If you’re a regular reader of The Conversation, you know that we often turn to historians to help provide context about today’s events. Other times, it’s just to tell us a good, perhaps little-known story. Two stories this week deliver on both counts.

One is the amazing tale of Camp Century, a U.S. Army base that was built into the Greenland ice sheet in the 1960s and powered by the military’s first portable nuclear reactor. It’s a story of radiation leaks and skyrocketing cleanup costs among the first generation of portable reactors. The article’s author argues it’s relevant now as the military plans a new generation of mobile nuclear reactors for remote bases and possibly the battlefield.

Another history of science story is by UC Davis biomedical engineer James Brody, who connects the dots from the discovery of insulin 100 years ago to the development of practical treatments. Along the way, he writes about scientists grinding up pig pancreases and borrowing mass production techniques from beer makers.

At the same time, every week Conversation editors reach out to scientists who write about their research and help answer the most pressing questions of the day. This past week, we contacted pediatrics professor Judy Martin from the University of Pittsburgh to explain what parents need to know about COVID-19 vaccines for children under 12, which are expected next winter. In explaining the timing of these vaccines, she makes a key medical point: “Children are not just littler grownups; their bodies differ from adults’ in important ways.”

Also today:

• Why you should wear an N95 mask to guard against wildfire smoke
• Tweaking opioid chemistry to make them less addictive
• The reporting and safety systems for tracking vaccine side effects

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