Science Translators (@scitranslators) profile picture

Science Translators

@scitranslators

2 sisters on a mission to make science easier to understand. Jess is a bioengineering PhD student at Caltech, Kate is an art director at an ad agency.

Joined July 2020
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Even though this cave looks like it might be found on Pandora, these are glow worms in New Zealand! Fun fact- James Cameron and his team studied bioluminescence and used it as inspiration for elements in the Avatar movies - the dinoflagellates in particular (1/10)
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Bioluminescence is light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism–a luciferin being oxidized by a luciferase, that causes the organism to glow. Though bioluminescence has independently evolved over 40 times in life on earth, the chemical reaction has remained similar, meaning in these organisms glowing has a clear advantage over not glowing because of natural selection (especially in marine ecosystems).

ALT Bioluminescence is light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism–a luciferin being oxidized by a luciferase, that causes the organism to glow. Though bioluminescence has independently evolved over 40 times in life on earth, the chemical reaction has remained similar, meaning in these organisms glowing has a clear advantage over not glowing because of natural selection (especially in marine ecosystems).

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We are not alone in our bodies-we have a multitude of beneficial microbes living on & within us, including in our gut. The gut microbiome is vital - it impacts our immune system, mental health, heart health, and much more. (1/10)
What is the gut microbiome?

ALT What is the gut microbiome?

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What else would you like to learn about the gut microbiome? Comment with questions below or send us a DM! We’ll make sure to cover as much as we can in future posts ✨ (2/10)
The human gut microbiome is the collection of trillions of beneficial microbes that live within the 25-30 foot length of the gastrointestinal tract. The majority of microbes in the microbiome are bacteria (~99%), but also include fungi, viruses, and other tiny life forms.

ALT The human gut microbiome is the collection of trillions of beneficial microbes that live within the 25-30 foot length of the gastrointestinal tract. The majority of microbes in the microbiome are bacteria (~99%), but also include fungi, viruses, and other tiny life forms.

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We know there are a lot of concerns about vaccines out there and we want to help. This particular post addresses how vaccines do not cause long-term health effects and also includes info about possible short-term side effects. (1/9)
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We understand the desire to protect loved ones from any risk of harm and we want to assure you that vaccines are very safe. The only long-term implication of vaccines is the eradication of dangerous diseases. (2/9)
No matter what type of vaccine you get, the vaccine itself does not stay in your body long term.

ALT No matter what type of vaccine you get, the vaccine itself does not stay in your body long term.

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“You probably have never heard of prion diseases before. We usually think about viruses and bacteria causing us harm. In prion diseases, a family of rare neurological disorders, the damaging agent is a misfolded protein which contains no genetic information. (1/10)
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Yesterday the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine 🎉 We’re not out of the woods yet (please wear a mask and keep your distance!), but this is great news. Swipe through to learn how vaccines work, and please let us know if you have more questions. (1/9)
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Vaccines are deactivated forms or parts of pathogens (harmful viruses and bacteris) that are introduced to the body to educate the immune system to create immunity to dangerous illnesses like covid-19

ALT Vaccines are deactivated forms or parts of pathogens (harmful viruses and bacteris) that are introduced to the body to educate the immune system to create immunity to dangerous illnesses like covid-19

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Many big scientific discoveries are made by scientists who are very observant & pay close attention to results that they didn’t expect. One of the best examples of this is Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, “the wonder drug.” (1/9)
How was penicillin discovered?

ALT How was penicillin discovered?

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Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 (92 years ago!) Through "a series of chance events of almost unbelievable improbability." Sometimes its better to be lucky than good.

ALT Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 (92 years ago!) Through "a series of chance events of almost unbelievable improbability." Sometimes its better to be lucky than good.

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Why do bats carry so many viruses? For our first post, we wanted to answer a question that’s relevant to something on everyone’s minds: Covid-19. Swipe through to see the explanation. We hope this helps clear some things up! Stay tuned for more answers to science questions. 1/9
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