COVID vaccine: Where does freedom end and civic duty begin?

Instead of insisting that we remain "free from" government control, we should view taking vaccines and wearing masks as a "freedom to" be a moral citizen who protects the lives of others.

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  • Now that the vaccine is becoming widely available, why do so many insist on not taking it?
  • As different episodes in history have illustrated — including the building of an atomic bomb in the U.S. – true freedom is to choose to place the well-being of your family, community, and country above your own personal values.
  • We shouldn't confuse the privilege of choice with a threat to personal freedom. In threatening times, our best defense is to act together to the benefit of all.
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Nearly 3,000 shipping containers have fallen into the ocean since November

What's to blame for the recent uptick in containership accidents?

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  • At any given time, 6,000 containerships are moving the vast majority of global trade on the world's oceans.
  • The average number of annual containership accidents has been on a downtrend for the past decade, but accidents have become more common since the start of the pandemic.
  • One factor behind the recent rise in containership accidents could be rising demand for imported goods from U.S. consumers.
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Vaccines and the power of positive reinforcement

People may be more willing to get vaccinated when told how popular it is.

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Public health officials have issued plenty of warnings about people who are reluctant to get vaccinated for Covid-19.
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MIT study shows ultrasound vibrations may kill coronavirus

Ultrasound might be able to damage the novel coronavirus in the same way an opera singer's voice can shatter a wine glass.

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  • The researchers created computer models of the likely structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and then subjected those models to various ultrasound frequencies in a simulation.
  • The results showed that key parts of the virus ruptured at specific frequencies.
  • More research is needed, but the authors noted that the frequencies that damaged the virus fell within a range that's known to be safe to humans.
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Plastic pollution from face masks could devastate the environment

Masks are great, but what happens when we try to throw out a billion masks at once?

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  • A new study suggests that the huge numbers of disposable masks we're using may end up polluting the environment.
  • The materials used to make some of these masks may be especially disposed to break down into microplastic bits.
  • Once those plastic bits get into the environment they end up everywhere, including inside people.
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