Saturday, 14 November 2020

Another Unsung Hero of the Search for a Covid-19 Vaccine

Squalene is a material that is used to make some potential vaccines more effective (reportedly, 5 of the Covid-19 candidates are using it). The material is produced in the livers of deep sea sharks (e.g. the Scalloped hammerhead), so there are concerns that some of these species could be further endangered by increased demand for squalene (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/11/why-covid-19-vaccine-further-imperil-deep-sea-sharks/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=SpecialEdition_20201113). It's strange how many connections one finds between something that sounds entirely technological and the challenged biota of our planet.
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