Our Body’s Stem Cells use an Ancient Mechanism to Defend against Viruses
Lacking the antiviral mechanisms of the rest of our body, stem cells use an ancient trick from plants and worms - RNA interference - to protect against viral infection.
SARS-COV-2
Portable HEPA Cleaners and Masking can Reduce Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Aerosols
What is something we can do to fight against COVID-19 and improve indoor air quality for human health? Portable high efficiency particle air (HEPA) cleaners and masking can significantly reduce exposure to SARS-CoV-2 aerosol particles.
It’s Not All about Microbes: Genetics and susceptibility to infections
by Aleks Procherafigures by Shreya Mantri
The past year and a half have been a time of profound uncertainty. We all wish we could gaze into a COVID crystal ball and get answers to our burning questions. Some of us would want to know how long the…
Mutation Madness: How and why SARS-CoV-2 keeps changing
by Sophia Swartzfigures by Shreya Mantri
The first reports of a mysterious, pneumonia-like illness surfaced in early December 2019. Fast-forward to 2021, and the culprit—SARS-CoV-2, a virus a thousand times smaller than a speck of dust—has sickened…
The “Covidization” of Science: Short-Term Necessity or Problematic Over-Reaction?
by Christopher Rotafigures by Daniel Utter
The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every corner of American society, including the lives of scientists. The past year has seen many researchers dramatically shift the focus of their work, as experts from…
The Challenges of Large-Scale COVID-19 Testing
by Jaclyn Long figures by Tal Scully
A year into the pandemic, many people still struggle to get tested for COVID-19. By some estimates, asymptomatic transmission can account for up to 50% of all new cases, making regular testing of people who…
How COVID-19 is Shaping Antibiotic Resistance
by Molly Sargenfigures by Molly Sargen, Buse Aktaş, and Aparna Nathan
COVID-19 is unarguably devastating from any perspective. Even as we struggle to overcome the present challenges of the pandemic, COVID-19 is paving the way for other infectious…
Are Pandemics the Cost of Human Recklessness Towards Nature?
by Piyush Nandafigures by Corena Loeb
In an area devastated by deforestation, an 18-month-old toddler from the nearest settlement, Meliandou in Guinea, was seen playing around a fallen tree swarming with bats. The child then contracted a mysterious…
Two-Way Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Between Humans and Minks on Mink Farms
Two-way transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between animal and humans found on mink farms. What does this mean for the current – and potentially future – COVID-19 epidemic?
An Unexpected Invasion: How SARS-CoV-2 affects the human brain
by Xiaomeng Han
If your best friend Betty told you that she has a sore throat, a runny nose, and has lost her sense of smell or taste, you might immediately recognize the symptoms of COVID-19. But what if she had become very forgetful lately, instead?…