Author: Claudinne Miller
A year after lifting COVID rules, China is turning quarantine centers into apartments
NPR Goats and Soda During the global coronavirus pandemic, China built dozens of makeshift hospitals and state quarantine centers, some out of steel container boxes. They became closely associated with the anxiety of mass testing and the fear of sudden lockdowns. Now, cities are turning the huge centers into affordable housing units for young workers in an […]
Dec 12, 2023
Virginia Tech Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in late 2019 as a highly infectious virus that spread rapidly and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March of 2020.1 SARS-CoV-2 infection causes respiratory disease (Coronavirus Disease; COVID-19), and during the initial infection wave of the pandemic, disease severity […]
Dec 12, 2023
New blood testing method advances disease detection
Arizona State University Researchers at the Arizona State University Biodesign Institute have made an impressive leap in disease detection, with a novel screening method that can look at hundreds of disease markers and evaluate thousands of samples simultaneously, delivering most results in 24 hours. Unlike conventional blood tests, the new platform, called Multiplexed In-Solution Protein […]
Dec 12, 2023
Novavax’s Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available as Only Option in Poland
Novaxx Novavax’s updated protein-based non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is now available for use in Poland for the prevention of COVID-19 in individuals aged 12 and older. Doses have been distributed by the appropriate Polish authorities and made available for this season’s vaccination campaign. The Novavax vaccine is currently the only updated COVID-19 vaccine option available in […]
Dec 12, 2023
Some Reasons to Get Off the Fence About COVID Booster
Medscape Though many people remain on the fence about getting the latest COVID vaccine booster, new research suggests a strong argument for getting the shot this winter: It sharply reduces the risk for COVID. Researchers found that getting vaccinated led to a 69% reduction in long-COVID risk among adults who received three vaccines before being infected. […]
Dec 12, 2023
Students around the world suffered huge learning setbacks during the pandemic, study finds
PBS Students around the world suffered historic setbacks in reading and math during the COVID-19 pandemic, with declines in test scores so widespread that the United States climbed in global rankings simply by falling behind less sharply, a new study finds. The state of global education was given a bleak appraisal in the Program for International Student Assessment, […]
Dec 12, 2023
This new data poisoning tool lets artists fight back against generative AI
MIT Tech Review The tool, called Nightshade, messes up training data in ways that could cause serious damage to image-generating AI models. A new tool lets artists add invisible changes to the pixels in their art before they upload it online so that if it’s scraped into an AI training set, it can cause the […]
Dec 12, 2023
Antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections spreading in Ukraine amid war with Russia, CDC says
ABC News Dangerous antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are spreading among patients in Ukraine amid the country’s war with Russia, new federal data shows. High rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, along with a rise in traumatic wounds and overwhelmed health care systems, has led to increased detection of multi-drug resistant infections in […]
Dec 12, 2023
Map Shows Where Deadly Mpox Cases Are Rising as CDC Issues Warning
Newsweek A map by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows the provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where cases of mpox are on the rise as U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues a travel health notice. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a rare disease caused by infection with […]
Dec 12, 2023
Pre-Existing SARS-CoV-2 T Cells Predicted to Recognize New Pirola Variant
Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to evolve (even if they are no longer making headlines.) In August, researchers detected a new SARS-CoV-2 “variant of concern” in patients, first in Israel and Denmark. Over the past few months, this variant, BA.2.86 or “Pirola,” has made its way around the globe. The Pirola variant […]
Dec 12, 2023