After the shocking events of last week it has become imperative that we stand together as strong, forceful defenders and champions for science. Blue Streak Science is committed to being a powerful voice for science and scientists on the issues that have been threatened by recent events. Those issues include, but aren’t limited to science policy, STEM education, climate research, women in science, basic science, biomedical research, research funding and more. This is no time to retreat. Too much is at stake. We can change this. We can put this to right. We are with you. What The Hell Was That? Blue Streak Science News Roundup These are summaries of our discussions on the podcast. For the full conversation please listen to this episode of the Blue Streak Science Podcast. DNA-based Zika vaccine showed protection from infection, brain damage and death We have some optimistic news regarding the Zika virus. Yes, it's still very much with us, but amazing progress is being made to shut it down. New research published in the journal NPJ Vaccines shows how a synthetic DNA vaccine approach successfully protected against infection, brain damage and death caused by the mosquito-borne Zika virus in vivo. Your birth year influences which flu strain you can catch From the esteemed journal Science, we learn that our birth year may influence which flu strain we catch as adults. UK red squirrels are carrying leprosy and have been for decades It appears that our little furry friends in the park, the red squirrels of United Kingdom are carrying leprosy. This finding comes from a study of 110 dead red squirrels from around the UK and Ireland The pathogen in question is Mycobacterium lepromatosis, and that’s closely related to a virulent form of human leprosy endemic in Mexico and the Caribbean. Dunkleosteus The nasty eating habits of prehistory's meanest fish How can a creature named Dunkleosteus, nicknamed Dunk, be anything other than a complete nincompoop or a basketball star? Ivy Shih explains the nature of this fearsome beast with the not-so-fearsome name. Giggling rats reveal the most ticklish part of our brains Who could resist a story about giggling rats? Neither could we. "Who Says?" Quote: "I've been thinking about the distorted view of science that prevails in our culture. I've been wondering about this, because our civilization is completely dependent on science and high technology, yet most of us are alienated from science." Neil deGrasse Tyson Ann Druyan David Baltimore Jocelyn Bell Burnell If you know the answer then leave a voice mail with the Speakpipe widget on the right side of the page, or email us at feedback@bluestreakscience.com. Be sure to tell us your name! Shout-outs and Acknowledgments Blue Streak Science Cafe' Be sure to check out the Blue Streak Science Cafe' with JD Goodwin and Nevena Hristozova at 7:00AM Pacific every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It's never too early to talk about science! Learn to Podcast: Editing audio files by Australian Science Communicators - NSW On December 14th the Australian Science Communicators organisation are hosting an interactive course in audio editing in Sydney Australia, which is perfect for beginners who want to start a podcast but find the idea of editing audio a little intimidating. Also it’s a great chance to meet fellow science communicators! The course is led by Ian Woolf, independent producer and host of the weekly radio show and podcast Diffusion Science Radio, which has been running for 7 years. In one of his more recent episodes he interviews a researcher who was inspired by making bone out of stem cells by observing coral! You learn how to edit interview audio and uploading! You can book tickets at: Learn to Podcast Event This episode of Blue Streak Science Podcast comes to you from North America, Great Britain and Australia.