China has withheld information about the possible natural origin of the virus. The WHO calls the lack of transparency "inexcusable". Author: Katrin Zöfel It is no coincidence that the WHO is calling for more transparency right now. A few weeks ago, it became known that there are samples from the Huanan animal market in [...]
Doctors experimenting with AI tools to help diagnose patients is nothing new. But getting them to trust the AIs they're using is another matter entirely. To establish that trust, researchers at Cornell University attempted to create a more transparent AI system that works by counseling doctors in the same way a human colleague would — [...]
The Linseman Laboratory is studying the long-term brain health effects of COVID-19 in individuals with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI). Preliminary data suggest that those with a history of both COVID-19 and TBI experience more severe long COVID symptoms. The study is also examining blood biomarkers to understand age-related differences in long COVID and explore [...]
From squabbling over who booked a disaster holiday to differing recollections of a glorious wedding, events from deep in the past can end up being misremembered. But now researchers say even recent memories may contain errors. Scientists exploring our ability to recall shapes say people can make mistakes after just a few seconds – [...]
Missing crucial doses of medicines and vaccines could become a thing of the past thanks to Rice University bioengineers’ next-level technology for making time-released drugs. “This is a huge problem in the treatment of chronic disease,” said Kevin McHugh, corresponding author of a study about the technology published online in Advanced Materials ("A Scalable Platform for [...]
Engineers at MIT and the University of Massachusetts Medical School have designed a new type of nanoparticle that can be administered to the lungs, where it can deliver messenger RNA encoding useful proteins. With further development, these particles could offer an inhalable treatment for cystic fibrosis and other diseases of the lung, the researchers say. "This is the [...]
British researchers are developing a groundbreaking technology to monitor genetic changes in respiratory viruses as they circulate round the world. The system is to be used to pinpoint dangerous new variants as they emerge and act as an early warning system for new diseases and future pandemics. The team, which is based at the [...]
Just as a tight core is a component of good physical fitness for humans, helping to stabilize our bodies, mutations that tightened the core of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in new variants may have increased the virus's fitness. New research led by Penn State reveals that the stem region of the spike protein became progressively [...]
Have a cough, sore throat and congestion? Any number of respiratory viruses could be responsible. Conventional tests can identify certain likely culprits by relying on chemical reactions, but some researchers want to swap chemistry for electrical changes sensed by nanomaterials. Today, scientists report using a single-atom-thick nanomaterial to build a device that can simultaneously [...]
A new era of neurotechnology means we may need new protections to safeguard our brain and mental experiences. A last bastion of privacy, our brains have remained inviolate, even as sensors now record our heartbeats, breaths, steps and sleep. All that is about to change. An avalanche of brain-tracking devices—earbuds, headphones, headbands, watches and [...]
