Articles tagged as Viruses | Smithsonian Magazine

As countries in the Northern Hemisphere enter flu season, experts are looking to patterns from Southern Hemisphere nations as a source of cautious optimism.

Covid-19

What to Expect When Covid-19 and the Flu Season Collide

Experts weigh in on the necessary steps to ensure a mild flu season during the pandemic

October 7, 2020

The discoveries of these three Nobel laureates “saved millions of lives worldwide,” one Nobel committee member said.

The contributions of these Nobel laureates helped identify, test, and treat hepatitis C

October 5, 2020

Woodrow Wilson, seen here at the start of the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919, never publicly acknowledged the pandemic's toll on his country.

The president contracted influenza while attending peace talks in Paris, but the nation was never told the full, true story

October 2, 2020

University of Arizona leaders were able to prevent a potential Covid-19 outbreak by testing wastewater.

University of Arizona Stops a Covid-19 Outbreak by Following the Feces

After wastewater monitoring detected the virus in a dorm’s sewage, the school discovered and quarantined two asymptomatic infections

August 31, 2020

Commuters wearing face masks walk to work in Tokyo on April 7.

Covid-19

How a Japanese Museum Is Documenting Life During Covid-19

New exhibition features everyday objects that would have been unfamiliar before the pandemic

August 25, 2020

A customer talks to a waiter in a mask while eating his meal at a table divided with transparent panels in Bangalore, India.

Covid-19

What Scientists Know About Airborne Transmission of the New Coronavirus

Aerosol experts, from engineers to doctors, weigh in on the ability of tiny droplets to transmit the virus that causes COVID-19

August 12, 2020

Covid-19

What Scientists Know About How Children Spread COVID-19

As communities struggle with the decision over whether to open up schools, the research so far offers unsatisfying answers

July 23, 2020

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

July 21, 2020

Covid-19

How Viruses Evolve

Pathogens that switch to a new host species have some adapting to do. How does that affect the course of a pandemic like COVID-19?

July 17, 2020

Llamas, alpacas and other camelids produce a special kind of antibody called nanobodies, which may be used to treat and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Covid-19

Llama Cells Could Help Scientists Create a COVID-19 Treatment

Scientists are re-engineering llama antibodies to neutralize the virus

July 17, 2020

Together, COVID-19 cases in California, Florida and Texas accounted for one-fifth of new cases in the world and one-third of new cases in the United States on Monday, July 13.

California, Texas and Florida Emerge as COVID-19 Hotspots

Combined, the three states accounted for nearly 20 percent of the world’s new cases on earlier this week

July 16, 2020

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

July 14, 2020

A survey of nearly 1,000 environmental education and outdoor science schools that serve primarily K-12 learners shows that 63 percent of such organizations are uncertain whether they will ever open their doors again, if pandemic restrictions last until year’s end.

Education During Coronavirus

Will COVID-19 Spell the End of Outdoor and Environmental Education?

The pandemic has been devastating to the field, according to a recent survey

July 13, 2020

A worker disinfects a hog pen in Suining in southwest China's Sichuan province in February 2020.

New Swine Flu Strain With Pandemic Potential Isn’t Cause for Alarm

The findings are a reminder not to forget about seasonal viruses, but also shows that virus surveillance systems work

July 6, 2020

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

July 6, 2020

Covid-19

A Virus Study You’ve Never Heard of Helped Us Understand COVID-19

What Columbia University researchers learned when they tried to get a complete picture of how respiratory viruses spread across Manhattan

June 25, 2020

Covid-19

COVID-19 Cases Exceed Eight Million Worldwide

The bleak milestone arrives as cases spike in South America

June 17, 2020

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

June 16, 2020

Bats have harbored dangerous coronaviruses that crossed to humans, like SARS-CoV-2.

Covid-19

These Scientists Hunt for Viruses in Animals Before They Strike Humans

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers were searching for potential human pathogens in wild animals. They’ve found thousands

July 2020

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

June 15, 2020