Keep Hope Alive

AeroNabs have arrived.

1. As the world awaits vaccines to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control, UC San Francisco scientists have devised a novel approach to halting the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease. Led by UCSF graduate student Michael Schoof, a team of researchers engineered a completely synthetic, production-ready molecule that straitjackets the crucial SARS-CoV-2 machinery that allows the virus to infect our cells. As reported in a new paper, now available on the preprint server bioRxiv, experiments using live virus show that the molecule is among the most potent SARS-CoV-2 antivirals yet discovered. In an aerosol formulation they tested, dubbed "AeroNabs" by the researchers, these molecules could be self-administered with a nasal spray or inhaler. Used once a day, AeroNabs could provide powerful, reliable protection against SARS-CoV-2 until a vaccine becomes available. (via Science Daily)

2. More good news: A vaccine designed to prevent one of the most widespread common cold types has just delivered promising results in the latest set of clinical trials, and the developers now think it could actually reach the market in just a few years. The cold, known as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), is so common, more than 90 percent of kids contract it by the age of two. In fact, this dangerous and sometimes deadly infection is the leading cause of serious lower respiratory diseases in children worldwide, and we still don't have a working vaccine to prevent it. (via The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Science Alert, ersjournals.com, vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk)

3. Plants are factories that manufacture yield from light and carbon dioxide -- but parts of this complex process, called photosynthesis, are hindered by a lack of raw materials and machinery. To optimize production, scientists from the University of Essex have resolved two major photosynthetic bottlenecks to boost plant productivity by 27 percent in real-world field conditions, according to a new study published in Nature Plants. This is the third breakthrough for the research project Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE); however, this photosynthetic hack has also been shown to conserve water. (via Science Daily)

4. Recent polls show Scots favoring independence—the first time that a sustained lead for independence has been seen, says Sir John Curtice, a political scientist at the University of Strathclyde. One factor, he says, is Brexit, which has pushed Remainers into the hands of Nationalists. While Brexit has degraded the British government’s reputation for competence and sound judgment, managing coronavirus has built up the Scottish government’s (see article). Mr Johnson is unpopular. The Scottish National Party is projected to take 55% of the vote in the elections to the Scottish Parliament in May 2021, according to recent polls, which would give Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, an outright majority, and allow her to demand a second referendum on independence. (via The Economist)

Quick Links: Brain-NET, a deep learning methodology, accurately predicts surgeon certification scores based on neuroimaging data. Past evidence supports complete loss of Arctic sea-ice by 2035. The rise of Sen. Kamala Harris is described here, here and  here. A lengthy New Yorker profile of Ms. Harris is here. Is Lindsay Graham’s re-election campaign really in trouble? Marjorie Taylor Greene won Georgia’s 14th Congressional District GOP runoff, and thus is likely to become the first QAnon supporter to earn a seat in Congress. This week's issue of Bloomberg Businessweek is almost entirely devoted to coronavirus vaccine stories. It’s worth reading.