Microbes, Bacteria, Viruses

An advisory panel says most fully vaccinated Americans are still well-protected from Covid-19.

FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Covid-19 Booster for Older and High-Risk Americans

The committee says most Americans don’t need a booster shot just yet

Instead of giving the same mRNA shot a third time, the group suggests boosters could be tweaked to better handle new variants as the emerge, similar the annual flu shot.

Some Experts Say Most Vaccinated Americans Don't Need Booster Shot Yet

A new analysis concludes vaccines still offer substantial protection against Covid-19

Children head back to school in August even as the Covid-19 delta variant makes its rounds. For reasons that aren’t fully understood, kids do not get as sick from Covid-19 as adults do. The role of schools in fostering spread of the virus is also under study.

Covid-19

Why Don't Kids Tend to Get as Sick From Covid-19?

Some children have been hospitalized and some have died, but at a tiny fraction of the adult rate. Scientists are trying to find out why.

Antibacterial resistance--considered a major health threat--has been discovered on the teeth of wild brown bears in Sweden.

New Research

Antibiotic Resistance Found Deep in Forests of Scandinavia

A DNA analysis of wild brown bear teeth shows that the global health threat has spread to remote areas of Sweden

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

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

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

The fungus Hemileia vastatrix strikes a plant on a coffee farm in Aquires, Costa Rica.

New Study Shows Climate Change May Increase the Spread of Plant Pathogens

Models suggest that higher latitude crops will experience higher infection rates and a greater number of threats

Researchers extracting an ice core from the Guliya Ice Cap in the Tibetan Plateau in 2015.

New Research

Scientists Extract 15,000-Year-Old Viruses From Tibetan Glacier

Researchers say the ancient pathogens are unlikely to cause humans any harm, but 28 out of the 33 viruses found are new to science

A researcher looks at Artemisia annua seedlings. The plant contains malaria-fighting compounds.

World Health Organization Certifies China as Malaria-Free

In the 1940s, the country recorded 30 million cases of malaria each year

Ancient DNA and proteins gathered from the specimen's bones and teeth revealed the presence of Yersinia pestis.

New Research

Oldest Strain of Plague Bacteria Found in 5,000-Year-Old Human Remains

Unlike the 'Black Death' in the 14th century, the ancient infection probably did not spread quickly between people

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

These baby bobtail squid going to the International Space Station for an experiment that examines whether space alters the symbiotic relationship between the squid and a bioluminescent bacterium that allows them to glow.

NASA Is Launching Tardigrades and Baby Squid Into Space

The experiments could help astronauts stay healthy and survive longer outside Earth’s atmosphere

The team used bacteria to clean the tomb of Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Nemours (pictured here). Allegorical sculptures of Night and Day flank the marble sarcophagus.

Art Meets Science

Italian Art Restorers Used Bacteria to Clean Michelangelo Masterpieces

Researchers deployed microbes to remove stains and grime from the marble sculptures in Florence's Medici Chapels

Passengers ride the New York City subway on May 24, 2021.

New Research

Thousands of Unknown Microbes Found in Subways Around the World

A team of more than 900 scientists and volunteers swabbed the surfaces of 60 public transit systems

Some designers promote fashion lines based on kente cloth from Ghana.

When Is Kente Cloth Worn and More Questions From Our Readers

You've got questions. We've got experts

AstraZeneca's vaccine is approved for use in over 20 countries.

Why U.S. Approval of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine Is Taking So Long

An unprecedented public exchange with a data review board is the latest of AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine’s hurdles

Balaram Khamari's “Microbial Peacock” won second place in the traditional category in the 2020 American Society for Microbiology Agar Art Contest.

How Microbiologists Craft Stunning Art Using Pathogens

Scientists mix microorganisms with agar, a jelly-like substance from seaweed, to create amazing illustrations in petri dishes

Since scientists haven’t yet found evidence that the vaccines provide mucosal immunity, someone who is vaccinated and has no symptoms of illness may be carrying the live SARS-CoV-2 virus and spreading it to others when they cough, breath or sneeze.

Covid-19

Why It's Important to Still Wear a Mask After Covid-19 Vaccination

Vaccinated people should still wear masks around unvaccinated individuals to prevent transmission

ENGS peaks in March during the dry season and researcher’s suspect that something within the chimps’ biology or in their environment is prompting the disease

The Mysterious Cause of a Deadly Illness in Sanctuary Chimps Revealed

Researchers identified the 100 percent fatal pathogen as epizootic neurologic and gastroenteric syndrome or ENGS

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