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Uncertainty and Misinformation

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What is gene therapy? How is it different from vaccines?

Biology/Immunity Uncertainty and Misinformation Vaccines

A: Gene therapies treat diseases using genetic tools. They usually work by making lasting changes to your DNA — the genetic “cookbook” that provides instructions to make you. Vaccines, by contrast, deliver a short-lived signal (e.g. a burst of protein), then disappear. Vaccines and gene therapies both use customized genetic tools to achieve their goals. Read more…

Nerdy Girls’ Favorite Science News Sources

Uncertainty and Misinformation

Today we are taking #GoodNewsTues quite literally – sharing out the Nerdy Girls’ favorite science news sources! Please let us know YOUR faves in the comments! The Nerdies’ List: 🐐Gretchen: NPR’s Goats and Soda and Kaiser Health News Morning Briefing ☝️Malia: Al Tompkins’ Covering COVID-19 Newsletter (via Poynter) 📉 Jenn: John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) on Twitter Read more…

Dear Pandemic COVID Q&A

Uncertainty and Misinformation Vaccines Videos

It’s all your favorite nerds back for another live crossover event! Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist Dr. Emily Smith and Your local epidemiologist Dr. Katelyn Jetelina are joining Dear Pandemic’s Dr. Malia Jones to tackle questions about date night, the latest J&J news, and vaccine hesitancy among white evangelicals. ➡️ Welcome, Intros, and Chit Chat (0:00-1:00) ➡️ Read more…

It’s feeling like a particularly strange and confusing stage of the pandemic?! Yikes!

Mental Health Reopening Uncertainty and Misinformation

A: Indeed. Welcome to the #pandexit. Pandexit (n.) The final phase of a pandemic. The messy, halting, confusing labyrinth we must navigate to get from where we are to our new normal. Nerdy Girls Dr. Malia Jones and Dr. Christine Whelan, who are also colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, teamed up to define and Read more…

My uncle is knee-deep in COVID conspiracy theories. Any tips for respectfully engaging him?

Uncertainty and Misinformation

A: Experts recommend the SART strategy: Show empathy; Affirm critical thinking; avoid Ridicule; and invoke conspiracy theory “exiters” as Trusted messengers. And it never hurts to remember that as humans we need to feel heard before we can truly listen. Ah, conspiracy theories. We’ve all been exposed to them – wildly inaccurate hot-takes about COVID, Read more…

Since there have been deaths reported after people received vaccination, should I be concerned? I’m scared to take the vaccine.

Uncertainty and Misinformation Vaccines

A: No. In spite of sensational headlines, no deaths have been linked to receiving COVID-19 vaccination. And hundreds of millions of vaccines have been given. As of early March, more than 330 million vaccinations in over 120 countries have been given. In detailed investigative reporting of vaccine-related deaths around the world, DW (Deutsche Welle) a Read more…

What is the difference between Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and *approval* from the United States FDA?

Uncertainty and Misinformation Vaccines

A: In a nutshell, both require a careful scientific review of the potential benefits and harms of a new medical product, but EUA’s are used to expedite this review in an emergency situation like a pandemic. The full approval process for these vaccines will start when longer & more follow-up data from trial participants is Read more…

What exactly is in the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson-Janssen (and, what isn’t)?

Uncertainty and Misinformation Vaccines

A: The active ingredient in the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson-Janssen (also called the J&J vaccine) is a genetically modified version of a virus that normally causes the common cold. The vaccine also contains two ingredients to balance its pH, ethanol, two ingredients that keep it from getting clumpy, salt, and water. It does NOT Read more…