COVID-19

Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight, a film adaptation of the 1938 play Gas Light

'Gaslighting' Is Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year

Searches for the term, defined as the "practice of grossly misleading someone," skyrocketed in 2022

Angel Blue performing in the 2021 production of Fire Shut Up in My Bones at the Met.

Covid-19

Can Pathogens at the Opera Haunt a Performance?

New results show performers’ breath control can prevent disease from spreading

The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, as seen under an optical microscope. It's listed as a critical priority on the WHO's new report of most harmful fungal pathogens. 

These Fungal Pathogens Are the Most Harmful to Human Health

Fungal infections kill more than 1.5 million people each year, and the WHO warns they are becoming more prevalent and resistant to treatment

Solar panels and wind turbines in China's Jiangsu province. 

Renewable Energy Is Slowing the Rise of Carbon Emissions

Still, greenhouse gas production should be falling drastically to prevent the worst effects of climate change

A bus being treated with ultraviolet light in Shanghai, China. Although types of UV light are already in use to decontaminate vehicles and indoor spaces, the wavelengths used are dangerous to people. Researchers hope that wavelengths of far-UVC light can be used harmlessly when people are present.

Covid-19

Could UV Light Reduce the Spread of Covid-19 in Indoor Spaces?

Some wavelengths of light in a range called far-UVC kill microbes in experiments and appear to be harmless to people

Past research has found that people’s personalities are relatively immune to changes following collective stressful events, but Covid-19 appears to be an exception.

Has the Pandemic Changed Your Personality?

Research suggests younger adults’ dispositions shifted the most during Covid-19

Crowds on the first day of Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

Crowds Pour in for Oktoberfest After Two Years of Pandemic Closures

For the first time since 2019, millions will travel to Munich for the famous beer festival

The Phantom of the Opera will conclude its 35-year run at Broadway’s Majestic Theatre on February 18, 2023, with a record 13,925 performances.

After 35 Years, 'The Phantom of the Opera' Will Stop Haunting Broadway

Due to declining ticket sales, Broadway’s longest-running show will close this winter

A pharmacist prepares to administer a Covid-19 booster shot to help protect a patient against the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.

Four Big Questions About the New Covid-19 Boosters, Answered

The FDA and CDC recently recommended new boosters to target the Omicron subvariants. Here’s what you need to know about them.

An inhaled Covid-19 vaccine is displayed at the CanSino Biologics booth at the Hainan International Health Industry Expo in November 2021.

Needle-Free Covid-19 Vaccines Approved in China and India

Doses inhaled through the mouth or nose might provide better protection against mild infections and transmission, preliminary studies show

People line up for Covid-19 vaccines in Washington, D.C., last December. The Food and Drug Administration approved updated booster shots Wednesday. 

CDC Recommends New Covid-19 Boosters Targeting Omicron Subvariants

The updated shots could be available within days

Long Covid is a morass to figure out, but the answers are important for the multitudes still suffering from an infection that happened to them months or even years ago.

How Long Will It Take to Understand Long Covid?

Covid long-haulers experience a litany of symptoms, and researchers have proposed a variety of theories to explain them

Jynneos monkeypox vaccine

U.S. Declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency

The announcement comes as nationwide case counts reach 7,000

In 2020, 75 percent of all overdose deaths involved an opioid.

Drug Overdose Deaths in the U.S. Are Increasing More in Black and Indigenous Populations

The CDC reports a 44 percent increase in drug overdose fatalities in Black people and a 39 percent increase in Native Americans from 2019 to 2020

The protein-based Covid-19 vaccine from Maryland biotechnology company Novavax. 

FDA Authorizes Novavax Covid-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use

The shots work similar to the way that vaccines against influenza and shingles work

Both Pfizer and Moderna already developed updated shots to target Omicron variant BA.1, and their data showcasing superior antibody responses against the Omicron variant were evaluated by the panel of experts deciding which strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus should be included in updated booster shots.

FDA Panel Endorses Updated Covid Boosters Targeting Omicron Subvariants

Updated vaccines will target both virus strains that dominated in the past and current Omicron subvariants

Aerial view of flooding in Livingston, Montana—a gateway town near Yellowstone National Park—on June 14, 2022

History of Now

What Extreme Flooding in Yellowstone Means for the National Park's Gateway Towns

These communities rely almost entirely on tourism for their existence—yet too much tourism, not to mention climate change, can destroy them

Vaccinations could begin as soon as next week if the FDA authorizes either the Pfizer or Moderna shots for kids under 5. 

Innovation for Good

FDA Says Both Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccines Are Effective for the Youngest Children

A panel of experts is set to vote Wednesday on whether the agency should authorize the use of the vaccines for little kids

Unlike the other three mRNA vaccines currently available in the U.S., Novavax's vaccine is made from small nanoparticles made of proteins from the coronavirus's surface.

Innovation for Good

FDA Advisers Recommend Novavax’s Covid-19 Vaccine for Use in Adults

The vote of support is a step forward for the long-in-production protein-based vaccine that may be a different option from current mRNA-based vaccines

Each pup was rewarded with toys like tennis balls if they picked out the virus successfully in sweat samples.

Dogs Sniff Out Covid-19 With Surprising Accuracy

Canines were even able to detect asymptomatic cases

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