A network of scientists is chasing the pandemic’s holy grail: an antibody that protects against not just the virus, but also related pathogens that may threaten humans. From a report: Dozens of companies and academic groups are racing to develop antibody therapies. Already Regeneron and the drug company Eli Lilly have requested emergency use authorizations for their products from the Food…
Tag: diseases
Scientific American Endorses Joe Biden For Its First Presidential Endorsement In 175 Years
goombah99 shares a report from The Washington Post: Four years ago, the magazine flagged Donald Trump’s disdain for science as “frightening” but did not go so far as to endorse his rival, Hillary Clinton. This year, its editors came to a different conclusion. “A 175-year tradition is not something you break lightly,” editor in chief, Laura Helmuth told The Washington Post…
Sir David Attenborough Delivers Stark Warning In BBC Doc ‘Extinction: the Facts’
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: At 94 years old and with over 60 years of wildlife documentary-making under his belt, Sir David Attenborough is well-placed to share his thoughts about the future of our planet. And on Sunday, in the new BBC documentary Extinction: The Facts, the legendary presenter had a warning for all humans about the…
A New Theory Asks: Could a Mask Be a Crude ‘Vaccine’?
Iwastheone shares a report from The New York Times: As the world awaits the arrival of a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine, a team of researchers has come forward with a provocative new theory: that masks might help to crudely immunize some people against the virus. The unproven idea, described in a commentary published Tuesday in the New England Journal of…
How a Covid-19 Outbreak Spared Masked Starbucks Employees
gollum123 shared this article from MarketWatch: Do masks really work? Ask the dozens of Starbucks customers who tested positive for COVID-19 in Seoul this month after a woman with coronavirus sat under one of the cafe’s air-conditioners. According to a local news report, at least 56 coronavirus cases have been linked to that one customer. The kicker: The four masked workers…
Florida releasing genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent diseases like Zika
Some oppose the plan, citing environmental concerns. Source: https://www.livescience.com/genetically-modified-mosquito-florida.html
750 Million Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Approved For Release In Florida Keys
A plan to release over 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys in 2021 and 2022 received final approval from local authorities, against the objection of many local residents and a coalition of environmental advocacy groups. The proposal had already won state and federal approval. CNN reports: Approved by the Environment Protection Agency in May, the pilot project is…
The First Gene-Edited Squid in History Is a Biological Breakthrough
Squid are among the smartest ocean dwellers. Along with other ink-squirting cephalopods like octopuses and cuttlefish, squid boast the largest brains of all invertebrates. They also have an incredibly complex nervous system capable of instantaneously camouflaging their bodies and communicating with each other using various signals. From a report: Scientists have long marveled at these sophisticated behaviors and have tried to…
These dogs are trained to sniff out the coronavirus
Scientists have been working with professional trainers in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales to train dogs to sniff out Covid-19. Most of the dogs have a 100% success rate. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/dogs-trained-to-smell-detect-coronavirus-covid19…
Why do we develop lifelong immunity to some diseases, but not others?
Why do some diseases infect us again and again? Source: https://www.livescience.com/why-lifelong-immunity.html