Hamsters are only the second species known to have spread SARS-CoV-2 to humans Pet hamsters probably carried the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 into Hong Kong and sparked a human COVID-19 outbreak, according to a genomic analysis of viral samples from the rodents. The research confirms earlier fears that a petContinue Reading
VOCs are toxic chemicals that come from loads of home products and natural sources. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs are chemicals that are lighter than air at room temperature and are responsible for the characteristic smells of things like paint thinner and perfumes. VOCs are characterized by having a highContinue Reading
Early data hint that the mutant is slightly more transmissible. A stealthy version of the omicron variant has been detected in the U.S., but so far, it makes up a very low proportion of the overall cases in the country. This version of the variant, called BA.2, bears some geneticContinue Reading
By screening the eyes, doctors may one day be able to predict a person’s risk of early death. By examining tiny vessels inside a person’s eyes, doctors might one day be able to predict that person’s risk of early death, according to a new study. Though the risk of illnessContinue Reading
But shortages mean that new antivirals and other drugs may be hard to come by Two years into the COVID pandemic, as the highly contagious Omicron variant pushes infections to record highs, U.S. physicians have a growing arsenal of therapies to keep mild disease from worsening. At the same time,Continue Reading
Experts predict that such nonhuman-to-human “xenotransplants” may become a viable option within the next decade It’s an exciting time to be an organ transplant physician. Just two weeks ago, doctors in Baltimore reported completing the first successful transfer of a pig heart into a living human patient. Now pig kidneysContinue Reading
The viruses were bacteriophages, meaning viruses that infect bacteria. A woman’s oozing wound failed to heal after nearly two years of antibiotic treatments intended to vanquish the bacterial infection. So her doctors unleashed viruses to slay the superbug. The experimental therapy specifically involved viruses that infect bacteria, known as bacteriophages,Continue Reading
This goes against one of the key assumptions of the theory of evolution. Genetic changes that crop up in an organism’s DNA may not be completely random, new research suggests. That would upend one of the key assumptions of the theory of evolution. Researchers studying the genetic mutations in aContinue Reading
Vaccine makers worry yet another variant will start dominating in the months it takes to roll out shots against this one All the vaccines we use to ward off SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, share one crucial feature: they were designed to protect against its ancestral form, which surfacedContinue Reading
In the other states, only a select group of adults are currently eligible. Adults in California and Colorado can receive a COVID-19 booster shot if it has been at least six months since their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, according to the states’ public health departments. ThisContinue Reading