Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

New System to Quickly Detect Airborne Viruses Using High-Speed Train Technology

Researchers from University of British Columbia and Michigan State University have invented a system that can quickly and inexpensively detect airborne viruses using the same technology that enables high-speed trains.

24 Aug 2023

Using Swabs to Detect Over 50 Species of Animals in Rainforest

An international research team demonstrates that the cotton buds themselves, which became familiar to all during the COVID-19 pandemic, are an important tool for mapping biodiversity.

23 Aug 2023

SARS-CoV-2 Infection is Significantly Linked With the Development of High Blood Pressure

An analysis of electronic medical records for more than 45,000 people found that COVID-19 infection was significantly associated with the development of high blood pressure, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

22 Aug 2023

Supporting Informed Decisions on Malaria Biocontrol Interventions

Following World Mosquito Day, we spoke with Dr. Michael Santos from GeneConvene Global Collaborative about using genetically engineered mosquitoes to help tackle malaria and how the Collaborative supports informed decision-making regarding this potentially game-changing technique.

21 Aug 2023

AI Tool Speeds Up Vaccine Development

From tackling homework challenges to drafting emails, people are discovering a vast array of applications for natural language processing tools like generative artificial intelligence (AI) engines.

14 Aug 2023

Leveraging Nature's Blueprint: The Impact of Directed Evolution in Protein Engineering

In this interview conducted at SLAS EU 2023 in Brussels, Belgium, we spoke to Miguel Alcalde, a Research Professor at the CSIC, about directed evolution in enzymology and the wider biotechnology sector.

From Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) 4 Aug 2023

The Peptoid Approach to Antiviral Resistance

Antiviral therapies are difficult to develop because viruses can rapidly mutate to become drug resistant.

3 Aug 2023

Researchers Design New Algorithm to Boost Pandemic Preparedness

Immune system researchers have designed a computational tool to boost pandemic preparedness. Scientists can use this new algorithm to compare data from vastly different experiments and better predict how individuals may respond to disease.

26 Jul 2023

Xenogeneic-Free Brain Organoids Offer New Hope for Studying Neurodegenerative Diseases

Researchers at University of Michigan developed a method to produce artificially grown miniature brains -; called human brain organoids -; free of animal cells that could greatly improve the way neurodegenerative conditions are studied and, eventually, treated.

14 Jul 2023

Study Provides More Treatment Options for Severe COVID-19

Two anti-inflammatory drugs, abatacept and infliximab, reduced deaths among patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19, according to a national study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

11 Jul 2023

New Device Enables Real-Time Environmental Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Aerosols

Now that the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, scientists are looking at ways to surveil indoor environments in real time for viruses.

11 Jul 2023

C. auris in Ear Canals of Stray Dogs Could Pose Risk to Humans

Researchers from McMaster University and the University of Delhi in India have isolated and identified the first live culture of the drug-resistant pathogen Candida auris from an animal, particularly from the ear canals of stray dogs.

10 Jul 2023

EMBL-EBI Launches Pathogens Portal to Enhance Global Pathogen Surveillance

EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) has launched the Pathogens Portal – an online platform that enables researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to access the most comprehensive collection of biomolecular data about pathogens.

7 Jul 2023

First Brain Atlas of Dwarf Cuttlefish

Anything with three hearts, blue blood and skin that can change colors like a display in Times Square is likely to turn heads.

21 Jun 2023

Wild Mammals Traveled Longer Distances During Strict COVID-19 Lockdowns

Human behavior changed dramatically during lockdowns in the first months of the global COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in behavioral changes of land mammals.

12 Jun 2023

Hytera Supports ZimParks to Improve Staff Safety and Conserve Wildlife

Hytera Communications, a leading global provider of professional communications technologies and solutions, has partnered with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) to improve the safety of rangers working across the parks and reduce wildlife poaching activities.

12 Jun 2023

Leave Bats Alone to Prevent the Next Pandemic of Zoonotic Origin

A new paper in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health makes the case that pandemic prevention requires a global taboo whereby humanity agrees to leave bats alone-;to let them have the habitats they need, undisturbed.

7 Jun 2023

Activated B Cells in Gastrointestinal Tract Contribute to the Development of Liver Cancer

Inflammatory fatty liver disease (NASH, non alcoholic steatohepatitis ) and the resulting liver cancer are driven by autoaggressive T cells. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) now show what ist behind this destructive behavior. I

24 May 2023

Compound Found in Magnolia Tree Bark Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication in Several Cell Types

A compound called honokiol, which is found in the bark of multiple species of magnolia tree, inhibits replication of SARS-CoV-2 virus in several types of cells, according to a team of researchers in the Netherlands.

23 May 2023

Seasonal Behavior of SARS-CoV-2 is Genetically Encoded, Study Suggests

As the northern hemisphere heads into summer, we may be in for a COVID-19 reprieve. Not because the pandemic is over; the Omicron subvariant 'Arcturus' is still creeping upward and causing new symptoms.

15 May 2023