Annual Reviews: Keyword search for query

How optimizing indoor humidity can help stop the spread of Covid and flu

Richard Zare — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 00:00:23 GMT

OPINION: Recent CDC guidelines for indoor air quality disregard the benefits of humidity. But research shows it can kill viruses and help thwart infections.

How to recover from the Great Education Disruption

Prachi Srivastava — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 00:00:15 GMT

OPINION: Children around the world were out of school for months, with big impacts on learning, well-being and the economy. How do we avoid a ‘generational catastrophe’?

Covid, RSV and the flu: A case of viral interference?

Amber Dance — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 00:00:12 GMT

The ‘tripledemic’ unfolding this winter is one of several odd trends among respiratory virus infections these last years. Viruses, it turns out, can block one another and take turns to dominate.

What next-gen Covid-19 vaccines might look like

Bob Holmes — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 00:00:03 GMT

From building up defenses in the nose to slowing down a virus’s ability to make copies of itself, scientists are rolling out a raft of creative approaches to fighting infection

How to fight Covid with light

Chris Baraniuk — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 00:00:29 GMT

Some wavelengths of light in a range called far-UVC kill microbes in experiments and appear to be harmless to people. Could they be used to make indoor spaces safer against the coronavirus?

How long will it take to understand long Covid?

Marla Broadfoot — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 00:00:08 GMT

Covid long-haulers experience a litany of symptoms, and researchers have proposed a variety of theories to explain them. It’s a morass to figure out, but the answers are important for the multitudes still suffering from an infection that happened to them months or even years ago.

The pain of prolonged grief disorder

Alison McCook — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:28 GMT

Psychologists are beginning to understand that for some people, intense and sustained feelings of loss are symptoms of a serious condition — one that can last for years and erode wellbeing

Pandemic psychology: Nothing new under the Sun

Steven Taylor — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:08 GMT

OPINION: Our behavior during Covid-19 echoes that of individuals, societies and governments during past plagues. We can and should do better.

How to short-circuit short-term thinking

Paul Van Lange and David Rand — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:31 GMT

OPINION: Human behavior is fueling major social dilemmas — from climate change to the Covid pandemic to the spread of misinformation. But that means it’s also the solution, if only we can harness psychology for the common good.

How zinc helps you fight off infections

Diana Kwon — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 00:00:23 GMT

Our bodies require the vital mineral for the healthy functioning of the immune system

Question the ‘lab leak’ theory. But don’t call it a conspiracy.

Ivan Oransky — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 00:00:23 GMT

OPINION: If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, labels get in the way of facts and make the truth that much harder to find.

Let’s change how we pay for hospitals

John Colmers and Sherry Glied — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:01 GMT

OPINION: Many health facilities were already in fiscal straits before Covid-19 — except in Maryland. The state’s innovative and sound approach could be the answer to rescuing systems nationwide.

Why we are developing a patent-free Covid antiviral therapy

Alpha Lee, John Chodera and Frank von Delft — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 00:00:27 GMT

OPINION: During global health crises such as pandemics, drug discovery should be publicly funded and open, with no research secrets locked away

To understand airborne transmission of disease, follow the flow

Anil Ananthaswamy — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 00:00:04 GMT

Viruses and bacteria travel in fluids, such as the air we breathe. Studying exhalations, toilet flushes and rain drops, with math and modeling, can sharpen the big-picture view of how to prevent infections.

Why don’t kids tend to get as sick from Covid-19?

Sara Reardon — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 00:00:02 GMT

Some children have been hospitalized and some have died, but at a tiny fraction of the adult rate. As children head back to school, scientists are hoping that research will provide answers.

Building an immune system for the planet could prevent the next pandemic

David Bray — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 00:00:03 GMT

OPINION: We need a global information network that spans borders so we can spot — and stop — new pathogens before they threaten world health

What will history say about Covid? Museums scurry to collect — and prepare to remember.

Karen Emslie — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 00:00:30 GMT

A worn pair of nurse’s shoes. That coronavirus model Anthony Fauci used in public briefings. Oral histories, iconic photos and social media posts. All of us are curators now, and what we preserve — as well as what we don’t — will write the pandemic story.

Covid cut pollution and got us outside. Let’s keep it up.

Ebba Malmqvist — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 00:00:19 GMT

OPINION: Urban planners need to find ways to reduce traffic and provide equal access to green spaces

Demographers tackle Covid-19

Eryn Brown — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 00:00:15 GMT

What they learn could help steer the future of public health

The science of habits

Stephanie Parker — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 00:00:15 GMT

If you’re trying to break a bad habit or start a good one, psychologists have some tips

A year of missing tests

Amber Dance — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:00:13 GMT

Standardized tests for K-12 students were largely dropped during Covid, leaving a gaping hole in our understanding of students’ progress.

Pencils down: The year pre-college tests went away

Amber Dance — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:00:13 GMT

Many colleges and universities stopped requiring the SAT and ACT during Covid. Will they go back to testing in the future? Select: (a) Yes (b) No (c) Depends (d) Not enough information.

Let’s put community health workers to work

Miya Barnett — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 00:00:08 GMT

OPINION: Covid laid bare the scope of health disparities in the US and around the world. Research shows that trained lay people may be the best way to bring evidence-based care to those who need it most.

What Sweden’s Covid failure tells us about ageism

Carl-Johan Karlsson — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 00:00:07 GMT

Experts say that growing age discrimination in the West is a result of policies that far predate the pandemic

Let’s keep meetings virtual after Covid

Katherine H. Freeman and Raymond Jeanloz — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 00:00:15 GMT

OPINION: We don’t want to go back to living on planes and out of suitcases. Virtual meetings are cheaper, more accessible and better for the planet.

