Secretly sick.
University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Reporting and Policy (CIDRAP) has some scientific findings from colleagues at U Michigan that will surprise no one who … Read the rest “Secretly sick.”
epidemiology
Here’s why long covid makes you tired.
Amsterdam-based researchers have isolated a physical mechanism behind the fatigue that strikes some people for months after a covid infection. It comes down to the mitochondria in muscle… Read the rest “Here’s why long covid makes you tired.”
Unlocking brain fog: is it serotonin?
STAT reports on a new study that might be getting to the root of the long-covid brain fog, finding that the symptom appears to go hand-in-hand with a lack of free-floating serotonin in the … Read the rest “Unlocking brain fog: is it serotonin?”
There’s a bird flu epidemic in fur farms. (This is not great.)
Eurosurveillance reports on an ongoing epidemic that has seen a contagious strain of avian influenza, HPAI H5N1, jump from birds to mammals, where it’s spread from wild seagulls… Read the rest “There’s a bird flu epidemic in fur farms. (This is not great.)”
Engineering bacteria to take on cancer.
Eric Topol, on Ground Truths, does a dive into the history of our understanding of what bacteria has to do with cancer – from the old dogma that “cancer tumors are sterile”… Read the rest “Engineering bacteria to take on cancer.”
SONG: 14.8 Million
SONG: “14.8 Million”.
ARTIST: grant.
SOURCE: Nature 14 Dec 2022, “Missing data mean we’ll probably never know how many people died of COVID,” as used in the post… Read the rest “SONG: 14.8 Million”
More people died of COVID-19 than we know. Or ever will know. Because data is missing.
Nature reports on the gaps in information that mean the official counts of people who died as a result of COVID-19 are much, much lower than the real numbers:
… Read the rest “More people died of COVID-19 than we know. Or ever will know. Because data is missing.”The [Nature and WHO] data suggest
New evidence hints that fungal infections may be related to cancerous tumors.
The Scientist looks at two studies that indicate (not prove, but suggest) there may be a link between rare fungi and cancerous tumors:
… Read the rest “New evidence hints that fungal infections may be related to cancerous tumors.”One group, led by researchers at the Weizmann Institute
Probiotics are curing sick coral reefs.
University of Florida (go gator research!) is looking into a treatment that could help stop the loss of coral, which is nice because coral reefs help stop the loss of Florida due to beach erosion.… Read the rest “Probiotics are curing sick coral reefs.”
The orange-blossom odor of mosquito-borne diseases… actually attracts mosquitoes.
Science News takes a long whiff of a chemical that smells like oranges and flowers that’s given off by people (and other mammals) infected with dengue and Zika. The chemical seems … Read the rest “The orange-blossom odor of mosquito-borne diseases… actually attracts mosquitoes.”
Science Art: “Ballon à col sinueux employé par M. Pasteur dans ses expériences contre la génération spontanée”, 1873.
This is some laboratory glassware used in Pasteur’s experiments, as illustrated in Les merveilles de l’industrie, an 1873 science book that has a marvelous gallery on Flickr… Read the rest “Science Art: “Ballon à col sinueux employé par M. Pasteur dans ses expériences contre la génération spontanée”, 1873.”
Got allergic asthma? Congratulations – you’ve also got some COVID-19 protection.
Science News looks at interleukin-13, an immune-system protein linked with allergies that make it hard to breathe – and make it hard for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to gain a foothold in … Read the rest “Got allergic asthma? Congratulations – you’ve also got some COVID-19 protection.”
Smallpox vaccine got a boost … from skin bacteria.
The-Scientist explores a strange interaction that helped eliminate smallpox without us even noticing. The vaccine that helped eliminate this killer got an extra boost from local skin… Read the rest “Smallpox vaccine got a boost … from skin bacteria.”
Multiple sclerosis is triggered by the mononucleosis virus – they proved it.
Scientific American hails a breakthrough in fighting MS with the definitive discovery that the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis and which 95% of American adults carry,… Read the rest “Multiple sclerosis is triggered by the mononucleosis virus – they proved it.”
The new COVID19 pill works by creating mutations. This has some virologists worried.
Science covers the controversy around Merck’s new antiviral pill, molnupiravir, which definitely interferes with viruses’ ability to reproduce, which kills nearly all… Read the rest “The new COVID19 pill works by creating mutations. This has some virologists worried.”