“Galactic Discoveries and Vaccines: Unveiling This Week’s Scientific Marvels!”

JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:

It’s now time for our roundup of science news from Short Wave, NPR’s science podcast. I’m accompanied by Jessica Yung and Emily Kwong. Hello, everyone.

JESSICA YUNG, BYLINE: Hello.

EMILY KWONG, BYLINE: Hi there.

SUMMERS: I’m aware that you have brought us three scientific stories that piqued your interest this week. What are they?

KWONG: Alright, we’re going to discuss how the duration of a vaccine’s effectiveness might be influenced by our bone marrow.

YUNG: Then we will explore the mathematics and science involved in Hula-Hooping.

KWONG: And we’ll take a sneak peek into the upcoming space missions for next year.

SUMMERS: Great, let’s begin with vaccines since it feels a bit germy out there, everyone. There’s quite a bit of flu and COVID circulating. I’m very grateful to be vaccinated.

KWONG: Absolutely. Vaccines are incredibly effective. They train your immune system to identify and combat pathogens. One way they accomplish this is by stimulating B cells to produce antibodies. You can think of antibodies as security personnel. For instance, the COVID mRNA vaccine elicits a significant antibody response that offers protection against infection for around three months and shields against severe illness for about six months. However, some vaccines provide immunity for years, even a lifetime.

SUMMERS: Lifelong protection, like that offered by the measles vaccine.

YUNG: Precisely, or the yellow fever vaccine—and this discrepancy prompted Professor Bali Pulendran from Stanford Medicine to ponder why some vaccines can maintain immunity for mere months, while others can last a lifetime?

BALI PULENDRAN: If we can grasp the immunological principles behind these effects, we could certainly leverage that knowledge to develop new vaccines, potentially synthetic ones that replicate the remarkable efficacy of the yellow fever vaccine.

YUNG: Through this fundamental research inquiry, Bali and his team at Stanford Medicine made a significant discovery concerning megakaryocytes.

SUMMERS: What exactly are those?

KWONG: Megakaryocytes—I’m now a fan of them. They are large, robust cells residing in our bone marrow and are responsible for producing platelets, which aid in blood clotting. However, these sizable cells may also play another role. It seems that megakaryocytes create an environment conducive for B cells that produce antibodies to persist for years, allowing the resulting antibody response to remain, somewhat like a protective environment for security personnel. This implies that vaccines that more effectively activate megakaryocytes could provide a longer-lasting immunity. Their discoveries were published this month in the journal Nature Immunology.

SUMMERS: I am curious. Is it possible for future vaccines to enlist these bone marrow cells to promote a longer-lasting vaccine?

KWONG: Yes, that’s a potential avenue, right? If megakaryocytes serve as indicators for gauging how effective a vaccine is, that information could be beneficial for doctors to determine when their patients might require a booster or for vaccine developers to project how long their vaccine may endure. Immunology specialists I consulted, including George Lewis from the University of Maryland and Deepta Bhattacharya from the University of Arizona, believe in its potential. More investigations are necessary, but viral outbreaks could become more prevalent in the future, and Bali is keen for us to be ready.

PULENDRAN: It’s not a matter of if the next pandemic will arise, but rather when the next pandemic will take place.

YUNG: Ultimately, Bali hopes this basic research will lead to better vaccines for everyone.

SUMMERS: Okay, that was rather serious. Let’s shift gears to something more cheerful, one of the purest forms of childhood delight—that is, Hula-Hooping.

KWONG: What a transition.

YUNG: (Laughter).

SUMMERS: Indeed. What are the physics behind keeping a Hula-Hoop rotating around our hips?

KWONG: So, this research began when Leif Ristroph, a mathematics professor at NYU, observed some Hula-Hoopers at a park in New York City. He questioned whether there were any mathematical studies explaining how Hula-Hoops counteract gravity and hover. Finding none, he, along with two of his students, embarked on an exploration to study this and also learn some Hula-Hooping themselves.

SUMMERS: This is pretty amusing. But how does one actually analyze this using mathematics?

