Science

NIH Lab Races To Create Coronavirus Vaccine In Record Time

6:35am February 21, 2020

by Rob Stein

Scientists at a National Institutes of Health lab are in a hurry to develop a vaccine to protect people against the new coronavirus. They are trying to do it in record time.

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What could you possibly have to learn from a houseplant?

The Lessons To Be Learned From Forcing Plants To Play Music

6:00am February 21, 2020

by Sophie Haigney

It's not as mean as it might sound (though it does involve a little electrocution) and the results can be both beautiful and, well, eye-opening.

Arthur Jackson (right) gets blood tests during home visits in Boston from nurse Brenda Mastricola. He's also getting intravenous penicillin to treat a serious bone infection in his foot. The medication's pump is connected to an indwelling IV catheter. It'

The Case For Sending Drug Users Home From The Hospital With Open IV Lines

7:19pm February 20, 2020

by Martha Bebinger

When patients need long-term treatment with IV antibiotics, hospitals usually let them do it at home — but not if they have a history of injection drug use. A Boston program wants to change that.

Science

Scientists Announce Fresh Experiments On Antimatter

4:11pm February 19, 2020

by Geoff Brumfiel

Researchers have conducted a new test on antimatter — matter's weird opposite. The researchers found that anti-hydrogen atoms behave exactly the same as regular hydrogen. But many questions remain.

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Research & Development associate Divya Nagalati works on cell cultures in Regeneron's infectious disease labs in Tarrytown, N.Y. The firm is looking for tailored antibodies that might prove useful against the new coronavirus.

Hunt For New Coronavirus Treatments Includes Gene-Silencing And Monoclonal Antibodies

4:09pm February 19, 2020

by Joe Palca

The new coronavirus has spurred biotech labs in universities and companies to try to find new approaches to stopping the virus — from blocking its key enzymes to interfering with its genetics.

In this image from a scanning electron microscope, the new coronavirus is in orange.

IMAGES: What New Coronavirus Looks Like Under The Microscope

9:32pm February 13, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

The images were made using scanning and transmission electron microscopes at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Students Caleb Lam (left), 15, and Kevin Ng, 16, have been taking online classes since the schools shut down. ""You have nothing to do at home after classes. We chat online," Lam says.

'It's Not Easy For Anyone': Coronavirus Disrupts Life And Work In Hong Kong

12:30pm February 13, 2020

Students, business owners, sanitation workers and doctors are all struggling to cope with the daily frustrations of living in a city of 7 million that's afraid of an outbreak of COVID-19.

U.S. Response To China's Talent Plan Is Described As Heavy-Handed

6:06am February 13, 2020

by Geoff Brumfiel

The arrest of a Harvard researcher late last month has led to questions about a Chinese program to recruit American talent. Prosecutors say it's a form of economic espionage. Scientists disagree.

An artist's rendering of DNA. Scientists have found traces of DNA that they say is evidence that prehistoric humans procreated with an unknown hominin group in West Africa.

'Ghost' DNA In West Africans Complicates Story Of Human Origins

4:51pm February 12, 2020

by Merrit Kennedy

Modern genomes from Nigeria and Sierra Leone show signals that scientists call "ghost" DNA — from an unknown human ancestor. That means that prehistoric humans likely procreated with an unknown group.

The scientific community has lots of feelings about emoji representation. Geologists are excited about the new rock emoji, for example, but reviews are mixed when it comes to the fly.

Scientists ♥ Their Emojis, But It's Complicated

4:35pm February 12, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The latest batch of new emojis is coming soon and it contains some wins for science-lovers. But scientists have mixed feelings about some of the new images from nature.

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