Can a COVID-19-vaccinated person infect others?

+ forest fires reaching higher, wetter elevations in US US Edition - Today's top story: Can people vaccinated against COVID-19 still spread the coronavirus? [View in browser]( US Edition | 26 May 2021 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair For someone who is not yet immunized against COVID-19, whether vaccinated people can spread the virus is a critical question. I had this concern recently when I went for burgers and beers with some basketball buddies. Was it possible the person next to me, who had been vaccinated, could pass on the coronavirus? Since I wasn’t fully vaccinated, what was the risk? The Conversation science editor Maggie Villiger enlisted Sanjay Mishra of Vanderbilt University, a regular contributor on our pandemic coverage, to investigate and explain the relevant issues in detail. In short, [vaccination does appear to slow transmission substantially]( – a lower viral load seems to be one reason why – but the evidence is not yet ironclad. It’s rare to hear optimistic news when it comes to computer security. But a research project to make software bugs unexploitable through clever hardware design provides a sign of hope and some insight into how security researchers can outpace cyberattackers. Two University of Michigan researchers describe their work in making a computer processor that constantly changes its underlying structure, or microarchitecture, to thwart hackers. Given that software bugs are inevitable, they write, [researchers are focusing on hardware tricks to protect software](. In the world of ocean ecology and sustainable fisheries, marine protected areas, or MPAs, have become the dominant way to protect fisheries. A study published today, conducted by an ecologist and a social scientist, looked at how fishing communities around the Gulf of California in Mexico reacted to the creation of these marine reserves. The researchers’ work confirms the importance of community buy-in. They also found that [“’good enough’ initial design]( – that is, not aiming for the maximum possible ecological benefits while still making sure the reserves result in perceptible improvements – seemed to work best.” Here are some other science-related stories from the past week: - [Continually evolving HIV makes a vaccine elusive]( - [Why it’s hard to come to an exact figure on COVID-19 deaths]( - [Science has always been politicized, but it can lead to good or bad outcomes]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Martin La Monica Director of Editorial Projects and Newsletters Vaccinated people are well protected from getting sick, but could they inadvertently transmit the coronavirus? Noam Galai/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images [Can people vaccinated against COVID-19 still spread the coronavirus?]( Sanjay Mishra, Vanderbilt University The COVID-19 vaccines are a smash success. But that doesn't mean they keep every vaccinated person completely free of the coronavirus. The Morpheus secure processor works like a puzzle that keeps changing before hackers have a chance to solve it. Alan de la Cruz via Unsplash [Shape-shifting computer chip thwarts an army of hackers]( Todd Austin, University of Michigan; Lauren Biernacki, University of Michigan Most computer security focuses on software, but computer processors are vulnerable to hackers, too. An experimental secure processor changes its underlying structure before hackers can figure it out. Local support might be the most important factor for a successful marine protected area. Anastasia Quintana [To protect ocean environments, ‘good enough’ might be the best long-term option]( Anastasia Quintana, University of California Santa Barbara; Alfredo Giron Nava, Stanford University In the design of marine protected areas, new research suggests that it might be better to start small in order to gain local trust and support that leads to larger long-term benefits. Other good finds - [Fireflies need dark nights for their summer light shows – here’s how you can help]( Avalon C.S. Owens, Tufts University; Sara Lewis, Tufts University Fireflies' summer evening light shows are a delight for humans, but for the insects they are a crucial mating ritual – and human-caused light pollution is a buzz kill. - [Western fires are burning higher in the mountains at unprecedented rates in a clear sign of climate change]( Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced; Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, McGill University As the risk of fires rises in areas once considered too wet to burn, it creates hazards for mountain communities and for downstream water supplies. - [Politicized science drove lunar exploration and Stalinist pseudoscience – but polarized scientific views are worse than ever]( Liv Grjebine, Harvard University Politics always influences what questions scientists ask. Their intertwined relationship becomes a problem when politics dictates what answers science is allowed to find. - [578,555 people have died from COVID-19 in the US, or maybe it’s 912,345 – here’s why it’s hard to count]( Ronald D. Fricker Jr., Virginia Tech Record-keepers have a pretty good sense of how many people have died. But figuring out the cause of those deaths is a lot trickier – and that's why reasonable modelers can disagree. - [If a satellite falls on your house, space law protects you – but there are no legal penalties for leaving junk in orbit]( Timiebi Aganaba, Arizona State University Chances are small that space junk will destroy property or harm a person, and existing space law could deal with such an event. But current law doesn't address the bigger problem of space pollution. - [HIV/AIDS vaccine: Why don’t we have one after 37 years, when we have several for COVID-19 after a few months?]( Ronald C. Desrosiers, University of Miami Scientists developed vaccines for COVID-19 in a matter of months. Why after 37 years do we still not have one for HIV/AIDS? On HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, it's an important question to ask. - [Oil companies are going all-in on petrochemicals – and green chemistry needs help to compete]( Constance B. Bailey, University of Tennessee As global oil consumption drops, oil companies are pivoting to petrochemicals, and could crowd out bio-based alternatives. --------------------------------------------------------------- [How different light affects fireflies]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451