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COVID-19

A nurse administers the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in Los Angeles, California, in August. More than one million individuals have gotten a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in the United States.

Covid-19

Six Important Questions About Booster Shots Answered

Experts weigh in who needs the shot first, when it should happen and how it will help

The one-of-a-kind dolls were designed to represent frontline heroes who worked tirelessly during the pandemic.

New Barbie Dolls Honor Covid-19 Frontline Medical Workers From Around the World

The series of dolls honor six women who developed Covid-19 vaccines, studied the virus, worked in hospitals, and more

As the highly contagious Delta variant surges through the country, experts are expected to recommend that Americans get a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

U.S. Will Soon Recommend Covid-19 Booster Shot 8 Months After 2nd Dose for Most Americans

The decision comes after mounting evidence that coronavirus vaccine efficacy wanes over time

Smoke from nearby wildfires turned the sky above San Francisco a dark orange color last September.

Wildfire Smoke Linked to Covid-19 Cases and Deaths in the West

Thousands of coronavirus cases and hundreds of deaths may be attributable to the particulate matter in wildfire smoke

Those eligible for boosters include some organ transplant recipients, those with certain cancers, and others with similarly compromised immune systems.

FDA and CDC Authorize Covid-19 Booster Shot for Some Immunocompromised People

Certain transplant recipients, cancer patients and others can soon get a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine

Individuals wear masks while shopping at a grocery store in Los Angeles. Masks help prevent breakthrough infections.

Covid-19

Six Important Things to Know About Breakthrough Infections

As the Delta variant likely drives more cases of Covid-19 in vaccinated individuals, experts weigh in with helpful information

A man in Seattle wears a mask as wildfire smoke descends on the city in September of 2020.

Covid-19

Four Ways to Protect Yourself From Harmful Air Pollution Caused by Wildfires

Awareness about exposure, high-quality masks and air filters can help protect you from dangerous pollutants in smoke

Previous studies have shown that white-tailed deer are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infections and can spread the virus to other deer in laboratory settings.

Coronavirus Antibodies Detected in Wild White-Tailed Deer in Several U.S. States

Forty percent of white-tailed deer sampled from four states between January and March 2021 had antibodies from the virus that causes Covid-19

A perfect storm of high demand clashing with supply chain issues, worker shortage and delivery problems is forcing restaurant owners to raise seafood prices on their menus.

Seafood Prices Soar Amid Supply Chain Issues and Worker Shortage

As demand for fish rises, restaurants are slammed with employment losses, port congestion, lack of product, rising costs and shipment snags

Instead of a soaring, verdant oasis in the middle of the city, visitors were greeted with sparse, earth-covered scaffolding.

Trending Today

Widely Mocked London Tourist Attraction Closes Two Days After Opening

The Marble Arch Mound sought to invigorate a major shopping district in England’s capital. Visitors called it a “bad Santa’s grotto”

Previously, in May, when coronavirus cases were dropping significantly, and vaccination rates were on the rise, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people could stop masking indoors and outdoors.

CDC Internal Report States Covid-19 Delta Variant Is as Contagious as Chickenpox

Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people should wear masks indoors in high transmission areas, which accounts for half the country, according to the agency

Researchers hoped to open the tunnel to the public. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they must settle for covering it with dirt until work can resume.

Mexican Archaeologists Rebury Tunnel Adorned With Aztec Carvings After Losing Funding

Costs associated with the Covid-19 pandemic have placed the preservation project on an indefinite hold

Officers Paul Douglas (left) and Theodore Santos (right) stand with their newest Covid-19 K9 unit: a female black lab named Huntah (left) and a male golden lab-retriever mix, Duke (right).

Covid-19

Massachusetts Becomes First U.S. State to Enlist Covid-Sniffing Canines

Duke and Huntah are first dogs used by law enforcement to detect coronavirus cases

The Covid pandemic prompted universities to rethink the value of standardized tests for admissions.

Has the Pandemic Put an End to the SAT and ACT?

Many colleges and universities stopped requiring the tests during Covid, and it is unclear if they will return to testing in the future

Group portrait of three Chinese children, each holding an American flag and a Chinese flag, in a room in Chicago, 1929

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Illinois Becomes First State to Mandate Teaching Asian American History

The move arrives amid a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes across the country

This transmission electron microscopic image shows the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Covid-19

Over 20,000 Years Ago, a Coronavirus Epidemic Left Marks in Human DNA

The oldest modern coronavirus is about 820 years old, but humanity has been fighting similar viruses for millennia

Trumpet players create about 2,500 aerosol particles per liter of air that flows through their instrument.

New Research

To Reduce Covid-19 Risks in Orchestras, Move Wind Instruments to the Sidelines

A study that simulated airflow and aerosol production in a concert hall suggests moving brass and woodwinds near air vents

Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention anticipate that Delta will become the dominant variant in the United States within the next few months.

Covid-19

Covid-19 Delta Variant Emerges as Primary Threat Around the World

A surge of cases in the United Kingdom suggests that Delta is the most transmissible variant yet identified

Rendering of ReWildAR, an augmented reality experience debuting at the Smithsonian's "Futures" exhibition later this year

Futures

Immerse Yourself in Five Alternate Worlds Envisioned by Leading Artists

The Smithsonian’s “Futures” exhibition features commissions by Beatriz Cortez, Nettrice Gaskins, Soo Sunny Park, Devan Shimoyama, Tamiko Thiel and /p

In work and in personal life, virtual communication kept us in touch during Covid — but oh, those endless Zoom meets! There’s psychological and sensory science behind why they wear us down, and much promise to be realized once we iron out the wrinkles.

How the Pandemic Has Revealed the Promise and Perils of Life Lived Online

For good and for bad, Covid has propelled us even faster into immersive communication technologies

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