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Sending Science Majors Into Elementary Schools Helps Latino and Black Students Realize Scientists Can Look Like Them
Read More: Sending Science Majors Into Elementary Schools Helps Latino and Black Students Realize Scientists Can Look Like ThemBy Dieuwertje J. Kast, University of Southern California The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea After taking part in hands-on STEM lab experiments as part of a youth science program I coordinate, Latino and Black students were more likely to picture scientists as people who look like them…
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COVID-19, HIV, Hivaids, Medical tests, Prevention, Preventive health, Research, Science, Vaccinations, Vaccines
HIV/AIDS Vaccine: Why Donโt We Have One After 37 Years, When We Have Several for COVID-19 After a Few Months?
Read More: HIV/AIDS Vaccine: Why Donโt We Have One After 37 Years, When We Have Several for COVID-19 After a Few Months?By Ronald C. Desrosiers, University of Miami Smallpox has been eradicated from the face of the Earth following a highly effective, worldwide vaccination campaign. Paralytic poliomyelitis is no longer a problem in the U.S. because of development and use of effective vaccines against the poliovirus. In current times, millions of lives have been saved because…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, cancer, Clinical trials, Health care, Health policy, Research
โKicking You When Youโre Downโ: Many Cancer Patients Pay Dearly for Parking
Read More: โKicking You When Youโre Downโ: Many Cancer Patients Pay Dearly for ParkingBy Rebecca J. Ritzel, Kaiser Health News For cancer patients, the road from diagnosis to survivorship feels like a never-ending parade of medical appointments: surgeries, bloodwork, chemotherapy, radiation treatments, scans. The routine is time-consuming and costly. So, when hospitals charge patients double-digit parking fees, patients often leave the garage demoralized. This story also ran on…
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Adolescent, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Parenting, Parenting teens, Prevention, Preventive health, Research, Science, Teen, Vaccinations, Vaccines
Can Schools Require COVID-19 Vaccines for Students Now That Pfizerโs Shot Is Authorized for Kids 12 and Up?
Read More: Can Schools Require COVID-19 Vaccines for Students Now That Pfizerโs Shot Is Authorized for Kids 12 and Up?By Kristine Bowman, Michigan State University With the first COVID-19 vaccine now authorized for adolescents, ages 12 and up, a big question looms: Will students be required to get the vaccine before returning to their classrooms in the fall? As a professor of education policy and law and a former attorney for school districts, I…
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15 Minutes With Jessica Malaty Rivera
Read More: 15 Minutes With Jessica Malaty RiveraJessica Malaty Rivera wears many hats. Her official title is infectious disease epidemiologist and science communication lead at the COVID Tracking Project, but that’s just the beginning. Malaty Rivera rose to prominence during the pandemic, when she began debunking Covid-19 conspiracy theories and vaccine misinformation online. She soon became an Instagram star for her level-headed…
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Popping Toys, the Latest Fidget Craze, Might Reduce Stress for Adults and Children Alike
Read More: Popping Toys, the Latest Fidget Craze, Might Reduce Stress for Adults and Children AlikeBy Katherine Isbister, University of California, Santa Cruz The newest fidget craze is popping toys. Adults and kids all over the world have been buying up this endlessly reusable version of a longtime favorite fidget activity: popping bubble wrap. Made of silicone and coming in a range of colors, shapes and sizes, they are half-sphere…
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Going Back to the Office? The Colder Temperature Could Lead to Weight Gain
Read More: Going Back to the Office? The Colder Temperature Could Lead to Weight GainBy Kenneth McLeod, Binghamton University, State University of New York With millions of Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, many who have worked from home over the past year will be heading back into the office. Adjusting to new routines is challenging and can affect our health and fitness. We’ve been more sedentary or more active, gained…
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Genomics, mutations, and treatment options for Head & Neck Cancer
Read More: Genomics, mutations, and treatment options for Head & Neck CancerEspaรฑol Reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Grandis
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Misinformation, Disinformation and Hoaxes: Whatโs the Difference?
Read More: Misinformation, Disinformation and Hoaxes: Whatโs the Difference?By Michael J. O’Brien, Texas A&M-San Antonio and Izzat Alsmadi, Texas A&M-San Antonio Sorting through the vast amount of information created and shared online is challenging, even for the experts. Just talking about this ever-shifting landscape is confusing, with terms like โmisinformation,” โdisinformation” and โhoax” getting mixed up with buzzwords like โfake news.” Misinformation is…
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Can a Blood Test Diagnose Depression?
