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

Here's a look at the science of flu shots. Shown here, a vial and syringe.

Flu shot facts and side effects

By Rachael Rettner, Nicoletta Lanese published

The seasonal flu shot is a yearly vaccine that protects against the flu, or influenza. Here's what you need to know about it.

illustration of cells lining the gut with multi-colored gut bacteria on their surfaces

High-sugar diet disrupts the gut microbiome, leading to obesity (in mice)

By Nicoletta Lanese published

A mouse study hints that high-sugar diets harm protective gut bacteria.

photo of a white box labeled "poliovirus vaccine - inactivated;" box is sitting on top of a white piece of paper with a list of common vaccines printed on it, including ipv, the inactivated polio vaccine

Polio is spreading in the US for the 1st time in decades. Do you need a booster?

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Who should get a polio booster?

a bearded man in a dark blue cap and t shirt, tan shorts and sneakers walks away from the overflooded Turabo river on September 19, 2022 in Caguas, Puerto Rico

Hurricane Fiona hits the Dominican Republic after wiping out Puerto Rico's power grid

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Hurricane Fiona has struck both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

illustration of blob-like b cells releasing tiny, y-shaped antibodies

In a 1st, scientists use designer immune cells to send an autoimmune disease into remission

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Five lupus patients reached remission with CAR T-cell therapy.

neat pile of AA batteries of various colors, as viewed from one end

Doctors remove 50 AA and AAA batteries from woman's gut and stomach

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Doctors removed dozens of batteries from a woman's GI tract.

a nurse in blue scrubs and a white face masks pushes an empty gurney down a hospital hallway and towards the camera

1st confirmed monkeypox fatality reported in the US

By Nicoletta Lanese published

An L.A. County resident has died of monkeypox.

radar image shows a bullseye-shaped mound in a mostly flat landscape; image is shown from above and looks like a heat map with red representing high points and green representing low

Massive 'bullseye' in Australian desert is evidence of an ancient reef

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Satellite images revealed an ancient reef in a desert.

Woman recovering from a run

What is homeostasis?

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

Organisms employ a suite of physiological and behavioral responses to maintain homeostasis.

A woman wearing a surgical mask sits across from a health care provider in a mask and face shield who is preparing to give the woman a vaccine dose in her arm

Should you get the new COVID-19 booster shot? Here's everything you need to know.

By Nicoletta Lanese published

The updated COVID-19 boosters guard against omicron subvariants.

close up of a health care worker's gloved hands as they draw the jynneos vaccine out of a vial and into a syringe

Should everyone get a monkeypox vaccine?

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

Monkeypox vaccines should be directed to those at highest risk of infection, experts said.

A small african penguin holds up a foot as if to take a step while two wildlife specialists crouch behind him on the ground, observing

This little penguin can waddle easily again thanks to his custom-made boots

By Nicoletta Lanese published

A penguin with bumblefoot improved his waddle with new orthopedic boots.

two satellite images show a region with a lake to the west and a river running at an angle to the east. The left photo shows the region prior to extreme flooding, whereas the right photo shows the lake and river overflowing into one another and the surrounding area

'Monsoon on steroids' has flooded vast swaths of Pakistan, disturbing satellite images show

By Nicoletta Lanese published

New satellite images capture the extensive flooding in Pakistan.

close-up of a reddish brown ant with long antennae against a white background

These ant queens live 500% longer than workers. Now we know why.

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Indian jumping ants that become queens can slow their aging.

A healthcare professional holding a vaccine.

FDA authorizes updated COVID-19 boosters

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

The FDA approved new COVID-19 boosters that guard against omicron subvariants.

drawing of two fluffy mammals with brown and white markings, long tails and hand-like appendages; a small juvenile is standing alongside a large adult in a forest

Mammals ballooned in size after the dinosaurs went extinct. Here's how they did it.

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

This early mammal got huge thanks to a unique reproductive strategy.

Photo of an archaological site in ukraine that dates to the Scythian period; the outline of a structure can be seen in stone with several indentations in the floor

Scythian arrowheads and Bronze Age dwelling uncovered in Ukraine

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Scythian artifacts were found near Bilsk in Ukraine.

synthetic mouse embryo pictured next to natural embryo

Lab-made mouse embryos grew brains and beating hearts, just like the real thing

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Scientists made synthetic mouse embryos from stem cells.

photo of mushrooms with white stems and brown caps, which contain psilocybin

'Magic mushroom' psychedelic could treat alcohol addiction, trial finds

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

Psilocybin-assisted therapy could be a promising treatment for alcohol use disorder.

carcass of giant squid strewn between large rocks on a beach

Giant 'kraken' carcass with dinner plate-size eyes washes ashore in South Africa

By Nicoletta Lanese published

A huge giant squid carcass cropped up in Cape Town.

illustration of e coli bacteria

'Fast-moving' E. coli outbreak prompts CDC investigation

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated

An E. coli outbreak has sickened 29 people in the midwest.

tan-colored italian greyhound curled up against a pillow on a bed

1st suspected case of human-to-dog monkeypox transmission reported in France

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Two men in France may have passed the monkeypox virus to their pet dog.

illustration shows t. rex skull with its true eye socket shape compared to skull with circular eye socket, which can hold a far larger eyeball

Not just tiny arms: T. rex also had super small eyes to accommodate its big bite

By Nicoletta Lanese published

T. rex may have evolved thin eye sockets to help handle its bite force.

black, mineral-filled water shown spewing out of a hydrothermal vent that a robot is collecting samples from

Massive expanse of towering hydrothermal vents discovered deep in the Pacific

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Scientists found a huge field of hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise.

Scientist in a lab coat is pictured injecting something into a small glass vial on a lab bench

Scientists uncover ancient source of oxygen that could have fueled life on early Earth

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Chemical reactions in early Earth's crust may have provided oxygen to ancient microbes.

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