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Researchers discover genetic markers that drive the timing of first sex and birth

An Oxford-led team, working with Cambridge and international scholars, has discovered hundreds of genetic markers driving two of life's most momentous milestones - the age at which people first have sex and become parents.

1 Jul 2021

How is Taiwan tackling its third wave of COVID-19?

The international community has been struggling to predict and contain successive waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 pathogen. The degree of success has varied between countries. In Taiwan, the use of contact tracing, with testing and isolation of confirmed cases, promises to end the ongoing third wave of the illness within two months. The strategy employed is described in a new preprint available on the medRxiv* server.

29 Jun 2021

Study shows rapid expansion of SARS-CoV-2 Delta lineage in Ontario, Canada

A recent short report from Canada, currently available on medRxiv* preprint server, shows a rapid increase in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) cases characterized by the N501Y-/E484K- mutation in the Ontario province, which implies that Delta variant will rapidly overtake the Alpha variant.

28 Jun 2021

Selection acting on males causes offspring to inherit healthy gene

A few males are enough to fertilise all the females. The number of males therefore has little bearing on a population's growth. However, they are important for purging bad mutations from the population.

28 Jun 2021

First CRISPR-Cas9-based gene drive cuts and copies genetic elements in Arabidopsis plants

With a goal of breeding resilient crops that are better able to withstand drought and disease, University of California San Diego scientists have developed the first CRISPR-Cas9-based gene drive in plants.

25 Jun 2021

Evaluation of COVID-19 vaccination effects on outbreak dynamics in Japan

Among the developed nations, Japan was the last to commence vaccination (February 2021). Only 8.7% of Japanese people are fully vaccinated as of today, June 25th, 2021. Fortunately for Japan, the incidence of the disease has been much lower than in Europe or the United States. Now, a new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server analyzes the impact of vaccination on the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan

25 Jun 2021

Phenomenological model describes and regularizes COVID-19 data

The COVID-19 epidemic, which began late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and rapidly spread throughout the world, was accompanied by unprecedented releases of reported case data. Now, researchers propose combining phenomenological descriptions with epidemiological dynamics for an entirely new perspective on these data.

24 Jun 2021

Mask-wearing reduces COVID-19 transmission significantly, study finds

Researchers from the University of Bristol found that an entire population that wears masks in public leads to a reduction in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by almost 26%.

24 Jun 2021

New class of compounds can stop the reproduction of coronavirus

A human genetic mechanism hijacked by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, to help it spread also makes it vulnerable to a new class of drug candidates, a new study finds.

24 Jun 2021

Researchers uncover the role of macrophages in liver growth after massive resections

RUDN University doctors found out what role macrophages play in the recovery of the liver after the removal of its significant part. The results are published in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.

21 Jun 2021

Study shows mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is safe for male reproduction

The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is safe for male reproduction, according to a new study by University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers published in JAMA, the most widely circulated general medical journal in the world.

18 Jun 2021

Does SARS-CoV-2 show seasonal variation in transmission in temperate countries?

The need to understand how and why such spread occurs is vital to containing it. A new medRxiv* preprint describes a significant reduction in transmission during the summer (by 42%), which is comparable to the impact of the most effective non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI).

15 Jun 2021

Changes in community networks impact the ensuing spread of disease

The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the importance of understanding precisely how diseases spread throughout networks of transportation. However, rigorously determining the connection between disease risk and changing networks--which either humans or the environment may alter--is challenging due to the complexity of these systems.

10 Jun 2021

ACTG launches phase 1 HIV cure study evaluating two promising therapies

The AIDS Clinical Trials Group, the largest global HIV research network, today announced the launch of A5386, a phase 1 HIV cure study evaluating two promising therapies.

10 Jun 2021

Is B.1.617.2 more transmissible than earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants?

A new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, reports that the B.1.617.2 variant is possibly more transmissible than earlier variants, based on the discovery that the serial intervals were not prolonged with this strain.

10 Jun 2021

Restoration can improve mining contamination, indicates study

Mining involves moving a lot of rock, so some mess is expected. However, mining operations can continue to affect ecosystems long after activity has ended. Heavy metals and corrosive substances leach into the environment, preventing wildlife and vegetation from returning to the area.

9 Jun 2021

New chip mimicking bovine endometrium could play key role in cattle’s pregnancy success

To investigate factors that can jeopardize pregnancy success in cattle, researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil used a kind of chip to mimic the environment of the endometrium, the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus.

8 Jun 2021

Study reveals mechanism through which 'good' viruses can attack 'bad' bacteria

The battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria: A new study at Tel Aviv University revealed a mechanism through which "good" viruses can attack the systems of "bad" bacteria, destroy them and block their reproduction.

7 Jun 2021

Effect of India's 2021 Assembly Election on COVID-19

In a recent study, Indian researchers from Midnapore City College, and Indian Center for Space Physics, looked at how the assembly elections conducted during the second wave of COVID-19 impacted the transmission of the infection - on the effective contact rate and the effective reproduction number of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv*.

4 Jun 2021

New research focuses on cow's milk as a possible source of COVID-19 control

Physiologically, milk contains biocomponents that are highly protective against infections. In light of this, the AGR-149-Infectious Diseases group at the University of Cordoba's Department of Animal Health is doing research that focuses on cow's milk as a possible source of Covid-19 control. The results have been published, partially, in the journal Frontiers in Immunology.

4 Jun 2021