Yasemin is a staff writer at Live Science, covering health, neuroscience and biology. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Science and the San Jose Mercury News. She has a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Connecticut and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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Fish defy death to rub up against great white sharks. Here's why.Fish use sharks as scrub brushes by pushing up against the sea predator's scaly bodies to get rid of parasites and other irritants.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Antiviral pill cuts COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths by 89%, Pfizer saysA new COVID-19 pill significantly cuts risk of hospitalization or death when taken within three days of symptom onset, Pfizer says.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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HPV vaccine slashes cervical cancer rates by 87% among women in the UKThe HPV vaccine reduced cases of cervical cancer by 87% among women in the U.K. who received the vaccine when they were 12 or 13 years old, according to a new study.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Mysterious glass in the Atacama Desert may be from an ancient exploding cometAn ancient comet may have burnt sand into mysterious pieces of twisted glass, according to a new study.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Your pupils can count … sort ofNew research suggests a person's pupil size can change based on the number of objects an individual observes in their visual field.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Ancient golden mask from Peru was painted with human bloodA 1,000-year-old mask discovered on the head of an ancient skeleton was painted using human blood, according to a new study.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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FDA panel recommends Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11The FDA panel concluded that the benefits of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for young children outweigh the risks.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Moderna says COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in childrenThe company plans to submit their data to regulatory agencies soon.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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2.5 billion-year-old traces of life locked inside primeval rubyTraces of ancient life were locked inside a 2.5 billion-year-old ruby from Greenland, according to a new study.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Sheriff reveals what killed California family of hikersA family of hikers who mysteriously died two months ago along a hiking trail in California died from hyperthermia and probable dehydration, the Mariposa County Sheriff revealed.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Woman infected with COVID-19 for 335 days — longest on recordA woman who survived cancer was infected with the novel coronavirus for nearly a year, in the longest-ever reported case of COVID-19, according to a new study.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Should you mix and match COVID-19 vaccines?Many people will now be able to "mix and match" COVID-19 booster shots — that is, get a different COVID-19 vaccine for a booster, the FDA announced Wednesday (Oct. 20).
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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FDA advisory committee recommends Moderna COVID-19 vaccine boosterAn advisory committee voted unanimously on Thursday (Oct. 14) to recommend a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine booster for certain groups of people.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Rare conjoined turtles hatched in MassachusettsAn adorable turtle hatchling that was born with two heads has dazzled its caretakers in Massachusetts — and is thriving, against all odds.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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A rare 2,700-year-old luxury toilet found in JerusalemArchaeologists recently discovered a 2,700-year-old private toilet inside the remains of an ancient royal estate in Jerusalem.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Pfizer asks FDA to authorize COVID-19 vaccine for young kidsPfizer and BioNTech officially submitted a request to the FDA to approve their COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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World's 1st malaria vaccine recommended by WHOThe World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the widespread use of a malaria vaccine — a breakthrough in the long fight against the deadly disease.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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South Pole froze over in coldest winter on recordThe south pole had its coldest winter since record keeping began in 1957.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Secret words exchanged between Marie Antoinette and rumored lover uncovered in redacted lettersA group of French researchers has uncovered censored phrases in letters exchanged by Marie Antoinette and her close friend— and rumored lover — Swedish count Axel von Fersen.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Melting ‘glue’ may have sent the world’s largest iceberg to its doom, new study findsThe thinning of an icy "glue" that holds fractured ice together may drive ice shelf collapse in Antarctica, according to a new study.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Superbright aurora lights up Earth’s night side in incredible image from spaceAn astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) captured a stunning new photo of the luminous green and red lights of an aurora hugging clouds swirling around Earth's night side.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Some dinosaurs may have wagged their tails to help them runSmall-armed, two-legged dinosaurs may have wagged their tails to help them run, for the same reason humans swing their arms, according to a new study.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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COVID-19 has now killed as many people in the U.S. as the 1918 Spanish fluThe 1918-1919 flu pandemic led to approximately 675,000 deaths in the U.S.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published
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Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for younger kidsA lower dose of the vaccine showed to be safe, well-tolerated and effective in spurring antibodies in kids between 5 to 11 years of age, the company announced.
By Yasemin Saplakoglu Published

