Weekly Newsletter #100: Happy 100th Newsletter

By: burgundy bug

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Purple flowers

Source: The Burgundy Zine

WHEW, we’re entering triple digits now, are we? Well, in any case, thank you for sticking along with the ride — whether you’ve been here the whole time, reading along since Weekly Newsletter #1, or whether this is your first time reading The Burgundy Zine. We appreciate you, bug buddies.

Weekly Recap

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We rocked and rolled right into this week by tuning in to “Running Away” by VANO 3000, the song that’s currently dominating TikTok, thanks to no other than the Adult Swim bumps trend.

@burgundybug

##adultswim ##adultswimbump ##as

♬ VANO 3000 – VANO 3000

Next up, writer Jeremy Bowler shared some of the best apps for singers and musicians. Whether you’re in need of a good music production app, an app to promote your tracks on, or something to help you practice your craft, Bowler’s post has you covered.

Last — but most certainly far from least — editor burgundy bug released the second wave of her Summer Waves art print collection. In this weekend’s update, bug released:

• To The Moon — 7×7 inch Art Print
• Humans Are My Favorite Animals Koala — 7×7 OR 5×5 inch Art Print
• Good Vibes Good Night Celestial Mushroom — 7×7 inch Art Print
• Mushroom Couple in the City — 7×7 inch Art Print
• Don’t Be Such a Square — 7×7 inch Art Print
• Spaced Out — 7×7 inch Art Print
• Happy Flower — 8×10 inch Simple Wholesome Art Print
• Koala Family — 8×10 inch Simple Wholesome Art Print
• Silly Sun Celestial Doodle 8×10 inch Simple Wholesome Art Print

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As a special thank you for being part of your community, you can enjoy 10 percent off of bug’s entire shop using the promo code “BDZN10”

Research Roundup

How COVID-19 variants evade immune response

By: Brian Doctrow, Ph.D. | National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Recent research has unveiled how variants of SARS-CoV-2 avoid immune responses. These variants undergo mutations at a key site — the receptor-binding site, which is located on their spike proteins.

“Some of these mutations render antibodies elicited against earlier virus strains less effective,” the recent press release by Dr. Doctrow explains. “This allows the variants to partially escape the immune response produced after vaccination or prior infection.”

These mutations raise fears that vaccines may not work as effectively against them, which could continue to prolong the pandemic (which, yes, we are still very much in. The pandemic didn’t magically end because you and your pals were vaccinated and many of the restrictions have been lifted. You can still get COVID-19, even if you’re vaccinated. And by the way, there are already five variants circulating in the United States. Stay safe. Don’t let your guard down simply because you’re vaccinated. Any unnecessary risks can wait).

“In designing next-generation vaccines and antibody therapies, we should consider increasing the focus on other vulnerable sites on the virus that tend not to be affected by the mutations found in variants of concern,” said Dr. Meng Yuan, co-lead author of the research.

NIH researchers identify potential new antiviral drug for COVID-19

By: National Institutes of Health (NIH)

TEMPOL, an experimental, oral, antiviral drug could be a promising treatment for COVID-19, says a recent press release by the NIH. This news comes after demonstrating that TEMPOL limits COVID-19 infections by impairing the activity of viral enzyme RNA replicase.

First, researchers tested whether RNA replicase relies on iron-sulfur clusters to provide structural support. They discovered that COVID-19 relies on two of these clusters to function optimally, which allowed them to exploit weaknesses in the virus.

TEMPOL can degrade iron-sulfur clusters, and this could extend beyond COVID-19, allowing TEMPOL to serve as an effective treatment for other diseases that depend on iron-sulfur clusters.

“Given TEMPOL’s safety profile and the dosage considered therapeutic in our study, we are hopeful,” said Dr. Tracey A. Rouault, M.D., head of the NICHD Section on Human Iron Metabolism. “However, clinical studies are needed to determine if the drug is effective in patients, particularly early in the disease course when the virus begins to replicate.”

FDA Approves Prescription Video Game for ADHD

By: Sarah Sheppard & Sean Blackburn | Very Well Health

That’s right — the United States Food and Drug Administration has just approved prescription video games for the treatment of attention-hyperactivity disorder, a condition that affects between five to 11 percent of American children and about four percent of adults.

“Developed by Akili Interactive Labs, Inc. EndeavorRx, a video game, is a non-drug treatment option for children ages 8–12 years old who have been diagnosed with certain types of ADHD,” says the article by Sheppard. “The first-and-only prescription treatment of its kind, EndeavorRx has found a way to make treatment fun, accessible, and virtual, which is a game-changer for the mental health industry.”

Mindfulness for Your Health

By: National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ever wonder just how mindfulness could benefit your health? Well, a recent post from the NIH says mindfulness boosts your physical and mental wellbeing. Multiple studies have shown that mindfulness can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, but mindfulness can also motivate you to make healthier choices in general.

“This body awareness seems to be one part of how mindfulness helps people adopt healthier habits,” the NIH says. “If you’ve just eaten a jelly donut, you may be more likely to notice an unpleasant sugar crash. Remembering this can help you to make better food choices in the future.”

Keywords 101: Everything You Need to Know

By: Etsy Staff

Having trouble spreading the word about your small business? No problem. Etsy recently put out a very informative article for long-time sellers and beginners to the platform alike. Their post covers how keywords affect your shop’s visibility and how to use them effectively in your titles and tags.

Exciting Events

• Amazon Supports the MORE Act: As part of their vision to be “Earth’s best employer and the safest place to work,” Amazon has announced they’re switching up their drug testing policy. “In the past, like many employers, we’ve disqualified people from working at Amazon if they tested positive for marijuana use,” Amazon begins. “However, given where state laws are moving across the U.S., we’ve changed course. We will no longer include marijuana in our comprehensive drug screening program for any positions not regulated by the Department of Transportation, and will instead treat it the same as alcohol use.” Furthermore, Amazon’s public policy team says they will actively be supporting The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021.
• We’re Going to Venus, Baby: NASA recently said they’ve selected two missions to explore Venus, our neighbor that sits just a bit closer to the sun and shares many characteristics with our own planet — except for the fact that, y’know, Venus is an inferno hellscape. These studies could reveal important pieces of Venus’ past that could tell us more about Earth’s future (gulp).
• Earth Overshoot Day is July 29 This Year: Definitely a much more grim event — but an important one, no less. Earth Overshoot Day is July 29 this year (for reference, it was on Aug. 22 last year). Earth Overshoot Day represents when humans have exhausted all of the natural resources Earth can regenerate in just 365 days. The date changes every year based on consumption rates. As you can already guess, the date has been moving up annually for decades now, which isn’t very good news at all.

Going Forward

From here on out, we’ll be up to our eyeballs in Adobe InDesign, laying out the next issue of our digital magazine. “The Burgundy Zine #18: Imagination Recaptured” is scheduled for release on July 28, 2021, and we’re accepting submissions for this issue until July 14.

Editor burgundy bug is releasing another 10 prints next Saturday, as well — so keep an eye out for what’s up next for Summer Wave III next weekend!

In the meantime, stay healthy and stay safe. We send our love and hand sanitizer your way. <3

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