The flurry of frizzy-hair e-mails began in 2016. Human geneticist Regina Betz of University Hospital Bonn in Germany and her team had just linked three genes to a rare disorder…
Category: Health & Medicine
How the COVID-19 pandemic may leave a long-term imprint on our health
At the start of another school year, I’ve been thinking about the differences between 2021 and 2022. Last year, many schools had mask mandates, testing programs and quarantine rules (SN:…
What you need to know about the new omicron booster shots
Revamped COVID-19 vaccines are poised to do battle with the super-contagious omicron variant. On September 1, U.S. health officials greenlit the first major update of the mRNA-based shots, reformulated to…
Who has the highest risk of long COVID? It’s complicated
For millions of people, COVID-19 doesn’t end with a negative test. Weeks or months after traces of the virus disappear from noses and throats, symptoms can persist or come back.…
The curious case of the 471-day coronavirus infection
As omicron subvariant BA.5 continues to drive the coronavirus’ spread in the United States, I’ve been thinking about what could come next. Omicron and its offshoots have been topping the…
50 years ago, genes eluded electron microscopes
Visualizing Genes: The Possible Dream – Science News, September 2, 1972 Molecular biologists can now visualize the larger structures of the cell, such as the nucleus and chromosomes, under the powerful…
The new CDC guidelines may make back-to-school harder
Across the United States, kids are prepping for back-to-school, or are already in classrooms, and parents are buckling up for another pandemic school year. Like me, many are trying to…
The first known monkeypox infection in a pet dog hints at spillover risk
The first recorded case of person passing monkeypox to a dog could be harbinger of other animals catching the sometimes disfiguring and deadly virus. If that happens, monkeypox could establish…
COVID-19 infections can rebound for some people. It’s unclear why
For some people, including President Joe Biden and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci, the relief of vanishing COVID-19 symptoms and a negative test is fleeting.…
50 years ago, scientists hoped freezing donor organs would boost transplants
The icy world of organ freezing – Science News, August 19, 1972 If whole organs could be frozen and stored … surgeons would be able to perform far more transplants….…