Read More: Can a Blood Test Diagnose Depression?More than 264 million people suffer from depression globally, and many never receive treatment. For those who have access to mental health care, treating depression and mood disorders can often feel like a guessing game with doctors and patients cycling through different medications in hopes of finding what works. “Mental health is not like other…
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Abuse, Anxiety, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Depression, Domestic violence, Health disparities, mental health, Pandemic, Relationships, Research
Domestic Violence Calls for Help Increased During the Pandemic โ but the Answers Havenโt Gotten Any Easier
Read More: Domestic Violence Calls for Help Increased During the Pandemic โ but the Answers Havenโt Gotten Any EasierBy Tara N. Richards, University of Nebraska Omaha and Justin Nix, University of Nebraska Omaha Domestic violence rose globally in 2020 โ so much so that doctors have called it โa pandemic within a pandemic.” The National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, a team of national experts tasked with assessing the impact of COVID-19…
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15 Minutes With Lauren Gardner
Read More: 15 Minutes With Lauren GardnerIn January 2020, Lauren Gardner, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, was pregnant with her first child as the Covid-19 pandemic started coming to light. Literally overnight, she and her team created the Johns Hopkins Covid-19 dashboard โ yes, that dashboard โ to track…
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Nearly 60 Million Americans Donโt Drink Their Tap Water, Research Suggests โ Hereโs Why Thatโs a Public Health Problem
Read More: Nearly 60 Million Americans Donโt Drink Their Tap Water, Research Suggests โ Hereโs Why Thatโs a Public Health ProblemBy Asher Rosinger, Penn State Imagine seeing a news report about lead contamination in drinking water in a community that looks like yours. It might make you think twice about whether to drink your tap water or serve it to your kids โ especially if you also have experienced tap water problems in the past.…
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Coronavirus, COVID-19, Pandemic, Prevention, Preventive health, Research, Science, Vaccinations, Vaccines
Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Suspension โ What This Means for You
Read More: Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Suspension โ What This Means for YouBy William Petri, University of Virginia The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration on April 13, 2021 halted use of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine that has been given to 6.8 million people in the U.S. The pause is due to reports of blood clotting in six…
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Coronavirus, COVID-19, Gender diversity, Prevention, Preventive health, Research, Science, Vaccinations, Vaccines
The Gender Vaccine Gap: More Women Than Men Are Getting Covid Shots
Read More: The Gender Vaccine Gap: More Women Than Men Are Getting Covid ShotsBy Laura Ungar, Kaiser Health News This story also ran on USA Today. It can be republished for free. Mary Ann Steiner drove 2ยฝ hours from her home in the St. Louis suburb of University City to the tiny Ozark town of Centerville, Missouri, to get vaccinated against covid-19. After pulling into the drive-thru line…
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The FDA Vaccine Approval Process
Read More: The FDA Vaccine Approval ProcessHave you ever wondered what it takes to get a vaccine from the lab to your arm? Our colorful video will walk you through the process. This resource was created with support from Merck and Pfizer.
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At What Age Are People Usually Happiest? New Research Offers Surprising Clues
Read More: At What Age Are People Usually Happiest? New Research Offers Surprising CluesBy Clare Mehta, Emmanuel College If you could be one age for the rest of your life, what would it be? Would you choose to be nine years old, absolved of life’s most tedious responsibilities, and instead able to spend your days playing with friends and practicing your times tables? Or would you choose your…
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Anxiety, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Diet nutrition, Healthy Eating, Pandemic, Research, sleep, Stress, Weight Loss
Unwanted Weight Gain or Weight Loss During the Pandemic? Blame Your Stress Hormones
Read More: Unwanted Weight Gain or Weight Loss During the Pandemic? Blame Your Stress HormonesBy Lina Begdache, Binghamton University, State University of New York If you have experienced unwanted weight gain or weight loss during the pandemic, you are not alone. According to a poll by the American Psychological Association, 61% of U.S. adults reported undesired weight change since the pandemic began. The results, released in March 2021, showed…
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Too Much Sitting Is Bad For You โ But Some Types Are Better Than Others
