How COVID Tests Work, Making Decisions with Math, Dog Talent
Curiosity Weekly
Warner Bros. Discovery
4.6 • 963 Ratings
🗓️ 27 August 2021
⏱️ 16 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Learn how COVID tests work; how math can help you with major life decisions; and how some dogs have natural talent.
How COVID PCR tests work by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Lydia)
- Tiner, S. (2020, March 27). The Science Behind the Test for the COVID-19 VirusDiscovery’s Edge. Https://Discoverysedge.mayo.edu/. https://discoverysedge.mayo.edu/2020/03/27/the-science-behind-the-test-for-the-covid-19-virus/
- Amoeba Sisters. (2020). PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5jmdh9AnS4
- PCR: Thirty-five years and counting. (2018, May 10). PCR: Thirty-five years and counting. Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/features/2018/05/pcr-thirty-five-years-and-counting
- Ask A Scientist Staff. (2020, October 23). Why qPCR is the gold standard for COVID-19 testing. Ask a Scientist; Thermo Fisher Scientific. https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/ask-a-scientist/why-qpcr-is-the-gold-standard-for-covid-19-testing/
Additional resources from David Sumpter:
- Pick up "The Ten Equations that Rule the World and How You Can Use Them Too" https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250246967
- Faculty page: https://katalog.uu.se/profile/?id=N7-525
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/soccermatics?lang=en
Dogs have talent, yes they do by Steffie Drucker
- Not only humans got talent, dogs got it too! (2021, July 7). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/553737
- Fugazza, C., Dror, S., Sommese, A., Temesi, A., & Miklósi, Á. (2021). Word learning dogs (Canis familiaris) provide an animal model for studying exceptional performance. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93581-2
- Genius Dog Challenge. (2021). Exceptional DOGS & what they can TEACH us [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF6ZpjdH2Sc
- Follow Christina Hunger, Speech Pathologist, on Instagram @Hunger4Words https://www.instagram.com/hunger4words/?hl=en
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, you're about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from Curiosity.com. |
| 0:06.5 | I'm Cody Gough. |
| 0:07.5 | And I'm Ashley Hamer. |
| 0:08.5 | Today we'll answer a listener question about how COVID- PCR tests work. You'll also learn about how COVID PCR tests work. |
| 0:13.3 | You'll also learn about how math can help you |
| 0:15.3 | with career and relationship decisions, |
| 0:17.4 | with help from author David Sumter, |
| 0:19.6 | and how some dogs have natural talent. |
| 0:22.5 | What satisfy some curiosity? |
| 0:24.7 | We got a message from Lydia in the city of Marshfield, who writes, |
| 0:29.2 | I work in a hospital lab and I do COVID tests all day. |
| 0:33.0 | I'd really like you to explain to listeners about PCR |
| 0:36.0 | and how it's used for COVID tests. |
| 0:38.0 | Great suggestion, Lydia. |
| 0:40.0 | It turns out that PCR is downright futuristic and we're really fortunate to have this amazing |
| 0:46.9 | biotechnology at our disposal during a global pandemic. |
| 0:50.3 | PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction and it's one of two types of tests |
| 0:56.2 | we have for active COVID screening. It's also the most accurate test we have. |
| 1:01.4 | But it's not new. Scientists have been using PCR to |
| 1:05.8 | detect different kinds of DNA since 1983. PCR basically works by making |
| 1:12.2 | copies of the DNA you're looking for so that if it's there, you can detect it. |
| 1:17.0 | But there's a problem. Viruses don't have DNA. |
... |
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