Nicoletta Lanese

Nicoletta Lanese is a staff writer for Live Science covering health and medicine, along with an assortment of biology, animal, environment and climate stories. She holds degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Follow Nicoletta on Twitter @NicolettaML.

Articles by: Nicoletta Lanese

image of a hand holding the hiccup-relieving device, which resembles a big plastic straw with a mouth piece at the top

Weird gadget may cure hiccups, early study suggests

By Nicoletta Lanese

A new study hints that the device works, but more studies are needed to rule out a placebo effect.

microscopy image of a fluorescently labeled section of a mouse brain.

Never-before-seen brain cells discovered in mice. They're called gorditas.

By Nicoletta Lanese

Researchers discovered new cells after switching on stem cells in the mouse brain.

sheet of spider webs covered in spiders lain over leafless shrubs

'Ballooning' spiders leave behind sea of silk after flood in Australia

By Nicoletta Lanese

The phenomenon is "surprisingly common" after floods, experts say.

silouette of hands prepping a syringe for injection in front of white background with word "Novavax" written across it in blue

Novavax's COVID-19 shots are 90% effective, company reports

By Nicoletta Lanese

The shots are 100% effective against moderate and severe infections.

Image of black crow with beak pointed toward computer monitor; monitor displays a grey circle with four dots on it

Crows understand the 'concept of zero' (despite their bird brains)

By Nicoletta Lanese

Researchers determined this with behavioral tests and recordings of the birds' brain activity.

mosquito sitting on skin

Breakthrough dengue-prevention strategy passes huge trial

By Nicoletta Lanese

The trial was conducted in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Timelapse shows the Pine Island Glacier flowing towards the sea as chunks of its ice shelf break off into the water

Dramatic images capture rapid slide of Antarctic glacier

By Nicoletta Lanese

Scientists studied the acceleration using high-res radar images, captured by satellites.

Drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a lab dish, held by gloved hand

New discovery could help take down drug-resistant bacteria

By Nicoletta Lanese

The team tested this new strategy in mice and lab dishes.

A researcher samples snow covered with "glacier blood."

'Glacier blood' could be key to understanding impacts of climate change

By Nicoletta Lanese

An expedition to the French Alps is revealing the biology of "glacier blood" and how it is impacted by climate change.

Photo shows a lab dish labeled with the name of a strain of E. coli with a synthetic genome; e. coli cells can be seen growing in the dish, which is colored with orange light

Scientists reprogrammed bacteria to be immune to viruses

By Nicoletta Lanese

The technology could be used in many fields, from drug development to materials research.

3D-rendering of an influenza virus.

China reports first known human case of H10N3 bird flu

By Nicoletta Lanese

No additional cases of human infection were identified, according to China's National Health Commission.

illustration of a SARS-CoV-2 viral particle

Coronavirus variants to be named using Greek letters, WHO says

By Nicoletta Lanese

The new names do not replace the variants' scientific names, but serve as an easy alternative.

illustration of the pancreas inside the human body, with a diagram of an insulin molecule on the right

COVID-19 can infiltrate insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, study suggests

By Nicoletta Lanese

The finding still needs to be validated with further research.

close up of early stage embryo

Influential panel recommends removing '14-day rule' on lab-grown embryos

By Nicoletta Lanese

Individual governments and regulatory bodies will now discuss if and how to follow the guidance.

illustration of water molecules sitting on a graphene surface and being zapped with beams of helium

New study turns our understanding of ice upside down

By Nicoletta Lanese

The physics of ice are more complicated than you might expect.

illustration of eye with DNA swirling around the image

Genes from algae helped a blind man recover some of his vision

By Nicoletta Lanese

The man was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease 40 years ago.

short video clip of beating heart cardioid, looks like dark grey and black sphere

Tiny 'hearts' self-assemble in lab dishes and even beat like the real thing

By Nicoletta Lanese

The new heart organoids offer a unique way to study early human development.

Microscopic image of a mucormycosis fungal infection

'Black fungus' treatment runs short in India as new cases of infection emerge

By Nicoletta Lanese

The Indian government is working to increase the nation's supply of amphotericin B.

12 spheres sit on a field of green, red and blue stripes, with some stripes crossing in front of the spheres

This optical illusion tricks you into seeing different colors. How does it work?

By Nicoletta Lanese

This image is an example of the Munker-White illusion.

Illustration of dinoflagellates

Strange single-celled life-form has a truly bizarre genome

By Nicoletta Lanese

The genome of the plankton Symbiodinium microadriaticum is arranged in a very peculiar way.

A man in a hazmat suit walks past ditches and bags of Calcium oxide as members of Danish health authorities assisted by members of the Danish Armed Forces dispose of dead mink in a military area near Holstebro, Denmark on November 9, 2020.

Zombie mink slaughtered due to coronavirus are 'rising' from mass graves

By Nicoletta Lanese

Gases excreted by the decomposing mink had pushed the carcasses up through the ground.

illustration of a b cell surrounded by antibodies

This chain reaction could explain rare blood clots linked to some COVID-19 vaccines

By Nicoletta Lanese

While plausible, this hypothesis still needs to be confirmed.

close up of a pink pigs curly tail and backside

Pigs can breathe through their butts. Can humans?

By Nicoletta Lanese

Assuming humans can also breathe with their intestines, the finding may have clinical applications.

MRI scan of the inside of the brain, viewed from the side, shows how the brain pulses as blood and other fluids flow through it

See how the brain wobbles with each heartbeat in incredible new videos

By Nicoletta Lanese

Using a new MRI technique, scientists captured amazing 3D footage.

Microscopic image of a filamentous fungus that causes mucormycosis, a relatively rare fungal infection

Potentially fatal 'black fungus' infections on the rise in India's COVID-19 patients

By Nicoletta Lanese

The relatively rare infection, called mucormycosis, usually occurs in those with weakened immune systems.