Learn about how the Faroe Islands created their own Google Street View using sheep; why some vaccines (like Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines) have to be kept so cold; and why it’s easier to understand a second language than it is to speak it.
Learn about how the Faroe Islands created their own Google Street View using sheep; why some vaccines (like Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines) have to be kept so cold; and why it’s easier to understand a second language than it is to speak it.
The Faroe Islands Created Their Own Google Street View with Sheep by Anna Todd
Why do some vaccines have to be kept so cold? by Cameron Duke
Scientists may have discovered why it's easier to understand a second language than speak it by Kelsey Donk
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/why-are-the-covid-19-vaccines-kept-so-cold
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about how a small country created their own Google Street View using sheep; why some vaccines like the coronavirus vaccine have to be kept so cold; and why it’s easier to understand a second language than it is to speak it.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
People in rural areas are used to being overlooked by big tech. But in 2016, one woman living on a remote chain of islands had had enough. Her islands weren’t on Google Street View, so she created her own street view with the help of some local sheep. Oh yeah. She made a Google sheep view.
The islander in question is Durita Andreassen [DOO-ritt-ah on-DRAY-uh-senn], and remote islands in question were the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands are an autonomous archipelago country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located roughly equidistant between Norway, Iceland, and Scotland. The country's name translates to "the islands of sheep" in Danish. That’s fitting, as the country is home to 80,000 sheep. Which is almost double the number of humans. Andreassen works for the Faroese [FARE-oh-EEZE] tourism board, so when she discovered that The Faroe Islands were missing from Google Street View, she launched a video series to attract Google's attention by showing off the beauty of her homeland.
Andreassen and her team attached solar-powered 360-degree cameras to a flock of sheep and set them loose. As the sheep roamed the remote areas of the islands, they captured images that were sent directly to Andreassen with GPS-coordinates. She then uploaded these pictures to Google Street View herself. With the accompanying hashtag #we-want-google-street-view. Not only was Andreassen able to get the attention of many potential tourists, but Google finally heard her pleas, loud and clear.
Google sent a Street View representative and 360-degree cameras through their camera loan program later that year. Today, all Faroese inhabitants and visitors are encouraged to upload their own photos, but the sheep are still capturing images from the places that people can't access. So if you ever wanted to get a view of locations only accessible to sheep, then you know what to do: Google it!
As the COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out, a lot of people are starting to think about the logistical hurdles that we need to overcome so everyone can get vaccinated. One hurdle? The leading vaccine candidates need to be kept incredibly cold — much colder than many other vaccines. What’s up with that?
Here’s how cold we’re talking: Moderna’s vaccine needs to be kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius or minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, while Pfizer’s requires seriously subarctic temperatures: minus 70 degrees Celsius or minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit. Compare that to your garden-variety flu vaccine, which just needs to be kept below 8 degrees Celsius or 46 degrees Fahrenheit. Storing and transporting the new vaccines in these super-chilly temps is going to be a considerable challenge. Freezers that can maintain those temperatures are expensive and energy-intensive.
But they’re necessary. That’s because unlike traditional vaccines, which are made from actual virus, these vaccines are made from a genetic blueprint called Messenger RNA, or mRNA. mRNA breaks down really easily at mild temperatures, so you need ultra-cold freezers to make sure the vaccine doesn’t degrade. The developers have given the mRNA particles a protective coating, which helps, but it’s not enough to overcome the need for subzero temps.
This is a pain, but the drawbacks of mRNA vaccines might be worth it compared to traditional vaccines. Traditional vaccines are typically made from deactivated viral particles, which are commonly grown in chicken eggs. Growing them takes a really long time. On top of that, because they’re made of actual pieces of virus, they also can cause unintended side effects.
mRNA is not a viral particle. Instead, it is an information molecule that tells your body how to make a particular protein. In this case, the vaccine has the instructions to make copies of the SARS-CoV2 spike protein. This will trigger your immune system to produce antibodies that will recognize that protein if it ever enters your body out in the wild. So, if traditional vaccines are like giving your immune system target practice with a deactivated virus, mRNA vaccines are like putting up a few “Wanted” signs.
mRNA vaccines are a way to program our bodies to fight off new viruses without having to come into contact with any part of the virus at all. Keeping them cold is a small price to pay.
If you’ve ever tried to learn a second language, you know it’s often easier to understand than it is to speak. And scientists may have discovered why that’s the case.
It all comes down to how the brain divides up work. The two hemispheres don’t always share labor equally; some tasks rely more on one side than the other. For a long time, scientists have thought that language was one of those tasks: as in, for most people, language happens in the left hemisphere. But over the years, more and more studies put that idea into question. Maybe language isn’t as dependent on the left hemisphere as we thought.
To find out, scientists looked at brain activity on fMRI scans while participants practiced reading, listening, and speaking in two languages; in this case, their native language — Spanish — and a second language — English. Some of the participants were new to the second language, and some had been speaking it for a long time.
Right out of the gate, the researchers noticed something interesting: everyone relied on their left hemisphere when they spoke. But when reading or listening, the right hemisphere lit up in some people. And how much varied from person to person.
They also noticed something about the participants’ language experience. Brain activity in the new language-learners looked pretty similar when hearing or reading their native language compared to the new language. But something surprising happened in the advanced language learners’ brains. Hearing or reading their second language activated the opposite hemisphere from the one that was activated when hearing or reading their native language.
But again, that wasn’t true when they spoke the language. In both the beginners and the advanced learners, speaking activity was solely dependent on the left hemisphere.
What’s the big deal, you might ask? Well, the scientists say this research shows something about the plasticity of the brain. Basically, the brain is actually more flexible when it comes to understanding a new language than it is for speaking that language.
So if one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to learn a new language, remember that speaking and understanding are two completely different things. You may be able to comprehend the words you read and hear faster than you’ll be able to speak those words yourself. Which means that practicing by yourself with Duolingo or Rosetta Stone is good, but finding someone to speak the language with is even better.
Let’s recap the main things we learned today
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CODY: Today’s stories were written by Anna Todd, Cameron Duke, and Kelsey Donk, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Scriptwriting was by Cody Gough and Sonja Hodgen. Today’s episode was produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!