
Nicoletta Lanese
Nicoletta Lanese is the health channel editor at Live Science and was previously a news editor and staff writer at the site. She holds a graduate certificate in science communication from UC Santa Cruz and degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida. Her work has appeared in The Scientist, Science News, the Mercury News, Mongabay and Stanford Medicine Magazine, among other outlets. Based in NYC, she also remains heavily involved in dance and performs in local choreographers' work.
Latest articles by Nicoletta Lanese

'Medicine needed an alternative': How the 'phage whisperer' aims to replace antibiotics with viruses
By Lina Zeldovich published
"Both understood phages as medicinal agents, which the rest of the medical field viewed as nonsensical."

New RSV drug for babies is over 90% effective at preventing hospitalization
By Nicoletta Lanese published
In a new study, the RSV drug nirsevimab was 93% effective at preventing young children from being hospitalized for the respiratory infection.

Raw milk from US dairies must now be tested for bird flu
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A new federal order requires that U.S. dairies provide milk samples to the USDA so the agency can test the milk for bird flu prior to pasteurization.

A single gene mutation could enable H5N1 to spread between people, study finds
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A new laboratory study pinpoints a way H5N1 could evolve to spread from person to person.

WHO is investigating mystery illness behind 12 dozen deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
By Nicoletta Lanese published
Between 67 and 143 people in the DRC have died of an unknown, flu-like disease, officials have said.

Diagnostic dilemma: A woman cleaned her fish tank and ended up in the hospital
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A bacterial infection that rarely occurs in the United States hit a woman in Maryland after she cleaned her home aquarium.

Diagnostic dilemma: A man's heart stopped after he ate too much licorice
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A man experienced cardiac arrest after eating a different flavor of candy than he had historically.

'Black mold-like substance' and water contamination uncovered by FDA at Tom's of Maine toothpaste factory
By Nicoletta Lanese published
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to a Tom's of Maine facility in Sanford that makes toothpaste.

Scientists take huge step forward in making atlas of all 37 trillion cells in the human body
By Nicoletta Lanese published
Scientists published more than three dozen papers as part of the Human Cell Atlas, an effort to map the human body cell by cell.

Diagnostic dilemma: A man's 'magic mushroom' tea led to a bad trip to the hospital
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A man's attempt at self-medicating with shrooms resulted in a trip to the intensive care unit.

39 sickened, 15 hospitalized in E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots
By Nicoletta Lanese published
U.S. health officials are investigating an outbreak of E. coli tied to now-recalled organic whole bagged carrots and baby carrots from Grimmway Farms.

Diagnostic dilemma: A man's brain started bleeding after a dentist appointment
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A man's brain started bleeding just after he got teeth pulled at the dentist's office. Why?

Canada reports 1st local case of H5 bird flu
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A teen in Canada may be the first person to catch an H5 bird flu virus within the country. Health officials are now working to confirm the diagnosis.

LED device treats leading cause of vision loss with light therapy, FDA says
By Nicoletta Lanese published
The Food and Drug Administration will allow a new device to be marketed as a treatment for dry age-related macular degeneration.

E. coli in the gut may fuel a 'chain reaction' leading to Parkinson's, early study suggests
By Nicoletta Lanese published
Two recent chemistry studies pinpoint reactions that may link the gut microbiome to the development of Parkinson's disease.

Older adults should get 2 doses of the updated COVID shot, CDC says
By Nicoletta Lanese published
The 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines are available, and the CDC recommends that certain groups get two doses, spaced six months apart.

Scientists launch amazing 'atlas' of embryos, showing how cells move and develop through time
By Nicoletta Lanese published
"Zebrahub" is an atlas of cells in developing zebrafish embryos, and scientists say it will help us learn about our own biology, too.

Nearly 50 illnesses, 1 death caused by E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders
By Nicoletta Lanese published
U.S. health officials are investigating a multi-state outbreak of bacterial infections that has been linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders.

How do people die of the flu?
By Bryan Rocha, Nicoletta Lanese published
Severe flu infections can lead to a range of deadly complications, especially in people whose immune systems are compromised by age or disease.

Acupuncture really works for sciatica pain, study finds
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A new trial that compared acupuncture to a convincing placebo suggests that the treatment can help relieve sciatica pain.

Man developed a 'headspin hole' after years of breakdancing, case report says
By Nicoletta Lanese published
Doctors describe "breakdance bulge," a unique head injury among dancers, in a new case report.

Parasitic worms cause terrible diseases — could the viruses they carry be to blame?
By Rohini Subrahmanyam published
Roundworms harbor viruses, which could be responsible for these parasites' painful symptoms in humans, scientists theorize.

'Any protein you can imagine, it can deliver': AI will help discover the next breakthrough in RNA, says Nobel Prize winner Dr. Drew Weissman
By Nicoletta Lanese published
Live Science spoke with Nobel laureate Dr. Drew Weissman and engineer Daeyeon Lee about a new RNA research center they're helping to launch.
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