From original reports, the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is a considerably milder disease than the previous Delta. This, combined with its high transmissibility has encouraged some researchers to suggest this is good news and signals the end of the pandemic. However, we are starting to see more deaths in our
In a previous article, we touched on the unfinished nature of Covid vaccine phase III trials. This whole business of clinical trials could do with some examination, so in this article, we will cover what the various phases are and discuss why there is confusion about what ‘finished’ means (particularly
Marc Grey Recently Stuff published an article about a heroine doctor who spends some of her time helping people by explaining medical questions and issues. Now she does sound like a nice person and it is not the intent here to personally attack her. However, we are going to look
Marc Grey Many of the covid vaccines are made using completely new medical tech involving the use of genetic material instead of proteins from the appropriate virus. This has led to them being described as ‘gene therapies not vaccines’ in some circles. In this article, we discuss these new medical
Marc Grey In previous articles, we have covered nuclear reactor designs, accidents and the mechanics of nuclear reaction physics. However, the way the nuclear industry got started was in the manufacture of nuclear weapons, not to provide nuclear power! In this article, we look at how the first nuclear weapons
Marc Grey In three previous articles various aspects of the novel covid vaccines were examined, While it was possible to discuss the design/formulation of them, we could essentially only speculate about what might happen with respect to adverse reactions and other risks. Now we are rolling out the vaccine
Marc Grey In two previous articles nuclear power adoption challenges, new designs and failure modes were discussed. The actual mechanics of nuclear fission and related ancillary concepts were not considered. In this article we will describe basic atomic and nuclear concepts, building up to a more detailed description of how
Marc Grey Despite being one of the safest types of energy generation, there is a common perception that nuclear power is dangerous. Probably the most common view about nuclear power danger is that a reactor may explode. In this article, we explore what type of explosions can occur and along
Marc Grey Due to concerns about human-induced climate change, many countries are embracing power grid configurations that feature ever-increasing components of wind and solar generation. Unfortunately, these sources have a highly non-optimal power generation curve: * Peak output when demand is low * Minimum output when demand is high * Highly variable output
Marc Grey In a previous article, the various COVID vaccines coming to New Zealand were discussed. While examining the mRNA (Pfizer) vaccine it was stated that: …it is RNA, it can be used immediately by the cell’s molecular machinery to make the protein (so does not enter the cell
Marc Grey Are COVID Vaccines…Vaccines? In a previous article, the 4 COVID vaccines coming to New Zealand were discussed in some detail. In this one, we examine some common questions that people have about these vaccines. Firstly, because most of them are made via novel technology (in particular the
Marc Grey We are getting 4 COVID vaccines in New Zealand. These vaccines are especially interesting as novel technology has made their development rapid. At the same time, the precise nature of this technology is not as well-publicised as it could be. For instance, there is useful data on the
