Science

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, speaks during a briefing with the coronavirus task force at the White House on Thursday. The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization for a second antibody t

FDA Grants Emergency Authorization For A 2nd COVID-19 Antibody Treatment

3:43pm November 22, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

The experimental cocktail from the biotech company Regeneron is the same drug President Trump got when he was battling the coronavirus this year. It is designed for mild to moderate cases.

Science

Scientists Want To Bring Loons Back To Massachusetts

8:28am November 22, 2020

Scientists are trying to restore the range of loons. The iconic birds vanished from Massachusetts lakes decades ago. Loons from Maine are being moved back to those places, and the plan is working.

Queue Listen Now

FDA Approves First Drug For Rare, Rapid-Aging Genetic Disorder

8:28am November 22, 2020

by Jon Hamilton

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a treatment for progeria, a genetic disorder that causes children to age rapidly. Zokinvy is the first drug approved by the agency for the disorder.

Taco has kept Devin Green busy and her anxiety at bay. "I'm consumed with him more than the worries in my mind."

Pandemic Pet Therapy: What's So Special About A Critter Friend?

7:00am November 22, 2020

by Patti Neighmond

"Relationships with animals are simple," notes one researcher. In a year when life feels fraught, pets have been healers, helping human companions get exercise, quell anxiety and make new friends.

A Look At COVID-19 Vaccine Development Progress

5:06pm November 21, 2020

The race to develop COVID-19 vaccines is moving swiftly, both nationally and internationally. But challenges remain when it comes to distributing vaccines around the world.

A female Aedes aegypti mosquito feeds on human skin.

Why Does A Virus Cause Problems In One Region But Not Another? A Study Offers Insight

6:17pm November 20, 2020

by Michaeleen Doucleff

In 2015, the mosquito-borne virus Zika exploded in South America. Health experts predicted it would erupt in Africa. But a major outbreak never happened. Now scientists think they understand why.

Del Ficke, a farmer in Pleasant Dale, Neb., has embraced the cause of building carbon-rich soil, capturing carbon dioxide from the air in the process.

Farmers Are Warming Up To The Fight Against Climate Change

4:03pm November 20, 2020

by Dan Charles

Several big farm groups, traditionally hostile to environmental regulations, are now working with environmental advocates in support of farmer-friendly actions to reduce carbon emissions.

Queue Listen Now

A low-level inmate from El Paso County detention facility works loading bodies wrapped in plastic into a refrigerated temporary morgue trailer in a parking lot of the El Paso County Medical Examiner's office on Tuesday.

El Paso County Posts Job Opening For Morgue Workers As Virus Death Toll Mounts

11:53am November 20, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

"The Morgue Attendant will be provided maximum PPE, will be tasked with physically moving bodies, and will require the ability to lift between 100-400 lbs. with assistance," the job listing states.

As health care professionals grapple with soaring numbers of COVID-19 cases across the U.S., they're also combating another quick-spreading and frustrating contagion: misinformation.

COVID-19 Denial Still Rampant In Some Coronavirus Hot Spots

4:55pm November 19, 2020

by Nathan Rott

Efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus are being hampered because many people don't believe it's real. "It's absolute garbage," said Craig Mann of Flathead County in northwest Montana.

Queue Listen Now

In August a broken cable that supported a metal equipment platform created a 100-foot (30-meter) gash to the Arecibo radio telescope's reflector dish. Giant, aging cables that support the radio telescope are in danger of failing, and the National Science

World-Renowned Arecibo Radio Telescope Set To Be Dismantled

3:23pm November 19, 2020

by Elie Levine

Arecibo has been a vital resource for radio astronomy, astrophysics, atmospheric studies and solar system astronomy. Now, it's set to close due to structural damage.