Read More: Too Much Sitting Is Bad For You โ But Some Types Are Better Than OthersBy Wuyou Sui, University of Victoria and Harry Prapavessis, Western University The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a number of new behaviours into daily routines, like physical distancing, mask-wearing and hand sanitizing. Meanwhile, many old behaviours such as attending events, eating out and seeing friends have been put on hold. However, one old behaviour that has…
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Chocolateโs secret ingredient is the fermenting microbes that make it taste so good
Read More: Chocolateโs secret ingredient is the fermenting microbes that make it taste so goodBy Caitlin Clark, Colorado State University Whether baked as chips into a cookie, melted into a sweet warm drink or molded into the shape of a smiling bunny, chocolate is one of the world’s most universally consumed foods. Even the biggest chocolate lovers, though, might not recognize what this ancient food has in common with…
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Comparing the 3 Covid-19 Vaccines
Read More: Comparing the 3 Covid-19 VaccinesThis article has been medically reviewed by Dr. Sharon Allison-Ottey. Finally, the wait is over and we have three safe and effective vaccines available to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic. You’ve probably heard some information about the vaccines that will be available to you, but do you really know how they work? We’re here to…
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Adolescent, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Parenting, Prevention, Preventive health, Research, Teen, Vaccinations, Vaccines
When Can Kids Get the Covid-19 Vaccine? A Pediatrician Answers 5 Questions Parents Are Asking
Read More: When Can Kids Get the Covid-19 Vaccine? A Pediatrician Answers 5 Questions Parents Are AskingBy James B. Wood, Indiana University School of Medicine A big question among parents and teachers right now is whether their kids will be vaccinated against COVID-19 in time for the fall school semester. Some have wondered whether the vaccine is even necessary for children. Dr. James Wood, a pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatric…
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Selfish or Selfless? Human Nature Means Youโre Both
Read More: Selfish or Selfless? Human Nature Means Youโre BothBy Keith Yoder, University of Chicago and Jean Decety, University of Chicago Looking out for number one has been important for survival for as long as there have been human beings. But self-interest isn’t the only trait that helped people win at evolution. Groups of individuals who were predisposed to cooperate, care for each other…
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How Do mRNA Vaccines Work โ And Why Do You Need a Second Dose? 5 Essential Reads
Read More: How Do mRNA Vaccines Work โ And Why Do You Need a Second Dose? 5 Essential ReadsBy Daniel Merino, The Conversation Tens of millions of people across the U.S. have received a coronavirus vaccine. So far, the majority of doses have been either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, both of which use mRNA to generate an immune response. These gene-based vaccines have been in the works for decades, but this is…
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Alzheimer’s, Brain health, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Dementia, Health disparities, Prevention, Preventive health, Research, Vaccinations
Dementia Patients Are at Greater Risk for Covid-19, Particularly African Americans and People With Vascular Dementia
Read More: Dementia Patients Are at Greater Risk for Covid-19, Particularly African Americans and People With Vascular DementiaBy Michael S. Jaffee, University of Florida and Steven DeKosky, University of Florida New research is shedding light on how dementia can increase people’s risk for developing COVID-19, particularly among two groups: African Americans and people with vascular dementia. The headline findings of a recent study revealed that dementia patients overall face twice the risk…
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Women of Color Spend More Than $8 Billion on Bleaching Creams Worldwide Every Year
Read More: Women of Color Spend More Than $8 Billion on Bleaching Creams Worldwide Every YearBy Ronald Hall, Michigan State University The idealization of light skin as the pinnacle of beauty affects self-esteem for women of color around the world. In many cultures, skin color is a social benchmark that is often used by people of color and whites alike in lieu of race. Attractiveness, marriageability, career opportunities and socioeconomic…
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Access, Clinical trials, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health disparities, Medical research and clinical trials, Research
COVID-19 and the Growing Importance of Diverse Participation in Clinical Trials
Read More: COVID-19 and the Growing Importance of Diverse Participation in Clinical TrialsIf the COVID-19 pandemic has given us any silver lining, it’s that it has greatly influenced the way our medical society approaches studies and clinical trials. While the worldwide crisis has undoubtedly caused devastation on levels most of us haven’t experienced before, it has sparked a recognition of the importance of gender and ethnic diversity…
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Do You See Red Like I See Red?
