Great news, folks! Cosmodynamics is moving to Medium.
Check it out here, and don't forget to subscribe for more doses of sciencey goodness from the worlds of physics, astronomy, biology, and medicine. Cheers!
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Epidemiology at Home: On Keeping Our Infectious Diseases in Perspective
'Tis the season for medical sensationalism in the American news media. First there was the Enterovirus, or EV-D68. Soon thereafter, we witnessed the arrival of Ebola on American soil. Thanks to Ebola's notoriously high mortality rate and the devastation the virus has wrought in Africa, well-meaning public officials here in the U.S. took up a call to arms for their own citizens... and panicked. Despite the facts - first, that Ebola is very difficult to catch, requiring direct and intimate contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected an outwardly symptomatic person; and second, that medical infrastructure in an industrialized nation such as ours make it easier to successfully treat and heal an individual who does catch the virus - the general public here in America is still on edge. And, I will argue, understandably so. Ebola is a serious disease, as is EV-D68 in children with respiratory problems. But "fair and balanced" or not, mainstream news outlets are typically very good at only two things: getting clicks and generating panic.
The problem is not widespread fear over deadly infectious diseases. Instead, the problem is public perception of relative risk. Big names like Ebola and EV-D68 get a lot of press, while more low-profile, everyday diseases like Influenza end up with considerably less screen time. Meanwhile, every year our old friend Flu is responsible for millions of severe illnesses and hundreds of thousands of deaths across the globe - orders of magnitude more than Ebola and Enterovirus combined. And here's the kicker: Flu is preventable.
Flu differs from Ebola in a variety of ways, including its ease of transmission and its capacity to mutate quickly from season to season. Infected persons can transmit the disease to others up to a day or so before they begin showing symptoms. The Flu is transmitted by droplets of moisture that are expelled into the air when an infected person talks, laughs, coughs, or sneezes. Others can also pick up the disease by touching surfaces where these droplets have landed and then failing to wash their hands before wiping their nose, rubbing their eyes, or otherwise touching their face. Once inside the body, the Flu virus spreads to the respiratory tract and causes widespread inflammation, leading to the characteristic signs and symptoms within a matter of days. Usually, healthy individuals begin to feel better within a week or two; however, as with most infectious diseases, the very young, the very old, and the chronically sick or immunocompromised are the most at risk for complications from the illness. At its worst, Flu can cause exacerbation of underlying heart or lung conditions, severe pneumonia, or respiratory failure. In children, a high fever often accompanies infection with Flu and, if unchecked, can cause brief febrile seizures. Even those with an uncomplicated case of Flu can expect to feel chilly, fatigued, congested, achey, and feverish for a few days. Unfortunately, recovering from the virus once offers little protection against future Flu seasons.
Given the severity of this year's outbreak of both EV-D68 in the United States and Ebola in Africa, many concerned citizens are clamoring for the creation of protective vaccines against these diseases. Yet many of these same concerned citizens decline the Flu shot for themselves and their children, usually with one of the following explanations: "It will make me sick," "I got that one year and then I got the Flu anyway," or "Nah, it's just the Flu. I'll take my chances." Each of these statements is misguided. The Flu shot is made up of an inactivated virus, so it is incapable of making anyone sick. Even the Flu spray, which is a nasal mist version of the immunization that contains a drastically weakened version of the virus, is specifically designed to convey immunity without being strong enough to cause infection. While it is possible to contract a rare strain of the Flu even after getting the Flu shot or spray, this is uncommon. It is much more likely for an individual to catch a severe cold and mistake it for the Flu or catch the Flu itself during the vaccine's two-week immunity-building period. Lastly, the Flu is a severe illness, especially for those who are already at risk for getting sick.
So, if you are feeling troubled about the state of public health in the world today, I have one recommendation: Get your Flu shot. Although it may not completely allay your fears, checking this box off your to-do list will categorically decrease your chances of catching a potentially deadly infectious disease within the next few months. Not everyone in the world has access to that kind of protection, so use it to your advantage! Then, stay away from the blood of people who are infected with Ebola, and you will (probably) be 2 for 2.
