Science in Small Bites
A new look at vaccines and the Amazing Life of Jane Goodall
Part One: What’s this I hear about the COVID vaccine fighting cancer?
You heard right, readers, but with some caveats; after all, this is a new finding and, as such, it requires much more research and ultimately, randomized controlled trials.
Using everyday language, we’ll avoid as much medical jargon as possible in this science update, while still explaining the complex pro- cesses involved in how vaccines work, particularly those based on mRNA.
A vaccine’s job is to stimulate our immune system to fight viruses and harmful bacteria. There are several methods of creating vaccines, including those that use weakened live viruses, dead viruses, and mRNA, which works by sending genetic information to target cells that, in turn, stimulate the immune system.
The COVID vaccine is an mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccine. It is composed of a single-stranded molecule that transports genetic information from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, a thick gel-like substance within a cell. It is within this intracellular fluid that the message is received, enabling the immune system to target and attack the invader.
mRNA vaccines, compared to non-mRNA vaccines, are analogous to asking a friend for a recipe for a dish you particularly enjoy that they prepared for you once, rather than asking your culinary-skilled friend to make you the same dish regularly. mRNA vaccines deliver the recipe to the immune system.*
It is estimated that the COVID vaccine saved 14 million lives and generated $38 trillion in economic benefits worldwide in its first year. But what is this newly discovered connection between cancer and mRNA vaccines?
A recent study involving 1,000 people with advanced skin and lung cancer, some of whom received the COVID vaccine, resulted in the participants with the COVID vaccine living twice as long as the others in the group. Although we are only talking about months or a few years in the case of advanced cancer, mRNA shows promise as a method for early detection and mitigation of certain cancers.
Animal studies have repeatedly demonstrated that cancer-fighting is a general property of mRNA vaccines. A recent study by the University of Florida confirmed that mRNA vaccines activate T cells. It appears that mRNA may be a standard in future cancer treatments.
I do not want to wade too deeply into the weeds of vaccine denial or anti-vaccine sentiments. Instead, we’ll focus on the KNOWN beneficial side effects of mRNA vaccines. For example, an investigational mRNA vaccine is currently being evaluated to prevent the Epstein-Barr virus (mono), which can lead to multiple sclerosis, a double hitter if you will.
Several vaccines, both mRNA and non-mRNA, confer additional benefits beyond their original intended use. The flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks by 33 percent, while the shingles vaccine, Shingrix, helps prevent cardiovascular diseases, strokes, and even dementia.
Sometimes, the unintended effects of many medicines and treatments can be good, and if so, we should take advantage of them.
It is a shame that even the field of medicine has been politicized, when, instead, we could be conducting sound research that focuses on preventing and curing diseases.
Take penicillin, for example: This antibiotic, famously discovered on mold in 1928, is estimated to have saved over 500 million lives. In World War II, the death rate from bacterial infections dropped from 18% to less than 1%, all thanks to the discovery of penicillin. Were there people who refused to take it? Of course, there were, but much fewer than those who reject modern medicine today.
For the sake of caution, you should never agree to taking any vaccine without first consulting your doctor to discuss possible side effects. As one writer for New Scientist put it, “The question is not are vaccines safe, but am I safer if I’m vaccinated, or safer if I’m not?” Ask your doctor.
Part Two: A remembrance of Jane Goodall, scientist and conservationist extraordinaire
A friend, Mike, recently returned from a photographic journey in Madagascar. As I scrolled through Mike’s many beautiful and compelling photographs of Madagascar’s unique wildlife, I came across a startling photo of a lemur with piercing eyes gazing right into the camera’s lens, creating an immediate and captivating connection with the viewer.
Seeing this photograph made me think of the famous primatologist Jane Goodall, who passed away October 1, 2025, at 91 years of age.
To say that Jane Goodall was a great scientist would be a vast understatement. Goodall was the Mother Teresa of chimpanzees, but her lifetime accomplishments went far beyond her success working with an animal that shares 99% of our DNA.
Among Goodall’s many accomplishments, the most notable was her discovery that chimpanzees make and use tools, a phenomenon previously thought to be the exclusive domain of humans.
Jane Goodall was a passionate advocate for conservation, human rights and animal welfare. In 1977, she established the Jane Goodall Institute to continue her conservation work. She is also known for founding the Roots & Shoots program to encourage young people to become activists on humanitarian and conservation issues.
Goodall was named as a UN Messenger of Peace, received the Presidential Med-al of Freedom, and King Charles conferred on Good-all the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Jane Goodall never stopped her work and continued her mission of advocating for conservation and human rights until her final days.
Shortly before Jane Goodall’s death, she allowed the TV series “Famous Last Words” to interview her. In this moving interview, available on Netflix, the moderator, Brad Falchuk, asks Goodall about every aspect of her life, including her personal life. At the conclusion of Falchuk’s interview, he leaves the stage, leaving Jane Goodall alone to “speak from the grave.”
The following are Jane Goodall’s final words:
“In the place where I am now, I look back over my life. I look back at the world I’ve left behind. What message do I want to leave? I want to make sure that you all understand that each and every one of you has a role to play. You may not know it, you may not find it, but your life matters, and you are here for a reason.
And I just hope that reason will become apparent as you live through your life. I want you to know that, whether or not you find that role that you’re supposed to play, your life does matter, and that every single day you live, you make a difference in the world. And you get to choose the difference that you make.
I want you to understand that we are part of the natural world. And even today, when the planet is dark, there still is hope. Don’t lose hope. If you lose hope, you become apathetic and do nothing. And if you want to save what is still beautiful in this world – if you want to save the planet for the future generations, your grandchildren, their grandchildren – then think about the actions you take each day.
Because, multiplied a million, a billion times, even small actions will make for great change. I want to – I just hope that you understand that this life on Planet Earth isn’t the end. I believe, and now I know, that there is life beyond death. That consciousness survives.
I can’t tell you, from where I am, secrets that are not mine to share. I can’t tell you what you will find when you leave Planet Earth. But I want you to know that your life on Planet Earth will make some difference in the kind of life you find after you die.
Above all, I want you to think about the fact that we are part – when we’re on Planet Earth – we are part of Mother Nature. We depend on Mother Nature for clean air, for water, for food, for clothing, for everything. And as we destroy one ecosystem after another, as we create worse climate change, worse loss of diversity, we have to do everything in our power to make the world a better place for the children alive today, and for those that will follow.
You have it in your power to make a difference. Don’t give up. There is a future for you. Do your best while you’re still on this beautiful Planet Earth that I look down upon from where I am now.
God bless you all.”
Thank you, Jane Goodall, for a lifetime of devotion to saving our precious planet from those who ‘Know not what they are doing.’
Ken Springer
Ken1949bongo@gmail.com
