How quickly can we modify COVID-19 vaccines to tackle any new variants that arise? Jennifer Pancorbo has some answers. The ongoing battles with COVID variants Delta and Omicron highlight just how quickly viruses can mutate, and what that can mean for

Drugs commonly used to treat cystic fibrosis work by directly aiding the protein folding process—binding the CFTR gene to ensure that the protein has ample time to bend into shape. The finding, published in the journal Cell, may serve as a roadmap fo

Hospital rooms where COVID-19 patients received treatment have little to no active virus contamination on surfaces, according to a new study. The findings, which add to the body of research on how the pandemic respiratory virus spreads, indicate that

While dry events in California are not getting drier, extreme wet weather events have steadily increased in magnitude since the middle of the last century, new research shows. These increased extreme wet events can result in more dangerous flooding a

Researchers have developed a new framework that they believe will help identify people previously overlooked for alcohol use disorder (AUD). The new framework focuses on 13 risk factors, such as impulsive behavior, reward sensitivity, and punishment

Nutrition facts, ingredient lists, and allergens—all FDA-required information on food labels—are frequently absent when buying food online. Online food retailers don’t consistently display nutrition information on their websites—and US laws are laggi

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t affect a couple’s chances of becoming pregnant, but skipping the shots and landing a coronavirus infection might reduce male fertility, research shows. In a study of couples trying to conceive, researchers found n

People who sheltered with their children or romantic partners reported better mental health during the pandemic than those who lived alone, a study finds. Despite the obvious stressors—cramped quarters, school closures, the chaos of waxing and waning

The first genome-wide, ancient human DNA data from Sudan reveals new insights into the ancestry and social organization of people who lived more than 1,000 years ago. In Nature Communications, researchers report their analyses of the DNA of 66 indivi

Acceptance of a combination influenza-COVID-19 vaccine among minority individuals is higher than for the COVID-19 vaccine alone, according to new research. The findings suggest that bundling COVID-19 vaccines or boosters with influenza vaccines may b

Older adults who are socially isolated are more likely to have missing teeth, and to lose their teeth more quickly over time, than those with more social interaction, according to a study of older adults in China. “Our study suggests that maintaining

Researchers have discovered a possible reason why L-dopa, the front-line drug for treating Parkinson’s disease, loses efficacy as treatment progresses. The drug causes dyskinesia, involuntary, erratic muscle movements of the patient’s face, arms, leg

The American Rescue Plan Act could do more to tackle racial wealth inequality, argues professor Goldburn P. Maynard Jr. While the American Rescue Plan Act provided a major infusion of economic aid to low-income and middle-class Americans, more should

It could be a few hundred years before another dangerous, explosive Vesuvius eruption occurs, according to a new study. Located near Naples, Italy, Vesuvius last had a violent eruption in 1944, towards the end of the Second World War. More than three

To detect wound complications as soon as they happen, researchers have invented a battery-free “smart suture” that can wirelessly sense and transmit information about wounds from deep surgical sites. Monitoring surgical wounds after an operation is a

Decisions feel right to us if we have compared the options as attentively as possible—and if we are conscious of having done so, according to a new study. This requires a capacity for introspection, researchers report. Buying a second-hand car at a g

New research explains how hairs called cilia move fluids and small particles in the body. Sperm can’t claim all the credit for their strong swimming. Carpets of tiny hairs called cilia lining the inside of the fallopian tubes give them an extra boost

Over time, being in an on-again-off-again relationship can have a lasting negative influence on mental health, research shows. The negative effects sometimes linger on for more than a year, says researcher Kale Monk, assistant professor at the Univer

New findings challenge the common advice for women with obesity to lose weight before trying to have a baby. The study found that women with obesity and unexplained infertility who lost weight prior to starting infertility treatments did not have a g

Many countries have much room for improvement in end-of-life care, including some high-income countries, researchers report. They ranked 81 countries on how well their health systems provide for the physical and mental well-being of patients at the e

Marketing researchers have identified the combination of characteristics that make people “like” images on Instagram. Previous work found there are two aspects of an image that people respond to: feature complexity and design complexity. Essentially,

Sex education lacks representation of Black and Brown people, research finds. In recent years, attention to diversity of images in visual media—TV, movies, stock photos, children’s books, and more—has increased. The new paper investigates skin color

Researchers suspect that the Earth’s heat may dissipate sooner than previously thought. The researchers have come to this conclusion after showing in the lab how well a mineral common at the boundary between the Earth’s core and mantle conducts heat.

“Doomscrolling,” a term used to describe the concept of binging on negative news, is a new and unique behavior, and not just another trendy, clickbaity phrase, a new study finds. The study in Technology, Mind, and Behavior also developed a technique

A new technique uses small wearable sensors to gather data on how people who have experienced a traumatic hand amputation use a prosthesis versus a transplant in everyday life. So far, the data shows people with a transplanted hand demonstrate a more

Emotional exhaustion, isolation, and “nonsensical” visitor and other hospital policies contributed to parents of babies in neonatal intensive care units feeling less satisfied with care during the early days of COVID-19, researchers report. For a new

As many as a third of people with “wet” age-related macular degeneration, a blinding retinal disease, may someday be able to safely stop eye injection therapy without further vision loss, a preliminary study shows. The findings fall short of setting

The Centers for Disease Control has upgraded its guidance to acknowledge that cloth masks are not as effective as surgical and N95 masks to protect against COVID-19. The recommendation comes as the highly contagious Omicron variant continues to drive

Children up to age 18 with COVID-19 were at low risk for serious health problems stemming from such infections, researchers report. The new study was based on pediatric data analyzed up to June 2021, before the Delta and Omicron variants took hold. T

Researchers have come up with a computer model that remarkably mirrors the way misinformation spreads in real life. The new work might provide insight on how to protect people from the current contagion of misinformation that threatens public health