SciShow
Should You Get Multiple Shots in the Same Arm?
When you get two doses of a vaccine, you might assume that it doesn't matter which arm gets the shots. But some evidence suggests that it does.
SciShow
Have an Autoimmune Disease? Blame the Black Death
The bubonic plague killed so many people in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa that that natural selection event is still rippling through our genomes today. But the same genes that helped your ancestors survive the Black Death...
PBS
Did An Ancient Pathogen Reshape Our Cells?
There is one - and only one - group of mammals that doesn’t have alpha-gal: the catarrhine primates, which are the monkeys of Africa and Asia, the apes, and us.
SciShow
We May Have a COVID Vaccine in 2021, But Not Without Taking Risks
Right now, experts say a vaccine for COVID-19 is a year or more away. But as far away as it sounds, it’s only within the realm of possibility because scientists are speeding up the vaccine development process in surprising ways.
SciShow
Bivalves Could Be the New Lab Rats
Bivalves—animals like mussels, clams and oysters—might be a more familiar sight in a restaurant than a lab. But it turns out that studying them might help us learn more about our own health.
SciShow
6 Sleeper-Agent Pathogens That Can Make You Sick
Your body usually does a great job defending you from all kinds of viruses, fungi, and bacteria. However, there are some pathogens out there that can hide from your immune system and stay dormant in your body, waiting for their...
SciShow
What If Your Arm Falls Off Right After a Vaccine?
If you lost your arm almost immediately after being vaccinated, would you still be vaccinated?
SciShow
Why It Actually Took 50 Years to Make COVID mRNA Vaccines
The FDA recently approved two mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, but it was a challenge to make this type of vaccine work. And it took decades of research to get us to the point where scientists could make those vaccines as quickly as they did.
SciShow
Viroids: Possibly the Smallest Pathogens on Earth
Potato spindle tuber disease wasn't a life-or-death situation, but it led to the discovery of viroids: infectious, replicating bits of RNA
SciShow
The Impact of Diseases | Disease Ecology Explained
Guest Dr. Angie Luis is here to tell Hank about what happens when wildlife spreads diseases to humans—as we know from history, it can get ugly. Joining them is Jessi, who brings some wildlife that's totally unproblematic! Learn more with...
SciShow
Bioprecipitation: How Bacteria Makes Snow
Raindrops and snowflakes generally start to form around something else in the air, like a speck of dust, but sometimes that something else is bacteria.
Crash Course
How Does Disease Move? Crash Course Geography
From outbreaks of measles in the United States and cholera in Haiti to patterns of lead poisoning near gold mines in Nigeria, medical geographers play an important role in tracking disease in the landscape. Today, we're going to look at...
SciShow
How Studying Bacteria Almost Kept Us From Discovering the Flu
Today we know pathogens -- viruses, bacteria, and certain other microbes -- are responsible for many diseases. But linking specific diseases to the microbes that cause them has been surprisingly tricky, and some research practices lead...
MinuteEarth
Where Do Our Drugs Come From?
The incredible chemical weapon-making abilities of fungi, bacteria, and plants have created a diverse array of compounds that are useful to humans.
TED Talks
Melissa Garren: The sea we've hardly seen
An average teaspoon of ocean water contains five million bacteria and fifty million viruses -- and yet we are just starting to discover how these "invisible engineers" control our ocean's chemistry. At TEDxMonterey, Melissa Garren sheds...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The past, present and future of the bubonic plague - Sharon N. DeWitte
The bubonic plague, which killed around 1/5 of the world's population in the 14th century, is still around today -- but it now claims only a few thousand lives each year. How did that number shrink so drastically? Sharon N. DeWitte...
SciShow
How Do mRNA Vaccines Work?
Two of the vaccines we have for COVID-19 have the distinction of being the first mRNA vaccines to see widespread use in humans. But how do they work, and how are they different from the litany of immunizations you probably got as a kid?
Crash Course
Your Immune System: Natural Born Killer - Crash Course Biology
Hank tells us about the team of deadly ninja assassins that is tasked with protecting our bodies from all the bad guys that want to kill us - also known as our immune system.
SciShow
6 Ways Animals Prevent Epidemics
Humans aren’t the only ones who have to worry about epidemics: meet six other animals who take their own precautions to avoid getting sick! Chapters pathogens 0:40 vectors 1:15 VECTOR AVOIDANCE: BLUEBIRDS 2:19 social immunity 3:35...
Crash Course
How Can Cooperation End an Outbreak? Crash Course Outbreak Science
In 1959, the WHO set out to eradicate smallpox, an ambitious goal that was achieved by 1980. But this goal wouldn't have been possible without coordination on all levels of society. In this episode of Crash Course Outbreak Science, we'll...
SciShow
How African Dust Feeds Florida's Crops
Massive amounts of dust manage to travel all the way across the ocean, creating some powerful and surprising global effects!
SciShow
Why Only Some Vaccines Need Booster Shots
Vaccines teach your immune system to recognize pathogens, but sometimes your body needs a bit of a reminder.
SciShow
Bivalves Could Be the New Lab Rats
Bivalves—animals like mussels, clams and oysters—might be a more familiar sight in a restaurant than a lab. But it turns out that studying them might help us learn more about our own health.
SciShow
Second COVID Vaccine Shot Side Effects
As Covid-19 vaccines make it into more and more people's arms, you may be hearing that the second dose can be a little rough. But, while it may be unpleasant, these intense side-effects are actually a sign that the vaccines are working....