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Health

Yosemite Valley seen from the Tunnel View lookout point in the Yosemite National Park, California on July 08, 2020. The park's sewage has now tested positive for the presence of the novel coronavirus, suggesting that some of its visitors over the Fourth of July weekend were infected.

Yosemite Sewage Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Test results suggest there were dozens of visitors carrying the novel coronavirus in the park over the Fourth of July weekend

In April, people queued at a testing tent in East New York in Brooklyn. COVID-19 rates are highest among black New Yorkers in Kings County.

Race in America

What ‘Racism Is a Public Health Issue’ Means

Epidemiologist Sharrelle Barber discusses the racial inequalities that exist for COVID-19 and many other health conditions

John Rogers and his colleague Shuai Xu’s tech startup Sonica Health is submitting the device with a pulse oximeter and its algorithms to the FDA for approval later this month.

Covid-19

This Band-Aid-Like Patch Could Detect Early COVID-19 Symptoms

Northwestern University scientist John Rogers has developed a wearable that adheres to the throat and relays data to a physician

This month's selections include Clean, Memory Drive and Uncrowned Queen.

Books of the Month

An Uncrowned Tudor Queen, the Science of Skin and Other New Books to Read

These five July releases may have been lost in the news cycle

Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, rode the self-balancing personal transportation device outside his home in 2002.

As Segway Retires, Its Inventor Gears Up to Grow Organs

Dean Kamen, inventor of the soon-to-be obsolete Segway, has assembled a team to mass-produce human organs for transplant

Pooling samples means one test can screen multiple people.

Covid-19

Pooled Testing Could Be the Fastest and Cheapest Way to Increase Coronavirus Screening

Placing swabs from multiple individuals in a single test gets more people diagnosed using fewer supplies

Specimens like these at Dublin’s Natural History Museum contain valuable information about the evolution of pathogens and host organisms.

Covid-19

How Museum Collections Could Help Scientists Predict Future Pandemics

The broad array of animal specimens could allow researchers to identify likely pathogen sources, hosts and transmission pathways

Attendees arrive to watch the movie Grease at a pop-up drive-in theatre at Bucktown Marina Park on May 22, 2020 in Metairie, Louisiana.

Covid-19

This Is the Summer of the Drive-In Theater

From longtime establishments to pop-up venues, this 20th-century attraction is providing a safe, socially distanced activity

Some cities are turning to on-demand programs called microtransit.

Covid-19

Cities Are Eyeing Microtransit During COVID-19 Pandemic

From Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi, transit authorities are creating on-demand systems. But experts say there are tradeoffs

Video visits with doctors and other health-care workers saw a sharp uptick as the COVID-19 pandemic took off.

Covid-19

Is COVID-19 the Tipping Point for Telemedicine?

Sheltering in place has pushed virtual health care into the mainstream, making us wonder if we’ll ever go back to waiting rooms

To get around the hair clipper shortage, the founder of the Trans Clippers Project bulk ordered supplies during the early days of the pandemic.

Covid-19

A New Project Hopes to Give Transgender Americans Some Much-Needed Haircuts

To promote mental health during the pandemic, the Trans Clippers Project has provided hundreds of trans and nonbinary people with a free pair of clippers

A woman sunbathes in a roped-off distancing zone marked out along the beaches in La Grande Motte, southern France.

Covid-19

Five Safety Measures Beaches Are Taking to Minimize the Spread of COVID-19

Seaside areas around the world are using technology and strict regulations to try to protect visitors from the virus

In the United Kingdom, coronavirus lockdown measures were relaxed on June 15.

New Research

Studies Estimate That Lockdowns Slowed COVID-19 Spread and Saved Lives

Experts say the results provide evidence in support of extending these measures

Visitors gather on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park after its reopening.

Covid-19

The ‘New Normal’ of Visiting America’s National Parks

Across the country, these treasured places—and the lodges and businesses that support them—navigate a complicated reopening

In this origin story of the modern ventilator, we appreciate the duality of intensive care medicine: Its defining strength is also its weakness.

Covid-19

How a Polio Outbreak in Copenhagen Led to the Invention of the Ventilator

After one hospital struggled to sustain the breathing of hundreds of patients, engineers found a solution that saved lives and sparked an ethical firestorm

Maintaining social distancing is a challenge as workplaces reopen during the coronavirus pandemic.

Covid-19

How Workplaces Will Use Emerging Tech to Monitor Social Distancing

But do these technologies, apps and wearables respect employee privacy?

A portrait of scientist Isaac Newton, who developed a toad vomit–based cure for the bubonic plague

Sir Isaac Newton’s Prescription for Plague? Toad Vomit Lozenges

Handwritten notes detailing the British polymath’s unsavory treatment are now up for auction

Signs on the floor encourage social distancing.

Covid-19

The New Normal of Dining Out

Restaurants and bars worldwide are instituting unique safety measures against the spread of COVID-19. But will they be effective?

On May 6, South Korea returned somewhat to normal, with businesses, museums and libraries reopening with social distancing measures in place. However, with a spike for more than 70 new cases in Seoul, museums have closed until June 14.

Covid-19

Seoul Closes Public Institutions After South Korea Sees 79 New COVID-19 Cases

Museums, churches, and art galleries are shut down until June 14 in Seoul, home to half of the country’s population

A wooden paddle with a nail-studded leather face was used in Alabama in 1899 to perforate mail in preparation for fumigation as a precaution against yellow fever.

Mail Handlers Used to Poke Holes in Envelopes to Battle Germs and Viruses

The postal service and scientists say there’s no need to sanitize the mail today

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