FDA Approves mRNA Flu Shot and AI Learns to Build Viruses

Friday, August 14, 2026

In today's episode, Adam Rose (@adjoro) & Dr. Alok Patel (@alokpatelmd) cover the FDA's landmark approval of Moderna's first mRNA flu vaccine for adults. They break down the phase-three trial showing the mRNA shot produced fewer confirmed influenza cases than standard vaccines, and what a complicated insurance landscape means for access this flu season. Plus: researchers at the Arc Institute fed millions of viral DNA sequences to a language model. It wrote new genomes that had never existed in nature, and sixteen of them came to life in the lab. Then, they look at a new narcolepsy drug targeting the underlying orexin deficiency, a Salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeños spreading through 27 states, and over 2,400 measles cases putting U.S. elimination status in jeopardy.

Coverage Timeline:

(0:00) Intro

(1:01) First mRNA Flu Vaccine Approved

(4:52) AI Designs Functional Viruses

(8:54) Salmonella Jalapeño Outbreak

(9:44) Measles Resurgence

(10:04) Women's Pro Baseball

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