The problem is not widespread fear over deadly infectious diseases. Instead, the problem is public perception of relative risk. Big names like Ebola and EV-D68 get a lot of press, while more low-profile, everyday diseases like Influenza end up with considerably less screen time. Meanwhile, every year our old friend Flu is responsible for millions of severe illnesses and hundreds of thousands of deaths across the globe - orders of magnitude more than Ebola and Enterovirus combined. And here's the kicker: Flu is preventable.
Flu differs from Ebola in a variety of ways, including its ease of transmission and its capacity to mutate quickly from season to season. Infected persons can transmit the disease to others up to a day or so before they begin showing symptoms. The Flu is transmitted by droplets of moisture that are expelled into the air when an infected person talks, laughs, coughs, or sneezes. Others can also pick up the disease by touching surfaces where these droplets have landed and then failing to wash their hands before wiping their nose, rubbing their eyes, or otherwise touching their face. Once inside the body, the Flu virus spreads to the respiratory tract and causes widespread inflammation, leading to the characteristic signs and symptoms within a matter of days. Usually, healthy individuals begin to feel better within a week or two; however, as with most infectious diseases, the very young, the very old, and the chronically sick or immunocompromised are the most at risk for complications from the illness. At its worst, Flu can cause exacerbation of underlying heart or lung conditions, severe pneumonia, or respiratory failure. In children, a high fever often accompanies infection with Flu and, if unchecked, can cause brief febrile seizures. Even those with an uncomplicated case of Flu can expect to feel chilly, fatigued, congested, achey, and feverish for a few days. Unfortunately, recovering from the virus once offers little protection against future Flu seasons.
Given the severity of this year's outbreak of both EV-D68 in the United States and Ebola in Africa, many concerned citizens are clamoring for the creation of protective vaccines against these diseases. Yet many of these same concerned citizens decline the Flu shot for themselves and their children, usually with one of the following explanations: "It will make me sick," "I got that one year and then I got the Flu anyway," or "Nah, it's just the Flu. I'll take my chances." Each of these statements is misguided. The Flu shot is made up of an inactivated virus, so it is incapable of making anyone sick. Even the Flu spray, which is a nasal mist version of the immunization that contains a drastically weakened version of the virus, is specifically designed to convey immunity without being strong enough to cause infection. While it is possible to contract a rare strain of the Flu even after getting the Flu shot or spray, this is uncommon. It is much more likely for an individual to catch a severe cold and mistake it for the Flu or catch the Flu itself during the vaccine's two-week immunity-building period. Lastly, the Flu is a severe illness, especially for those who are already at risk for getting sick.
So, if you are feeling troubled about the state of public health in the world today, I have one recommendation: Get your Flu shot. Although it may not completely allay your fears, checking this box off your to-do list will categorically decrease your chances of catching a potentially deadly infectious disease within the next few months. Not everyone in the world has access to that kind of protection, so use it to your advantage! Then, stay away from the blood of people who are infected with Ebola, and you will (probably) be 2 for 2.
Friday, November 14, 2014
2014 A Space Odyssey: Rosetta, Philae, and the Great #CometLanding
It is official. Humankind has successfully landed a man-made probe on a comet! On November 12th, the spacecraft Rosetta released its sister probe, a 100-kg payload named Philae, to a choreographed free-fall toward the surface of a rotating comet called 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The success of this launch is a testament to both the power of modern technology and the amazing scope of human ingenuity.
Let's recap. Rosetta and Philae spent the last decade hurtling toward a relatively tiny, moving target at a distance of almost 600 million kilometers, course-correcting four times thanks to the gravitational influence of both Earth and Mars, successfully rendezvousing with said comet, carrying out the prescribed launch sequence, free-falling for a nail-biting 7+ hours, and finally, actually touching down on the surface in the exact spot that had been planned. Philae's initial touchdown was unexpectedly brief, however, due to the failure of its harpoons to fire and anchor it to the surface. The probe bounced three times before submitting to the feeble gravitational influence of 67P; by this time, the comet had rotated in such a way that Philae ended up resting in the shadow of a cliff, kilometers away from its planned destination. Even with a successful nudge toward a brighter area, the probe's batteries will probably lack sufficient sunlight to maintain their charge and will likely run out of juice sometime on Saturday, November 15th. Battery failure could spell the end for Philae, but all is not lost! Scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA), the organization behind the mission itself, estimate that Rosetta's landing probe will have collected and transmitted 80-90% of its data by the time its batteries are completely drained.
