What are cytokines? By MK Manoylov Cytokines help the immune system kill pathogens, but too many cytokines can lead to bad health outcomes and may turn into a "cytokine storm."
Death rates have fallen by 18% for hospitalized COVID-19 patients as treatments improve By Monica Gandhi Two large recent studies show that people hospitalized for COVID-19 in March were more than three times as likely to die as people hospitalized for COVID–19 in August.
Earwax may reveal how stressed you are By Stephanie Pappas Levels of the stress hormone cortisol in earwax could be a new way to track anxiety, depression and other medical conditions.
Woman sheds coronavirus for 70 days without symptoms By Rachael Rettner The researchers say this is the longest anyone has been reported to be contagious with COVID-19 while remaining asymptomatic.
Denmark to cull all farmed mink to stop coronavirus outbreaks By Nicoletta Lanese The virus has mutated in mink — as might be expected — but we don't know if those mutations changed the virus significantly.
Possible cause of COVID-19 blood clots found By Rachael Rettner These antibodies attack cells in such a way as to promote blood clots.
AI can detect COVID-19 from the sound of your cough By Yasemin Saplakoglu The algorithm listens to subtle differences in coughs between healthy people and infected people.
Does vitamin D protect against COVID-19? By Ashley P. Taylor In the absence of a COVID-19 cure or vaccine, scientists are investigating whether vitamin D can reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.
COVID-19 infects the mouth. Could that explain patients' taste loss? By Nicoletta Lanese The most likely sites of oral infection are the salivary glands, tongue and the tonsils.
COVID-19 household transmission is way higher than we thought By Rachael Rettner More than half of people living the same household as a COVID-19 case also became infected.
Man almost dies from an allergic reaction to cold air By Rachael Rettner The condition, known as cold urticaria, is fairly rare and can cause anaphylaxis.
COVID-19 causes some patients' immune systems to attack their own bodies By Matthew Woodruff Across the world, immunologists who retooled their labs to join the fight against SARS-CoV-2 are furiously trying to explain why some people get so sick while others recover unscathed.
Researchers revamp famous alien-hunting equation to predict spread of COVID-19 By Rachael Rettner A famous equation used in the search for alien life has inspired a new model that estimates the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
What does 'close contact' for COVID-19 really mean? Epidemiologist explains. By Ryan Malosh The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has new guidance clarifying what exactly “close contact” means when it comes to transmission of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
US hits highest average number of new COVID-19 cases since start of the pandemic By Yasemin Saplakoglu The third wave of the pandemic may be much worse than the first two waves.
SARS-CoV-2 uses a second secret doorway into cells By Rajesh Khanna, Aubin Moutal Scientists have found a second doorway, called neuropilin-1, that the novel coronavirus uses to invade human cells.
Superbug may be spreading in hospitals overrun with COVID-19 By Nicoletta Lanese The drug-resistant fungus can easily spread in hospital settings.
Is it possible for anything to be 'germ-free'? By Kelly Slivka Instead of striving to be "germ-free," try to keep germs out of the wrong places.
FDA approves first COVID-19 drug. But it's 'not a blockbuster.' By Nicoletta Lanese The drug was previously being used under "emergency use authorization."
All seniors could get COVID-19 vaccine by end of January, HHS head says By Yasemin Saplakoglu But even if vaccines are approved soon, several major roadblocks could significantly delay the timeline of distribution.
