Our reality has felt like a dystopian sci-fi movie for a while now, but at least now there’s a positive plot twist. First, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson both survived a bout with COVID-19. Now Hanks tells Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! that he and his wife both have coronavirus antibodies in their systems, and have donated their blood to science in case the plasma can be used for good:
We have not only been approached, we have said, ‘Do you want our blood? Can we give plasma?’ And, in fact, we will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the Hank-ccine.
HANK-CCINE. In all of the stress and awfulness around us, at least we have that happy thought to carry us through.
Rita Wilson had previously mentioned this on CBS:
Well, that’s what they told us and that’s what the belief is. We recently have been part of a study where we’ve donated our blood, and we’re waiting to hear back if our antibodies will be helpful in developing a vaccine, but also if we are able to donate plasma that can be used as donation to other people who are suffering from the virus because we are immune.
George Stephanopoulous has also donated plasma but that’s not nearly as exciting.
Tom Hanks on Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! [NPR]
Tom Hanks’ Blood Will be Used To Develop COVID-19 Vaccine [Today Online]
Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson to donate blood for COVID-19 vaccine [Katie Scott / Global News CA]
Image: e-ole4 / Flickr (CC 2.0)
Enormous and “potentially hazardous” asteroid will fly by Earth tomorrow
Tomorrow, an asteroid that’s at least a mile wide will pass by Earth. While NASA considers the object, named 1998 Or2, to be “potentially hazardous,” it won’t hit us. This time. It won’t get closer than around four million miles away. Above is a time lapse of the asteroid captured through a telescope by amateur […]
READ THE REST
Coronavirus ‘acts like no pathogen humanity has ever seen,’ say doctors
COVID-19 damage (yellow) on lungs of 59-year-old man who died at George Washington University Hospital. 3D model based on computerized tomography scans, courtesy George Washington Hospital and Surgical Theater How exactly is coronavirus killing us? This New York Magazine piece on what we do and do not yet know about the novel coronavirus is really […]
READ THE REST
Gloriously colorful new geologic map of the moon
These images are from the new Unified Geologic Map of the Moon, the most detailed lunar map ever created. Just released by the U.S. Geological Survey, it melds data from last century’s Apollo mission era with fresh information captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s SELENE lunar orbiter. From Science […]
READ THE REST
Decompress with the world’s first drop-in meditation studio
Maybe you’re frustrated about work. Maybe the kids have you climbing the walls. Or maybe the fact there’s a worldwide pandemic trapping you inside your home has you a little off your game. In these scary, off-kilter times, anxiety in some form can be found on almost everyone’s doorstep. There’s no shame in admitting you […]
READ THE REST
Wickedbone is a smart dog toy that plays with your pooch all on its own
We love our dogs. But even the most devoted and dedicated dog owners will admit they can be demanding little beasts sometimes. Dogs require a lot of human attention. It’s not their fault. It’s just the way they are. But on a busy day packed with work and family responsibilities and everything else that requires […]
READ THE REST
Drama Mayhem is the game we can all use right about now
One upside to our current stay-at-home lifestyle is a renewed sense of togetherness. While everyone used to be off and running in their own directions all the time, now the whole household stays under one roof — so maybe it’s time to take advantage of that. How about this? Institute a new weekly game night. […]
