Juana Summers

Yeah, vaccines are so powerful. They train your immune system to recognize and fight germs. And one of the ways they do so is by prompting your B cells to create antibodies. You can think of antibodies like security guards. So the COVID mRNA vaccine generates enough of an antibody response to protect against infection for three months and severe disease for six months.

But other vaccines offer years-long, even lifelong immunity.

But other vaccines offer years-long, even lifelong immunity.

But other vaccines offer years-long, even lifelong immunity.

What are those? Okay, megakaryocytes. I'm now a fan of them. They are these big, beefy cells chilling in our bone marrow, and they're responsible for making platelets, the things that help your blood clot. But these big cells may have another role. It appears that megakaryocytes create a hospitable environment for those antibody-producing B cells to survive for years.

What are those? Okay, megakaryocytes. I'm now a fan of them. They are these big, beefy cells chilling in our bone marrow, and they're responsible for making platelets, the things that help your blood clot. But these big cells may have another role. It appears that megakaryocytes create a hospitable environment for those antibody-producing B cells to survive for years.

What are those? Okay, megakaryocytes. I'm now a fan of them. They are these big, beefy cells chilling in our bone marrow, and they're responsible for making platelets, the things that help your blood clot. But these big cells may have another role. It appears that megakaryocytes create a hospitable environment for those antibody-producing B cells to survive for years.

and for the resulting antibody response to persist. Almost like a pro-security guard environment. And that means that vaccines that are better able to activate megakaryocytes should stimulate immunity for a longer period of time. The team published these findings in the journal Nature Immunology this month.

and for the resulting antibody response to persist. Almost like a pro-security guard environment. And that means that vaccines that are better able to activate megakaryocytes should stimulate immunity for a longer period of time. The team published these findings in the journal Nature Immunology this month.

and for the resulting antibody response to persist. Almost like a pro-security guard environment. And that means that vaccines that are better able to activate megakaryocytes should stimulate immunity for a longer period of time. The team published these findings in the journal Nature Immunology this month.

Yeah, that's one possibility, right? If megakaryocytes are some kind of bellwether for measuring how well a vaccine is doing, that's useful information for doctors to know when their patient may need a booster or for vaccine developers to estimate how long their vaccine might last.

Yeah, that's one possibility, right? If megakaryocytes are some kind of bellwether for measuring how well a vaccine is doing, that's useful information for doctors to know when their patient may need a booster or for vaccine developers to estimate how long their vaccine might last.

Yeah, that's one possibility, right? If megakaryocytes are some kind of bellwether for measuring how well a vaccine is doing, that's useful information for doctors to know when their patient may need a booster or for vaccine developers to estimate how long their vaccine might last.

Immunology experts I spoke to, including George Lewis at the University of Maryland and Deepta Bhattacharya at the University of Arizona, see the potential. More research is required, but viral outbreaks are more likely in the future, and Bali wants us to be prepared.

Immunology experts I spoke to, including George Lewis at the University of Maryland and Deepta Bhattacharya at the University of Arizona, see the potential. More research is required, but viral outbreaks are more likely in the future, and Bali wants us to be prepared.

Immunology experts I spoke to, including George Lewis at the University of Maryland and Deepta Bhattacharya at the University of Arizona, see the potential. More research is required, but viral outbreaks are more likely in the future, and Bali wants us to be prepared.

Okay, so this research began when Leif Ristroff, a math professor at NYU, was admiring some hula hoopers at a park in New York City. And he wondered if there were any mathematical studies showing how hula hoops counteract gravity and levitate. And seeing none, he and two of his students set out to study this and learn some hula hooping themselves.

Okay, so this research began when Leif Ristroff, a math professor at NYU, was admiring some hula hoopers at a park in New York City. And he wondered if there were any mathematical studies showing how hula hoops counteract gravity and levitate. And seeing none, he and two of his students set out to study this and learn some hula hooping themselves.

Okay, so this research began when Leif Ristroff, a math professor at NYU, was admiring some hula hoopers at a park in New York City. And he wondered if there were any mathematical studies showing how hula hoops counteract gravity and levitate. And seeing none, he and two of his students set out to study this and learn some hula hooping themselves.

And from watching the robot shapes and gathering data, Life and his collaborators developed a bunch of mathematical equations and published those findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.