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Near-universal adoption of masks along with public health measures could eliminate disease spread

Research published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that near-universal adoption of nonmedical masks in public, combined with complementary public health measures, could reduce spread to essentially zero.

18 Jan 2021

Black women find healing (but sometimes racism, too) in the outdoors

It would be the last hike of the season, Jessica Newton had excitedly posted on her social media platforms.

6 Jan 2021

At risk of extinction, black-footed ferrets get experimental COVID vaccine

In late summer, as researchers accelerated the first clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines for humans, a group of scientists in Colorado worked to inoculate a far more fragile species.

23 Dec 2020

Researchers use fruit fly model to understand COVID-19-related neurological complications

Researchers claim to have reproduced disease mechanisms due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the fruit fly, Drosophila, while also providing proof of the efficacy of one drug against these disease processes. If validated, these findings represent a new understanding of how the virus causes neurological symptoms that could help develop more effective therapies.

23 Dec 2020

New alliance seeks to tackle the plague of falsified medical products

COVID-19 has spawned a "stark rise" in the global circulation of fake medical products relating to the pandemic, experts warn as they launch an alliance aimed at tackling the scourge.

14 Dec 2020

Oxford University podcast's third season to take listeners on a journey through historical pandemics

The University of Oxford's CASE Gold Award winning podcast, Futuremakers, will return for its third season at the end of October.

30 Nov 2020

Discovery of novel hidden gene in SARS-CoV-2

A team of researchers from Germany, Taiwan, and the United States has identified and characterized a new hidden gene in SARS-CoV-2 that is also present in Guangxi pangolin coronaviruses – though, curiously, absent in closely related pangolin and bat coronaviruses.

11 Nov 2020

New Zealand case study shows room for improvement in genomic sequencing of COVID-19 outbreaks

Researchers in New Zealand, the United States and Australia have demonstrated the effectiveness of real-time genomic sequencing at tracking the re-emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in New Zealand, in August this year.

5 Nov 2020

Novel approach for modeling spread of infectious disease

The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 across the world despite the early shutdown of borders and the cessation of international travel has sparked interest and given rise to changes in knowledge regarding the spread of infections.

4 Nov 2020

Terror groups exploit the mayhem during COVID-19 for spinning a plethora of sinister schemes

The uncertainty and confusion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is being "widely exploited by terror groups for spinning a plethora of sinister schemes", which could lead to a new tide of violence against people and governments.

30 Oct 2020

High dose of radiation eliminates brain tumors in mice without key side effects

Treating cancer without debilitating side effects has long been the holy grail of oncologists, and researchers at the University of California, Irvine, and Switzerland's Lausanne University Hospital may have found it.

28 Oct 2020

New DNA-cutting tool could advance gene editing for novel treatments

Gene editing for the development of new treatments, and for studying disease as well as normal function in humans and other organisms, may advance more quickly with a new tool for cutting larger pieces of DNA out of a cell's genome, according to a new study by UC San Francisco scientists.

21 Oct 2020

Scientists find striking acceleration in medieval plague transmission over 300 years

McMaster University researchers who analyzed thousands of documents covering a 300-year span of plague outbreaks in London, England, have estimated that the disease spread four times faster in the 17th century than it had in the 14th century.

19 Oct 2020

"Brain fog" after COVID -19 recovery may indicate post-traumatic stress disorder

A new report suggests that lingering "brain fog" and other neurological symptoms after COVID-19 recovery may be due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an effect observed in past human coronavirus outbreaks such as SARS and MERS.

7 Oct 2020

India and Denmark to benefit from NTNU COVID-19 tests

A highly sensitive COVID-19 test, developed by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), relies on magnetic nanoparticles to extract viral RNA.

24 Sep 2020

Silk face masks could provide better protection against COVID-19

With personal protective equipment still in short supply, researchers at the University of Cincinnati examined what common household fabrics might work best as a face covering.

22 Sep 2020

New book gives overview of viruses and how they emerge to cause pandemics

Since the novel coronavirus SARS-Cov-2 emerged late last year, it has been virtually impossible to consume any news without encountering stories about the virus and how it spreads, potential treatments, and the development of new vaccines.

11 Sep 2020

Historical case studies: Pandemics in past societies

Whether it's the plague, cholera or currently COVID-19: epidemics are part of human history. Long before there were vaccinations or microscopes for the investigation of pathogens, societies had to develop coping strategies.

5 Sep 2020

For kids with special needs, online schooling divides haves and have-nots

It's Tuesday morning, and teacher Tamya Daly has her online class playing an alphabet game. The students are writing quickly and intently, with occasional whoops of excitement, on the little whiteboards she dropped off at their homes the day before along with coloring books, markers, Silly Putty and other learning props — all of which she created or paid for with her own money.

31 Aug 2020

Study identifies livestock husbandry practices associated with increased risk of infection

The risk of transmitting the livestock virus PPRV, which threatens 80 percent of the world's sheep and goats, increases with certain husbandry practices but not herd size.

24 Aug 2020