To trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. Instead, mRNA vaccines use mRNA created in a laboratory to teach our cells the method to make a protein—or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response inside our our bodies. That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from getting contaminated if the actual virus enters our our bodies.
Founded in 2002 by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder creates free interactive math and science simulations. PhET sims are …