So what kind of data is Philae collecting, and how will the Rosetta mission help us to understand our place in the Universe? First, Philae's ten scientific instruments will tell us more about the chemical composition of 67P at varying depths, as well as its temperature, density, and magnetic properties. Complex imaging equipment has already begun returning photographs of an alien surface humankind has never seen before. Secondly, the Rosetta spacecraft will continue to orbit the comet even after Philae ceases its transmission. Over the next year, the spacecraft will accompany 67P as it approaches perihelion, or the point in its orbit when it is closest to the sun. As the comet swings through the inner solar system, Rosetta will monitor and record its increased surface activity in order to better understand what happens when comets are heated by the sun's thermal energy. Together, both Rosetta and Philae will assist scientists in building a more accurate and comprehensive picture of the physics and chemistry of comets. These insights may go on to inform theories about the origin of water and/or life in our solar system, which often feature comets as central players.
Despite their prominent role in human legend, comets have actually remained fairly mysterious to astronomers throughout history; however, thanks to modern science, Philae and Rosetta are set to revolutionize our understanding of both these icy bodies and their potentially illuminating role regarding the evolution of our planet and wider solar system. Whether Philae will be brought to life again at some sunny time in the future or whether it will soon go to sleep forever, it has done a superb job epitomizing the human drive toward adventure and discovery.
Three cheers for Philae, and for these few truly monumental days in scientific history.
 |
One of Philae's first images of the surface of its new home, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
(Image: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA)
|
Let's recap. Rosetta and Philae spent the last decade hurtling toward a relatively tiny, moving target at a distance of almost 600 million kilometers, course-correcting four times thanks to the gravitational influence of both Earth and Mars, successfully rendezvousing with said comet, carrying out the prescribed launch sequence, free-falling for a nail-biting 7+ hours, and finally, actually touching down on the surface in the exact spot that had been planned. Philae's initial touchdown was unexpectedly brief, however, due to the failure of its harpoons to fire and anchor it to the surface. The probe bounced three times before submitting to the feeble gravitational influence of 67P; by this time, the comet had rotated in such a way that Philae ended up resting in the shadow of a cliff, kilometers away from its planned destination. Even with a successful nudge toward a brighter area, the probe's batteries will probably lack sufficient sunlight to maintain their charge and will likely run out of juice sometime on Saturday, November 15th. Battery failure could spell the end for Philae, but all is not lost! Scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA), the organization behind the mission itself, estimate that Rosetta's landing probe will have collected and transmitted 80-90% of its data by the time its batteries are completely drained.
So what kind of data is Philae collecting, and how will the Rosetta mission help us to understand our place in the Universe? First, Philae's ten scientific instruments will tell us more about the chemical composition of 67P at varying depths, as well as its temperature, density, and magnetic properties. Complex imaging equipment has already begun returning photographs of an alien surface humankind has never seen before. Secondly, the Rosetta spacecraft will continue to orbit the comet even after Philae ceases its transmission. Over the next year, the spacecraft will accompany 67P as it approaches perihelion, or the point in its orbit when it is closest to the sun. As the comet swings through the inner solar system, Rosetta will monitor and record its increased surface activity in order to better understand what happens when comets are heated by the sun's thermal energy. Together, both Rosetta and Philae will assist scientists in building a more accurate and comprehensive picture of the physics and chemistry of comets. These insights may go on to inform theories about the origin of water and/or life in our solar system, which often feature comets as central players.
Despite their prominent role in human legend, comets have actually remained fairly mysterious to astronomers throughout history; however, thanks to modern science, Philae and Rosetta are set to revolutionize our understanding of both these icy bodies and their potentially illuminating role regarding the evolution of our planet and wider solar system. Whether Philae will be brought to life again at some sunny time in the future or whether it will soon go to sleep forever, it has done a superb job epitomizing the human drive toward adventure and discovery.
Three cheers for Philae, and for these few truly monumental days in scientific history.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)