Specifics of the coronavirus protein and receptor

Membrane Protein Structures of S Protein and ACE2 Receptor S protein is a homotrimer classified as a type I transmembrane protein and a class I viral fusion protein (Huang et al. 2020; Pillay 2020). S consists of two main subunits, S1 and S2. The globular head contains the S1 N-terminal RBD which is used in …

More about COVID-19

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 reportedly originated from bats in an animal market in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak of the virus first occurred. The disease has since been documented in individuals of all age groups, with infection severity ranging from asymptomatic to critical condition to even death. Comorbid …

The importance of health literacy

Let’s face it, COVID-19 has snatched something or another from all of us. But, it’s also done something pretty important: it’s brought the focus and attention to our public health systems. It has also exposed the relationship between said system and our society especially, when it comes to doing the right thing with access to …

Finding Self-Worth: University Addition

Applying to university can be a nightmare and a dream come true at the same time. With senior year marking the start of the end of your high school career, much thought goes into the next step of our lives, which may play into our future successes. For many, this includes post-secondary plans such as …

The Hierarchy of Power

Maybe it’s because I’m a woman. Maybe it’s because I’m a minority. Maybe it’s because I’m a teenager and I’m still in school. Maybe it’s because I’m “not old enough” or that I “don’t have enough experience”. Around us, wherever we go, the presence of a societal hierarchy of power can always be felt. It …

Graduating from high school during a pandemic

I have only ever been to two graduations in my entire life. Both of them were eighth-grade graduations: mine in 2016 and my sister’s in 2018. June 2020 was a signal of my upcoming graduation from high school; however, much like the rest of my fellow Class of 2020 students from my school and around …

Greta Thunberg: The face behind the climate youth strike

As a global society, it’s safe to say that climate change has been the elephant in the room at large political summits with potential actions but a whole lot of fake promises. And with hundreds of reports released on our planet’s state, it seems as though all this talk about our planet has kept reaching …