Helping a man walk again with implants connecting his brain and spinal cord

This week's science news roundup reunites All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang with Short Wave hosts Emily Kwong and Regina G. Barber as they dig into the latest headlines in biomedical research, also known as cool things for the human body.

New vaccines for RSV approved

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is known for symptoms similar to the common cold — but it can make infants and older people really sick. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved a second vaccine against RSV for people 60 years and older. This comes on the heels of an RSV vaccine for infants getting recommended for FDA approval too. That could happen this summer.

Goodbye, needles! Vaccines via sticker

In a recent study, researchers began trying a new pain-free type of vaccine delivery via sticker. Fran Kritz reported on the innovation for NPR's Goats and Soda blog. This small, white adhesive patch is about the size of a quarter and gets applied directly to the patient's wrist. Researchers hope this is be a step towards increasing wider vaccine accessibility worldwide. Fran reports that before this vaccine sticker can be an immunization success story, more pieces need to fall into place. Among other things, more testing is still needed, countries' regulatory agencies will have to authorize its use.

With the help of science, a man with paralysis walk again

By combing two known technologies in both the brain and spine, researchers have developed a way for one man with paralysis to walk again. The brain-spine interface (BSI) device created by researchers allows the brain and the spinal cord to resume communication with each other. The patient's movements were smooth and even allowed him to move up stairs and navigate obstacles.

Have questions about science in the news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

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This episode was produced by Kai McNamee and Berly McCoy. It was edited by managing producer Rebecca Ramirez and Christopher Intagliata, and fact-checked by Brit Hanson. The audio engineer was Margaret Luthar.