10 life-saving heroes walk into a photo. Obviously we're going to celebrate them.
What's black and white and life-saving all over?
This historic photo.
Why should I care about this photo?
The 10 people in this portrait aren't just randos. They are linked to the development of many of the life-saving vaccines we have today. In other words: They are linked to saving millions of lives over the past few decades and could be one of the reasons *you* are able to stay healthy! The fact that they are all together in one picture is so incredibly rare, and iconic photographer Annie Leibovitz did a beautiful job of capturing it all.
Who are these people?
Thanks for asking! We have:
In the 1960s, Dr. Stanley Plotkin developed the rubella vaccine to destroy ... rubella(!), which is a disease that sometimes comes with a mild fever and rash and often is referred to as German measles or three-day measles. It's not really known for being super-extreme, but it's still annoying. Here's what rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) have looked like in the United States, according to the CDC:
Thanks for the help on that decline, Dr. Plotkin!
Deborah Sabin is the daughter of the late Dr. Albert Sabin. Dr. Sabin developed the oral polio vaccine in 1961. Polio! Polio is the worst. It used to paralyze kids left and right and was one of the most feared diseases in industrialized countries. Thanks to effective vaccines and delivery, many think global eradication of the disease is within reach. Global cases have decreased by 99%, and there are just three countries left that have never stopped polio transmission. It's gonna be tough to get that last 1%, but I think we can do it. Don't you?
Dr. Ruth Bishop led a team that isolated rotavirus, a contagious virus that can cause inflammation of the stomach and intestines. The WHO calls it a leading cause of severe diarrheal disease and dehydration in infants and young children throughout the world ... aka messy and horrible. Good thing Dr. Bishop helped to discover the vaccine for it. Badass alert!
Dr. Kim Lee Sim and Dr. Stephen Hoffman are both working on a new malaria vaccine, which is *SO* needed as half the world's population live in areas at risk of malaria transmissions, some of which can be fatal. To all the infected mosquitoes out there: Consider this your warning. This duo is coming for you.
Dr. Peter Salk is the son of the late Dr. Jonas Salk. He developed the inactivated polio vaccine. Polio again! This polio vaccine is injected into the arm or leg and is the more common vaccine in the United States. Needless to say, it's helped us out a lot.
Dr. Marc Laforce is the founding director of the Meningitis Vaccine Project, where they work to fight meningitis, a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membranes.
Dr. Xiao Yi-Sun is the spouse of the late Dr. Jian Zhou. Zhou co-developed the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine with Dr. Ian Frazer. The HPV vaccine has been talked about a lot in the past few years, mainly because HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives. In the United States, it is now recommended that boys and girls ages 11-12 get vaccinated against it to help protect them from most of the cancers caused by HPV and genital warts.
In the United States, from 2006-2010. Props to the CDC.
Dr. Peter Paradiso has worked on multiple vaccines, particularly for pneumococcal disease. What's that, you ask? It's a very serious infection that can cause pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infection. The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases has a whole bunch of info on it. And it all sounds 0% fun.
Jeryl Hilleman is the daughter of Dr. Maurice Hilleman. Dr. Hilleman developed or perfected more than 30 vaccines, including eight used in vaccine programs around the world today. 30 VACCINES. Jeeze. Kind of like a 30-day vaccine challenge or something, and Maurice followed through.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.