Category: Science and Tech
Nobel Prize in medicine awarded to scientists who laid foundation for messenger RNA vaccines
Washington Post The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded Monday to two scientists whose research laid the groundwork for messenger RNA vaccines that transformed the threat of the coronavirus pandemic. Early in her career, Katalin Kariko, 68, a Hungarian-born scientist, saw mRNA’s medical potential and pursued it with ferocious and single-minded tenacity that exiled her to the outskirts […]
Oct 3, 2023
ABC News While there is no specific test to determine if someone is experiencing long COVID, a new study published in Nature used blood tests to find new insight into what biological markers are associated with this collection of mysterious conditions reported by millions of Americans. Researchers used machine learning to help analyze immune markers and hormone […]
Sep 26, 2023
Supercomputer simulation attacks problem of drug-resistant bacteria
Los Alamos National Laboratory Understanding molecular processes can improve the antibiotics and vaccines that fight disease A first-ever, atom-by-atom supercomputer simulation shows how antibiotics kill bacteria and illustrates other processes of the molecular machinery in living cells. The research opens fresh pathways to improving antibiotics, designing new ones to fight drug-resistant bacteria and developing vaccines […]
Sep 19, 2023
Wait, Is That Rapid Test Really Expired?
NYT As Covid cases rise, at-home tests are a critical tool to keep yourself and others safe. Here are answers to a few common questions about when and how to use them. Since the public health emergency expired, lab P.C.R. tests — the gold standard for detecting Covid-19 — have become more expensive and less accessible for many people. […]
Aug 29, 2023
Severe COVID-19 may lead to long-term innate immune system changes
NIH Severe COVID-19 may cause long-lasting alterations to the innate immune system, the first line of defense against pathogens, according to a small study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. These changes may help explain why the disease can damage so many different organs […]
Aug 22, 2023
A new fruit fly toolkit to understand the impact of SARS-CoV-2 virus in human health
Baylor While the COVID-19 pandemic is under control now, the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to mutate and inflict unprecedented suffering on millions of people in the form of numerous little-understood, lingering symptoms that are collectively termed ‘long-COVID.’ Identifying the underlying causes and therapies for long-COVID symptoms and devising strategies to protect against known and emerging viruses […]
Aug 15, 2023
Scientists develop breath test that rapidly detects COVID-19 virus
Washington University School of Medicine Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a breath test that quickly identifies those who are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. The device requires only one or two breaths and provides results in less than a minute. The study is available online in the journal ACS […]
Aug 1, 2023
A new device can detect the coronavirus in the air in minutes
Science News If you’ve ever thought it would be great to walk into a room and know whether the virus that causes COVID-19 is hanging around, scientists have a device for you. Researchers have created a machine a little bigger than a toaster that can detect airborne SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in minutes. It takes only five minutes […]
Jul 25, 2023
Scent dogs can detect COVID-19 more rapidly and accurately than current tests
Eureka Alert Scent dogs may represent a cheaper, faster and more effective way to detect COVID-19, and could be a key tool in future pandemics, a new review of recent research suggests. The review, published in De Gruyter’s Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, found that scent dogs are as effective, or even more effective, than conventional COVID-19 tests such as […]
Jul 18, 2023
AI Fast-Tracks Disease Risk Predictions
Neuroscience News Summary: Researchers developed AI software that rapidly analyzes bone density scans to predict a person’s future risk of health conditions, such as heart attacks, stroke, falls, fractures, and dementia. The software looks for signs of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), a predictor of these conditions. While human experts typically take 5-15 minutes to analyze each […]
Jul 18, 2023