Read More: Do You See Red Like I See Red?By Bevil R. Conway, National Institutes of Health and Danny Garside, National Institutes of Health Is the red I see the same as the red you see? At first, the question seems confusing. Color is an inherent part of visual experience, as fundamental as gravity. So how could anyone see color differently than you do?…
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When Your Chance for a Covid Shot Comes, Donโt Worry About the Numbers
Read More: When Your Chance for a Covid Shot Comes, Donโt Worry About the NumbersBy Arthur Allen and Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News It can be republished for free. When getting vaccinated against covid-19, there’s no sense being picky. You should take the first authorized vaccine that’s offered, experts say. The newest covid vaccine on the horizon, from Johnson & Johnson, is probably a little less effective at preventing…
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We Scanned the DNA of 8,000 People to See How Facial Features Are Controlled by Genes
Read More: We Scanned the DNA of 8,000 People to See How Facial Features Are Controlled by GenesBy Seth M. Weinberg, University of Pittsburgh and John R. Shaffer, University of Pittsburgh Takeaways A new study reveals more than 130 regions in human DNA play a role in sculpting facial features. The nose is the facial feature most influenced by your genes. Understanding the link between specific genes and facial features could be…
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Global Disabilities Map Visualizes the Strength and Power of Millions of Athletes Around the World
Read More: Global Disabilities Map Visualizes the Strength and Power of Millions of Athletes Around the WorldBy Sarah Hillyer, University of Tennessee and Carolyn Spellings, University of Tennessee When the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, it became illegal to restrict access – to employment, education or federally funded institutions – based on disability. The ADA made it easier for wheelchair users, senior citizens or a disabled…
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Your Brainโs Built-in Biases Insulate Your Beliefs From Contradictory Facts
Read More: Your Brainโs Built-in Biases Insulate Your Beliefs From Contradictory FactsBy Jay Maddock, Texas A&M University A rumor started circulating back in 2008 that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. At the time, I was serving as chair of the Hawaii Board of Health. The director and deputy director of health, both appointed by a Republican governor, inspected Obama’s birth certificate in…
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Access, Affordability, Health care, Health disparities, Health insurance, Health policy, Keep the care, Policy, Research
Why Womenโs Health Should Be a Priority for the New Congress
Read More: Why Womenโs Health Should Be a Priority for the New CongressSoon after the new year, a new presidential administration will take office. We’ll also have a new Congress, the 117th, with a Senate currently composed of 50 Republicans and 48 Democrats — with two Georgia Senate seats to be determined in runoffs in early January — and the House of Representatives composed of 222 Democrats…
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Laughing Is Good For Your Mind and Your Body โ Hereโs What the Research Shows
Read More: Laughing Is Good For Your Mind and Your Body โ Hereโs What the Research ShowsBy Janet M. Gibson, Grinnell College Amusement and pleasant surprises – and the laughter they can trigger – add texture to the fabric of daily life. Those giggles and guffaws can seem like just silly throwaways. But laughter, in response to funny events, actually takes a lot of work, because it activates many areas of…
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The Global Threat of Superbugs
Read More: The Global Threat of SuperbugsGetting a simple infection is no big deal. You just go to the doctor and get a prescription for an antibiotic. For the most part, this is a good thing. After all, people don’t die from a simple cut like they used to. But the ease of getting antibiotics also has a downside. Their overuse…
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Why the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine Is Now a Global Game Changer
Read More: Why the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine Is Now a Global Game ChangerBy Michael Head, University of Southampton In the long dark tunnel that has been 2020, November stands out as the month that light appeared. Some might see it as a bright light, others as a faint light – but it is unmistakably a light. On November 9, Pfizer announced the interim results of its candidate…
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Virus Evolution Could Undermine a Covid-19 Vaccine โ but This Can Be Stopped
Read More: Virus Evolution Could Undermine a Covid-19 Vaccine โ but This Can Be StoppedBy Andrew Read, Penn State and David Kennedy, Penn State The first drug against HIV brought dying patients back from the brink. But as excited doctors raced to get the miracle drug to new patients, the miracle melted away. In each and every patient, the drug only worked only for a while. It turned out…
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No, Soaring Covid-19 Cases Are Not Due to More Testing โ They Show a Surging Pandemic
Read More: No, Soaring Covid-19 Cases Are Not Due to More Testing โ They Show a Surging PandemicBy Zoë McLaren, University of Maryland, Baltimore County COVID-19 cases are surging upward around the U.S., reaching 100,000 daily cases for the first time on Nov. 4 and 150,000 only eight days later. Some believe this increase in reported cases is a result of increases in testing, as more than 1.5 million tests are performed…
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The Biden Administration Needs to Wage War Against Antimicrobial Resistance Starting on Day One
Read More: The Biden Administration Needs to Wage War Against Antimicrobial Resistance Starting on Day OneTrillions of microscopic bacteria, viruses and fungi live on our skin, in our mouths, in our guts and throughout our bodies. Most of them are harmless and some are beneficial, but a handful of them are pathogenic, meaning they produce diseases or infections. The discovery of antimicrobial drugs, a group of drugs that includes antibiotics…
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A New Data-Driven Model Shows That Wearing Masks Saves Lives โ and the Earlier You Start, the Better
Read More: A New Data-Driven Model Shows That Wearing Masks Saves Lives โ and the Earlier You Start, the BetterBiplav Srivastava, University of South Carolina Dr. Biplav Srivastava, professor of computer science at the University of South Carolina, and his team have developed a data-driven tool that helps demonstrate the effect of wearing masks on COVID-19 cases and deaths. His model utilizes a variety of data sources to create alternate scenarios that can tell…
