Nicoletta Lanese

Nicoletta Lanese

Channel Editor, Health

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.

Articles by: Nicoletta Lanese

illustration of the rsv virus where you can see the genetic material curled up inside

New RSV vaccine given in pregnancy protects newborns from illness, Pfizer says

By Nicoletta Lanese published

The drugmaker Pfizer announced positive trial results for its RSV vaccine designed to protect newborns.

histological image shows a cross section of clitoral tissue, stained blue; bundles of nerve fibers look like clusters of blue dots

In a 1st, scientists counted all 10,000 nerve fibers in the human clitoris

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

The clitoris contains thousands more touch-detecting nerve fibers than once thought.

Illustration of bacterial cells, specfically those of Morganella morganii, which look like pill-like pellets; the cells are depicted in blue and the background is red

DNA-damaging gut bacteria may fuel colon cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Certain gut bacteria may explain the link between inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.

microscopy image shows senescent cells with membranes shown in glowing pink and nuclei marked in light blue; many cells have two or more nuclei

'Zombie cells' in the body tied to aging may actually help heal tissue damage

By Nicoletta Lanese published

"Zombie cells" both contribute to age-related disease and help heal important tissues.

A young emperor penguin chick sits on the feet of an adult penguin, nestled into its belly

Emperor penguins join threatened species list, thanks to climate change

By Nicoletta Lanese published

The world's largest penguins have joined the threatened species list.

Cigarette snuffed out in a white ash tray

Quitting smoking by age 35 brings your risk of death in line with 'never smokers'

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Smokers who quit, particularly at young ages, show much lower mortality rates than those who continue smoking.

female patient with long hair lying down in an MRI; we can see the top of her head and a medical provider peering in the machine on the other side

Scientists design algorithm that 'reads' people's thoughts from brain scans

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Using fMRI, scientists decoded what people were hearing and thinking.

illustration of Naegleria fowleri amoebas

Nevada boy dies of rare brain-eating amoeba infection after swimming in Lake Mead

By Nicoletta Lanese published

A child died of a brain-eating amoeba infection in Nevada.

an array of fruits, vegetables, legumes and fish (fillet and whole) on a white background

Does the Mediterranean diet reduce dementia risk? 20-year study hints no

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

A 20-year study found no link between people's dietary habits in midlife and their later risk of dementia.

aerial shot of a flooded neighborhood and a car driving through the wreckage in Fort Myers, Florida after a hurricane hit

Surge of 'flesh-eating' bacteria infections plagues Florida following Hurricane Ian

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Lee and Collier counties in Florida saw increases in flesh-eating bacterial infections after Hurricane Ian.

a historic photo of the plague pits in london being excavated; archaeologists can be seen examining skeletal remains in a line of open graves

'Black death' survivors had plague-resistant genes that may boost their descendants' risk of autoimmune disease

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

The Black Death pushed certain protective genetic variants to become more common in survivors' descendants, DNA from the Middle Ages reveals.

Influenza is one of the deadliest viruses in the world

The deadliest viruses in history

By Nicoletta Lanese, Anne Harding published

Reference These are the 12 most lethal viruses, based on their mortality rates or the number of people they have killed.

illustration of colorful RNA strands against a blue background

Dozens of ancient viruses are 'switched on' in healthy cells throughout our bodies

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Snippets of ancient viruses are embedded in the human genome and active in many healthy tissues.

illustration of influenza virus particles

Flu on the rise in the US as season kicks off early

By Nicoletta Lanese published

States across the U.S. are reporting rising rates of influenza-like illness, hinting that flu season is starting early this year.

on the far left is a three-panel illustration of a dinosaur carcass being partially eaten, then dried out and buried in a fossilization process that would result in a dinosaur mummy with preserved skin. Part of an actual dinosaur mummy is shown on the right side.

Astonishing dinosaur mummy has 'glittering' skin that was punctured and ripped by ancient crocs

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

Scientists uncovered a previously unknown way that dinosaur mummies form.

photo shows a bees crawling over each other in a ball on the ground; two more bees are flying towards the ball from the background

Buzzing bees, sperm-covered sea stars stun judges of Wildlife Photographer of the Year

By Nicoletta Lanese published

A photo of cactus bees took grand prize in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

3D model of the embryo of a cambrian creature; the ring-shaped brain is marked in yellow within the embryo (left) and in a detailed image on its own (right)

Penis worm's ancient cousin fossilized with its doughnut-shaped brain intact

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

Scientists found preserved brain tissue in a Cambrian fossil.

illustration of Candida fungi, a type of yeast

Fungi grow inside cancerous tumors, scientists discover

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

Scientists found fungus in different types of tumors.

illustration of human heart with veins and ateries extending outward

'Love hormone' oxytocin may help mend broken hearts (literally), lab study suggests

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Oxytocin may help regenerate heart tissue after injury.

satellite photo shows hurricane ian as it moves towards cuba in the Caribbean Sea east of Belize

Hurricane Ian stayed strong after smashing into Cuba. Why?

By Nicoletta Lanese published

How did Hurricane Ian remain so monstrous even after hitting Cuba?

satellite image of hurricane ian as its eye moved off of cuba and into the gulf of mexico

Hurricane Ian to unleash 'life-threatening' flooding in Florida as Category 4 storm

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Hurricane Ian will make landfall in Florida on Sept. 28.

A graphic shows hurricane ian's current position south of cuba, and traces its projected path over western cuba and to the west florida coast

Hurricane Ian to reach Category 3 before hitting Cuba, turning toward West Florida

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Hurricane Ian is approaching Cuba and the western Florida coast.

Illustration of fat tissue; bulbous, yellow blobs of tissue covered with thin clear membranes

The coronavirus infects fat cells, study shows

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Research shows that SARS-CoV-2 infects fat cells and certain immune cells in fat.

illustration shows a ribosome (the cell's protein-building factory) assembling a new protein from amino acids

DeepMind scientists win $3 million 'Breakthrough Prize' for AI that predicts every protein's structure

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Makers of the AlphaFold system won a Breakthrough Prize.

a photo of Ocean Beach, Tasmania taken from the air shows hundreds of pilot whales on the shoreline

230 pilot whales beached in Tasmania — exactly 2 years after the area's last mass stranding

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Two mass strandings have occurred in the same region of Tasmania.

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