Credit: iStock COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for distribution across the U.S. As of mid-January 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 31 million doses of vaccine have been distributed and about 12 million people in the U.S. have received a COVID-19 vaccination. That may sound like a lot, but to fully … Continue reading Horseshoe Crabs Help in Fight against COVID-19
Scientific Research
Studying for Your Next Exam? Write a Song.
Credit: iStock Let’s pretend you hear the opening kick of “I Want You Back” by the Jackson Five. As the piano slides into the first verse and you hear: “Find the concentrations of ions out and in; Figure out the quotient, and take the log (base 10).” You can’t believe your ears. The Nernst Equation—a … Continue reading Studying for Your Next Exam? Write a Song.
How ACE2 Influences COVID-19 Severity in Older Adults
Credit: iStock In the spring of 2020, ACE2—angiotensin-converting enzyme 2—became a major focus of attention as the entryway of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19. As of early November 2020, over 47 million cases of COVID-19 were confirmed worldwide, with more than 9 million cases in the U.S. Since the beginning … Continue reading How ACE2 Influences COVID-19 Severity in Older Adults
This Halloween, Celebrate the Creepy-crawlies that Keep Us Safe
Credit: iStock Each Halloween season, we celebrate all those spooky critters that give us the heebie-jeebies. But there might be more to cheer for than you realize. Scientists who study these creepy-crawlies are learning ways they may improve human health. Gila Monster In 1992, John Eng, MD, an endocrinologist working at the Veterans Affairs Medical … Continue reading This Halloween, Celebrate the Creepy-crawlies that Keep Us Safe
Of Pets, People and Lucky Ducks: Risks of COVID-19 Transmission
Credit: iStock This summer, many mourned the passing of Buddy, a 7-year old German shepherd who was the first dog diagnosed with COVID-19 in the U.S. He was diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in May. By July, his owners reported he was having a hard time breathing and was throwing up blood. … Continue reading Of Pets, People and Lucky Ducks: Risks of COVID-19 Transmission
It’s Not Your Imagination: Women Have a Harder Time Losing Weight
Credit: iStock Obesity is a major health concern in the U.S. It is predicted that more than half of all adults living in the U.S. will be obese by the year 2030. A major problem with weight loss is that most people regain lost weight over the next year. Exercise has been shown to be … Continue reading It’s Not Your Imagination: Women Have a Harder Time Losing Weight
Why ‘Physiology’ Is Important to the Nobel Prize Name
Many physiologists and physicians around the world look forward to the first week of October. It’s not the crisp, cool autumn air or the promise of enjoying one more pumpkin spice latte before they disappear from coffeeshops that beckons, although those things are nice too. It’s the anticipation of learning what top scientific research has … Continue reading Why ‘Physiology’ Is Important to the Nobel Prize Name
COVID-19 and the Heart
Credit: iStock SARS-CoV-2—the virus responsible for COVID-19—is a respiratory virus. When first discovered, the virus was thought to mostly affect the lungs. We now know that it affects many different organs in the body, including the heart. All respiratory viruses, including the seasonal flu, lead to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. But SARS-CoV-2 appears … Continue reading COVID-19 and the Heart
Survey Results: How COVID-19 Is Affecting Researchers
Credit: American Physiological Society As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March in the U.S., many employers moved to a work-from-home model. Researchers, like all other employees in the U.S. economy, faced numerous challenges, including securing groceries, figuring out how to pause projects, learning how to work from home when labs were inaccessible and balancing … Continue reading Survey Results: How COVID-19 Is Affecting Researchers
Spotlight On: Itching
Credit: iStock You probably don’t think much about itching until you have an itchy spot that’s just out of reach. Then, it’s all you can think about until you’re able to get rid of the “not-quite-painful-but-almost” feeling with a satisfying scratch. What exactly is itching? And what purpose does it serve? A review published in … Continue reading Spotlight On: Itching