YUNG: It involves extensive mathematical modeling and physics as well. They created small Hula-Hooping robots using 3D-printed representations of varying shapes. Some robots were cylindrical, others were conical, and some resembled hourglass shapes. They oscillated all of these forms with a tiny hoop just under six inches in diameter. These shapes were meant to depict a simplified, scaled-down version of a human engaging in Hula-Hooping.

KWONG: By observing the robot shapes and collecting data, Leif and his collaborators formulated several mathematical equations and published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

SUMMERS: I’m on the edge of my seat. Which shapes were most effective for Hula-Hooping?

KWONG: Well, any body shape can Hula-Hoop. However, some shapes certainly have an easier time keeping that Hula-Hoop up and in motion. The shape that seemed to perform the best was the hourglass form.

SUMMERS: Now I’m worried that people might conclude that if they don’t possess an hourglass figure, they won’t be able to Hula-Hoop.

YUNG: Absolutely, I had that concern too. However, the researchers indicated that one can simply provide the Hula-Hoop with more energy by moving their hips more rapidly—essentially increasing the frequency of that circular motion. Moreover, it’s clear that Hula-Hooping isn’t limited just to the waist; you can also Hula-Hoop around your neck, wrists, or ankles.

KWONG: David Hu, an applied mathematician who didn’t participate in this project, appreciates how this research aids individuals in improving their Hula-Hooping skills and believes it could present an excellent opportunity to merge PE and math classes for children.

SUMMERS: I’m really fond of that concept. Alright, to wrap things up, I am eager to hear about all the thrilling space news that I should anticipate this year.

KWONG: We owe our gratitude to our colleague Chandelis Duster, who compiled information on all the significant missions for 2025. There are numerous exciting ones on the horizon.

YUNG: Yes, they commence as early as this month. In January, two missions are slated to launch to the moon. One is designated as RESILIENCE Mission 2, and the other is named Blue Ghost.

SUMMERS: Fantastic names! What’s the story behind these missions?

KWONG: Both are commercial missions, meaning these space vehicles are crafted by private enterprises aiming for moon landings. It will be thrilling to witness if they achieve success. There has been a notable history of commercial lunar missions experiencing crashes or failures.

SUMMERS: I presume these are uncrewed missions?

KWONG: Yes, uncrewed—if they land successfully, these spacecraft will also gather some scientific data, such as lunar soil samples for analysis or capturing images of the lunar sunset. Additionally, the RESILIENCE Mission 2 will include food production experiments and deep space radiation measurement devices.

YUNG: And then, early in the year,

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer is set to launch in search of water on the moon for upcoming moonwalkers, likely for breaking down into hydrogen and oxygen to create rocket fuel on the lunar surface. Thus, this mission will be investigating the locations of water on the moon as well as its characteristics since there remains much that is still unknown. We will need to uncover significantly more about lunar water if forthcoming astronauts intend to utilize it for drinking and fuel.

SUMMERS: Very interesting. That’s an extensive amount of moon data for me…

YUNG: Absolutely.

SUMMERS: …To absorb. So…

KWONG: Exciting year for lunar exploration.

SUMMERS: Exciting year for lunar exploration. But enlighten us on what else is transpiring out there.

KWONG: Well, let’s see. Additionally, there are numerous updates we are likely to receive from ongoing expeditions, such as the Proba-3 Mission, which launched in December. It aims to study the corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere. The initial findings will likely be accessible within a few months.

YUNG: And of course, there’s the Europa Clipper. Short Wave actually covered its launch in October. This is the expedition that will be searching for signs of whether Jupiter’s moon, Europa, might support life. It is expected to arrive around 2030. However, this March, it will receive a slight energy boost when it swings by Mars, using the planet’s gravity to aid its acceleration towards Jupiter.

KWONG: It’s like it’s Hula-Hooping.

(LAUGHTER)

SUMMERS: That’s Emily Kwong and Jessica Yung from NPR’s science podcast, Short Wave. Subscribe now for new revelations, everyday enigmas, and the science behind the news. Thank you both.

YUNG: Thank you, Juana.

KWONG: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF POST MALONE SONG, “CHEMICAL”) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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