The promise and perils of life lived online

Nicola Jones — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 00:00:09 GMT

The pandemic has immersed us faster and deeper in immersive communication technologies. It’s a disrupted, confusing, sometimes exhausting world — but shifting both the tech and our expectations might make it a better one.

Covid job loss: The cause of the next epidemic?

Jennie E. Brand and Sarah A. Burgard — Tue, 25 May 2021 00:00:25 GMT

OPINION: Being out of work — even for a just a few months — may be bad for your health

It’s time for a government reset — and the ideas are flourishing

M. Mitchell Waldrop — Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:21 GMT

It started with thinking about sustainability. But after the many traumas of 2020, a lot of people are determined to make some fundamental changes in the machinery of governance.

Remote work can be a lot better than this

Ariane Ollier-Malaterre — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 00:00:26 GMT

OPINION: Under the right conditions (i.e., not during a pandemic), telework can be great for both employers and employees

Ah, wilderness! Is nature the tonic we’ve needed for pandemic malaise?

Chris Baraniuk — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:21 GMT

As Covid-19 descended across the world, people sought refuge in gardens, parks and the woods. But it’s hard to measure how being in nature affects our well-being — and how we can best reap its rewards.

Four ways HIV activists have saved lives during Covid

Monica Gandhi — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 00:00:13 GMT

OPINION: We owe these early fighters a debt of gratitude for transforming our response to public health crises.

Know thine enemy: Why genetic sequencing is key to tracking Covid-19

Amber Dance — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 00:00:09 GMT

The US effort to analyze viral genomes, slow to start, is now picking up speed

Yes, all this screen time is hurting your eyes

Zhong-Lin Lu — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 00:00:09 GMT

OPINION: A neuroscientist says that he’s particularly worried about kids, who may have spent much of last year learning online. Some easy hacks can help.

How to convince people to accept a Covid-19 vaccine

John H. Tibbetts — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 00:00:31 GMT

Hesitancy rates are falling but they’re still sizable, especially among certain groups. Easy access and trusted community messengers are keys to moving the needle.

Growing a more resilient global food system

Bob Holmes — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 00:00:19 GMT

Covid-19 has been a stress test for the world’s food supply chains — and a preview of looming threats. That’s making efforts to improve the journey from farm to fork more urgent than ever.

Friendly fire: How autoantibodies could drive severe Covid

Amber Dance — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 00:00:19 GMT

Some serious cases of Covid-19 are linked with the immune system’s attack on the body it’s trying to protect

Solving the pandemic’s drinking problem

David Adam — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 00:00:15 GMT

The Covid-19 lockdown has changed alcohol habits, but public health researchers face a blurred and incoherent picture of who’s been drinking, and how much

The danger of high public debt is not what you think

Edgar Kiser — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 00:00:12 GMT

OPINION: An overlooked consequence of huge deficit spending during the Covid-19 pandemic could be further loss of public trust in the government

Another way that Covid can kill: Car crashes

Marisa Auguste and Eric Jackson — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 00:00:10 GMT

OPINION: Traffic is down, but deaths are up. Here’s how to stay safe on the road.

The varied landscape of universal health care

James Gaines — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 00:00:09 GMT

There’s more than one way for a nation to achieve universal coverage for its residents. Here are the systems of six different countries.

How health insurance is faring under Covid

Lola Butcher — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 00:00:09 GMT

Millions of Americans lost employer-sponsored coverage when Covid-19 disrupted their jobs. Can America come up with a better system?

How the pandemic could change architecture

Greg Miller — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 00:00:01 GMT

COMIC: Covid-19 has inspired a rethink of how we design and use our built environments

Abortions can happen safely — and entirely — at home

Leah Coplon and Claire Brindis — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 00:00:23 GMT

OPINION: The pandemic has taught us how we can deliver better care to patients who seek to terminate pregnancies. Now if only science could triumph over politics.

Coronavirus evolving: How mutations arise and new variants emerge

Diana Kwon — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 00:00:22 GMT

COMIC: As it spreads throughout the world, the virus that causes Covid-19 has been changing. Scientists are tracking those changes, hoping to stay one step ahead of worrisome strains.

Don’t let Covid boost another killer

Mohan P. Joshi — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 00:00:17 GMT

OPINION: The pandemic may be interfering with our fight against drug-resistant bacteria. Luckily, the same tactics can beat back both scourges.

How online misinformation spreads

Marcus Woo — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 00:00:11 GMT

Misinformation is running rampant. To slow this infodemic, researchers are tracking how it spreads on social media.

The challenges of antiviral treatments

Amber Dance — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:00:09 GMT

Antibiotics abound, but virus-fighting drugs are harder to come by, and Covid-19 amply shows how much we need them. Fortunately, scientists are getting better at making and finding them.

Will small businesses recover from Covid?

Eryn Brown — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 00:00:06 GMT

They play an outsize role in the economy, and in strengthening communities. Their prospects for surviving the pandemic may seem dim, but there are some encouraging signs, experts say — and emerging winners and losers.

Pandemic behavior: 4 takeaways, 2 experts and 1 big opportunity

Evan Nesterak of Behavioral Scientist — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 00:00:04 GMT

OPINION: So many things about this global health crisis come down to people’s small, day-to-day actions. What have we learned so far?

How enlisting dentists can speed up Covid-19 vaccinations

Mary E. Northridge — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 00:00:03 GMT

OPINION: Dental care providers have the skills, the facilities and the trust of patients who might otherwise miss out