How to Avoid Getting Sick This Summer
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. As flowers bloom and temperatures climb, many are eager to get back outside. But while the sun may …
viruses
The Complex Social Lives of Viruses
The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Ever since viruses came to light in the late 1800s, scientists have set them apart from the rest of life. …
The Most Common Flu Symptoms Doctors Are Seeing This Winter
With multiple respiratory viruses swirling this time of year, it can be hard to know which sickness you’re dealing with. But with cases of flu on the rise in much …
How Many Microbes Does It Take to Make You Sick?
The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. For a pathogen to make us sick, it must overcome a lot. First it has to enter the body, bypassing …
The Vampire Bat Is Moving Closer to the US. That’s a Problem
But vampire bats represent a new threat because they feed on the blood of other animals. Their usual victims are livestock, and occasionally wild mammals and birds. Using their sharp …
Inside the Race to Stop a Deadly Viral Outbreak in India
On the morning of September 11, critical care specialist Anoop Kumar was presented with an unusual situation. Four members of the same family had been admitted to his hospital—Aster MIMS …
Yes, There’s a New Covid Variant. No, You Shouldn’t Panic
It’s scariant season—again. A new offshoot of Omicron, BA.2.86—nicknamed Pirola—has popped up in Israel, the US, South Africa, and the UK, after it was first recorded in Denmark in late …
The Massive Campaign to Air-Drop Tiny Rabies Vaccines to Raccoons
The National Rabies Management Program was established in 1997 to prevent the further spread of wildlife rabies. In 2007, canine rabies was eliminated in the US thanks to mandatory vaccination …
This Drug Offers Hope for HIV Freedom in Patients
A sixth person, known as the “Geneva patient,” may be HIV-free after undergoing a stem cell transplant to treat his cancer. This individual, who was diagnosed with HIV in 1990, …
The Potential of Viruses: From Cancer Cure to Humanity’s Threat
Gideon Lichfield: OK, but let me play the synthetic biology devil’s advocate for a second. Lauren Goode: OK, OK. Gideon Lichfield: When you have kids, you are throwing the genetic …