Flesh-eating, hooked-mouth maggots have wriggled their way back into the United States. As of June 21, 15 cases of New World screwworm have been confirmed in Texas and New Mexico in cows, goats, sheep and even…
Category: Health & Medicine
A deadly fungus that can infect cats and people is spreading
WASHINGTON — Microbiologists are used to looking at gross pictures and hearing scary statistics. So when a moderator of a session on emerging fungal infections at the ASM Microbe meeting…
Hantavirus questions grow in the wake of a cruise ship outbreak
As public health officials around the world monitor dozens of former passengers and crewmembers of the MV Hondius for signs of hantavirus infection, scientists are hoping to learn more about…
What to know about a rare hantavirus outbreak at sea
Seven people aboard a cruise ship may have gotten hantavirus, a deadly illness more often associated with breathing in desert or other land dust. How could that happen? When ship…
New mutations help the H5N1 bird flu virus infect cows but not people
H5N1 bird flu viruses have acquired a molecular trick that makes them more easily infect mammary glands in cattle, but this adaptation does not appear to affect humans. To infect…
This itch-triggering protein also sends signals to stop scratching
People who can’t stop scratching itches may finally have a culprit to blame. In mice (and probably people), a protein called TRPV4 is involved both in starting an itch and…
Shingles vaccine most promising common drug to potentially prevent Alzheimer’s
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new study has identified three existing medications that could be repurposed to treat or prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The research, led by the University of Exeter,…
A new way to trigger responses in the body by simulating psychological pressure
(A) Experimental setup for the fingertip force task, where participants pressed on a force sensor to match a target force. (B) Example trial showing force output, where success required staying…
How the gut builds long-lasting immunity after viral infections
Credit: Cell (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.07.022 A new study led by University of Toronto researchers has shown that immune cells in the gut follow an atypical pathway to produce antibodies that…
How early morning practices affect college athletes’ sleep, data suggest
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A study using more than 27,000 sleep records of collegiate athletes provides the best evidence to date that early morning team practices take a toll on…
