Someone asked me after I got vaccinated why I got vaccinated. I have science based reasons (as a biologist, I get asked a lot)-that the technology has been around for a couple of decades, it’s been used safely for other infectious diseases and cancer, and it’s less of a risk than getting COVID. But I follow... Continue Reading →
The view from afar
I enter a story in the Easy Reader contest for writing and photography each year. They usually print my stories about my adventures as honorable mention. This year I wasn't sure they would print it, as it's more of a personal essay (a shorter version of a post from a few months ago). But they... Continue Reading →
Lockdown artist
The proverbial bubble we in the South Bay live in got smaller during lockdown. For me, it was reduced to the size of my wannabe two bedroom apartment. I couldn’t go out for my walks on the beach. And a single friend remarked she was forgetting words as time went on without speaking out loud... Continue Reading →
Why every American should live abroad
Sometimes you don’t get out of travel what you expect. Like the time I was stranded on a small island off the coast of Australia. The island was not too far from the mainland, but in between were box jellyfish and crocodile infested waters. Swimming back was not going to be an option. I took... Continue Reading →
Following the science…not
As a scientist, you don’t get much time in the spotlight. It’s late nights and weekends, and you are often alone when you make your discoveries most of which go unnoticed by anyone outside of the niche of other scientists working on similar ideas. The pandemic brought a rare opportunity for a captive audience for... Continue Reading →
Does life-threatening COVID-19 have anything to do with your genes?
by Janice Nigro Early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a non-scientist, the husband of a cousin of mine, asked, “Does life-threatening COVID-19 have anything to do with your genes?” At the time, he saw Italians and men dominating the list of persons worldwide succumbing to the pathogen. I didn’t know, and truth be told, as a molecular... Continue Reading →
What we know about the origin of SARS-CoV-2
by Janice Nigro Every mystery has a cast of characters that sidetracks you from the culprit. A good one keeps you guessing until the end. Then it surprises you. Is Covid-19 one of those stories? I didn’t think it was, and I may be overthinking the dump truck load of information out there on various... Continue Reading →
Unexpected Results
by Janice Nigro I left San Francisco, California for Bergen, Norway. In late fall. As a single woman. A few weeks before Christmas one year. Norwegians in San Francisco. Do you need to know how to dress for winter? Thanks, but I grew up in Chicago. Light cycles of shadow and dark on a backdrop... Continue Reading →
The Lockdown Diaries: Week 12
by Janice Nigro The same title convention, but I think we’re no longer in lockdown in Los Angeles. Maybe we’ve morphed into something else. Lockdown plus? Now windows and doors are boarded up, and military helicopters fly over long after it’s time for bed. It’s as if the words people sling at each other in... Continue Reading →
The Lockdown Diaries: Week 11
by Janice Nigro This week beats all. I started this post with this sentence before all hell broke loose across the USA and now the world. More on this in a minute, as the air reverberates from the force of military helicopters flying over my apartment in Los Angeles county. I started with this sentence... Continue Reading →