brain organoids (sometimes called mini-brains) - what are they, what can we do with them, and what are the ethical dilemmas that arise with this kind of technology? Main source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/oct/21/scientists-may-have-crossed-ethical-line-in-growing-human-brains

Should you do a birth control cleanse?

Birth control cleanses have become all the rage recently due to Instagram Influencers promoting it to women who are struggling with infertility. In this week's episode we research this cleanse, its ingredients and how birth control works in general. 
Main article: http://www.thepipettepen.com/unpackaging-hormonal-birth-control-facts-not-facts/

Are US Dairy Cows becoming too inbred?

Have you ever wondered where your daily glass of milk came from? Here we discuss the state of US Dairy cows - and the current inbreeding practices taking place. Should we be concerned about this? Have a listen to find out! Main article:https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/10/17/770696476/most-u-s-dairy-cows-are-descended-from-just-2-bulls-thats-not-good

Does Vitamin D prevent the flu?

With flu season upon us everyone is trying to figure out ways to avoid getting the flu. Recently, Vitamin D has been suggested to prevent the flu more than the flu shot. In this video we dive into this claim and investigate some primary literature to determine Vitamin D's effect on the flu.

Who are the Steministas? Pt 2

Emma and Rachel are the Steministas! In this episode, we'll be discussing the science that we do in our labs at UNC! We will tell you about how we got interested in science, why we decided to go to graduate school, and what we research. You can follow us on Instragram @steministas, Twitter @steministasunc, and Facebook @Steministas

Who are the Steministas?

Emma and Rachel are the Steministas! Our goal is to educate the public about science in the news by diving into the primary literature behind news articles.
In this week's episode we talk about the purpose of Steministas, how we approach reading primary literature and why we chose to migrate from YouTube to the podcasting sphere.
Follow us over on Instagram @steministas, Twitter @steministasunc and Facebook @Steministas!