23andMe is becoming a publicly-traded company through a merger with Virgin’s VG Acquisition. Engadget reports: The deal values 23andMe at about $3.5 billion and should give the company the finances it wants to boost its personal healthcare and therapeutics plans. It should have over $900 million in cash, for instance. The merger is expected to close in the second quarter of…
Tag: disease
Fauci Says CDC May Recommend Wearing Two Masks To Fight Virus
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: The Centers for Disease Control may recommend wearing two masks — one over the other — to keep at bay the more contagious variants of the coronavirus, according to Anthony Fauci. The CDC and Fauci discussed the matter Monday but the agency doesn’t yet have the data to make any formal recommendation, he…
Researchers Try Using CRISPR To Genetically Engineer Zika-Resistant Mosquitoes
A new research study at the University of Missouri is using CRISPR gene-editing technology to produce mosquitoes that are unable to replicate Zika virus and therefore cannot infect a human through biting. Slashdot reader wooloohoo shared an announcement from Cornell’s Alliance for Science: Alexander Franz, an associate professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, collaborated with researchers at Colorado State…
Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine is 66% effective against moderate to severe COVID-19
The vaccine’s efficacy was highest in the U.S. and the lowest in South Africa, where a new variant is infecting people. Source: https://www.livescience.com/johnson-and-johnson-coronavirus-vaccine-effective-severe-disease.html
Are Experts Underselling the Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines?
David Leonhardt won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2011. This week in a New York Times newsletter, he argues that early in the pandemic experts around the world mistakenly discouraged mask use because of “a concern that people would rush to buy high-grade medical masks, leaving too few for doctors and nurses. The experts were also [at the time] unsure…
Sri Lankan minister drinks ‘magic potion’
A politician who consumed a potion said to ward off coronavirus has since tested positive for the disease. In a striking example of how blind belief c… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/343293/sri-lankan-minister-drinks-magic-potion…
Prostate Cancer Can Be Precisely Diagnosed Using a Urine Test With AI
An anonymous reader Phys.Org: The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced that the collaborative research team led by Dr. Kwan Hyi Lee from the Biomaterials Research Center and Professor In Gab Jeong from Asan Medical Center developed a technique for diagnosing prostate cancer from urine within only 20 minutes with almost 100% accuracy. The research team developed this technique…
7% of Americans Have Had Covid-19
CNN reports: According to Johns Hopkins University’s tally of cases in the United States, there have been at least 23,754,315 cases of coronavirus in the U.S., and at least 395,785 deaths. On Saturday, Johns Hopkins reported 198,218 new cases and 3,286 new deaths… On Friday, the CDC said new more contagious variants of the coronavirus will likely accelerate the spread of…
Razer Has Created a Concept N95 Mask With RGB and Voice Projection
Razer has created a concept reusable N95 respirator called Project Hazel, featuring Chroma RGB LEDs and microphones and amplifiers to project your voice. The Verge reports: It’s a concept design with a glossy outside shell made of waterproof and scratch-resistant recycled plastic, which is transparent to allow for lip-reading and seeing facial cues when you chat with people. Currently, there isn’t…
Autopsies Reveal the Terrible Damage COVID-19 Can Inflict On the Human Brain
“As COVID-19 relentlessly infects more and more of us, scientists are getting a close look at the strange and frightening damage it can inflict on our bodies,” writes Science Alert (in an article shared by long-time Slashdot reader AmiMoJo):
We’ve known since early in the pandemic this disease wreaks havoc on more than just the respiratory system, also causing gastrointestinal conditions, heart…