ost scientists have generated since the start of the pandemic points to bats as the likely source of the COVID-19–causing coronavirus. A shift in the global distribution of the winged mammals due to climate change may be responsible for recent disease outbreaks, according to a study published January 26 in . The authors of the paper estimate that bat diversity increased the most in an area that includes Myanmar, Laos, and southern China—where SARS-CoV-2 likely —thereby increasing the chances of a bat-borne disease spreading to humans.“Our estimates add to previous studies that have...…ost scientists have generated since the start of the pandemic points to bats as the likely source of the COVID-19–causing coronavirus. A shift in the global distribution of the winged mammals due to climate change may be responsible for recent disease outbreaks, according to a study published January 26 in . The authors of the paper estimate that bat diversity increased the most in an area that includes Myanmar, Laos, and southern China—where SARS-CoV-2 likely —thereby increasing the chances of a bat-borne disease spreading to humans.“Our estimates add to previous studies that have...WW…

s global temperatures continue to climb and more carbon dioxide is dissolved into the oceans, water acidification and associated bleaching events in corals threaten reefs. According to a study published Tuesday (February 23) in , the coral Acropora tenuis has three distinct color morphs (yellow-green, purple, and brown) that react in their own distinct ways when faced with higher temperatures, a phenomenon the researchers find is due to fluorescent protein production.In addition to identifying 10 genes that regulate the production of fluorescent proteins and seven associated with...…s global temperatures continue to climb and more carbon dioxide is dissolved into the oceans, water acidification and associated bleaching events in corals threaten reefs. According to a study published Tuesday (February 23) in , the coral Acropora tenuis has three distinct color morphs (yellow-green, purple, and brown) that react in their own distinct ways when faced with higher temperatures, a phenomenon the researchers find is due to fluorescent protein production.In addition to identifying 10 genes that regulate the production of fluorescent proteins and seven associated with...WW…

ogs are aware of when their own bodies present an obstacle to them, according to a study published today (February 18) in . In the experiment, dogs asked by their owners to pick up an object attached to the mat they’re sitting on apparently understand that they need to move their bodies in order to complete the task.While several studies have attempted to identify self-awareness in canines, few have successfully done so. Dogs typically fail the well-known mirror test, for example, in which an animal is marked with pen or paint and then presented with a mirror; animals are considered to have...…ogs are aware of when their own bodies present an obstacle to them, according to a study published today (February 18) in . In the experiment, dogs asked by their owners to pick up an object attached to the mat they’re sitting on apparently understand that they need to move their bodies in order to complete the task.While several studies have attempted to identify self-awareness in canines, few have successfully done so. Dogs typically fail the well-known mirror test, for example, in which an animal is marked with pen or paint and then presented with a mirror; animals are considered to have...WW…

esearchers report they have used retinal cone photoreceptors derived from human stem cells to restore vision in mice with advanced retinal degeneration. They are now designing a clinical trial to test whether transplanting healthy cone photoreceptors into people with age-related macular degeneration will improve their vision. Other studies have derived from stem cells into patients with macular degeneration, but this latest work in mice transplanted cone photoreceptors rather than retinal pigment epithelium.   “The reason we focus on cones is because they’re the most...…esearchers report they have used retinal cone photoreceptors derived from human stem cells to restore vision in mice with advanced retinal degeneration. They are now designing a clinical trial to test whether transplanting healthy cone photoreceptors into people with age-related macular degeneration will improve their vision. Other studies have derived from stem cells into patients with macular degeneration, but this latest work in mice transplanted cone photoreceptors rather than retinal pigment epithelium.   “The reason we focus on cones is because they’re the most...WW…

hen 32-year-old artist Hannah Davis fell sick in late March this year, her symptoms were so severe that even watching movies in bed in her Brooklyn apartment was impossible, she says. She began having difficulties reading text messages, and she soon lost the ability to follow a movie plot.  While some flu-like symptoms, such as exhaustion and a cough, improved over time, her memory loss and other cognitive difficulties have only grown worse, she says, and she also experiences sporadic bursts of blurred vision, a racing heart, difficulties breathing, insomnia, and various aches and...…hen 32-year-old artist Hannah Davis fell sick in late March this year, her symptoms were so severe that even watching movies in bed in her Brooklyn apartment was impossible, she says. She began having difficulties reading text messages, and she soon lost the ability to follow a movie plot.  While some flu-like symptoms, such as exhaustion and a cough, improved over time, her memory loss and other cognitive difficulties have only grown worse, she says, and she also experiences sporadic bursts of blurred vision, a racing heart, difficulties breathing, insomnia, and various aches and...WW…

ir pollution and COVID-19 are both well known in causing or exacerbating respiratory distress, and a new suggests that the two factors may interact. As part of a series of reports from the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, researchers have found that regions in the Netherlands with higher air pollution have greater numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. However, they stress that the findings do not prove a causal relationship. The Netherlands, home to more than 17 million people, has experienced more than of COVID-19. The study compared air quality readings from 355...…ir pollution and COVID-19 are both well known in causing or exacerbating respiratory distress, and a new suggests that the two factors may interact. As part of a series of reports from the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, researchers have found that regions in the Netherlands with higher air pollution have greater numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. However, they stress that the findings do not prove a causal relationship. The Netherlands, home to more than 17 million people, has experienced more than of COVID-19. The study compared air quality readings from 355...WW…

xcess inflammation is a problem in aging, contributing to issues such as atherosclerosis, cancer, and cognitive decline. But the mechanisms behind age-related inflammation are not well understood. In a study published today (January 20) in , researchers show that older immune cells have a defect in metabolism that when corrected in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease can decrease inflammation and restore cognitive function.After a decade of progress in understanding metabolism and nutrient usage in immune cells and how that affects their function, this study is a “beautiful example”...…xcess inflammation is a problem in aging, contributing to issues such as atherosclerosis, cancer, and cognitive decline. But the mechanisms behind age-related inflammation are not well understood. In a study published today (January 20) in , researchers show that older immune cells have a defect in metabolism that when corrected in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease can decrease inflammation and restore cognitive function.After a decade of progress in understanding metabolism and nutrient usage in immune cells and how that affects their function, this study is a “beautiful example”...WW…

rucilla Roberts and Vanda Torous stared at the placental tissue of two babies—fraternal twins—and were stunned by what they saw. The twins had shared the same womb and obviously the same mother, who’d tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during delivery, yet the babies’ individual placentas looked very different, Roberts recalls. The tissue of one of the placentas was severely inflamed, riddled with immune cells. The other one looked healthy. When Roberts and Torous, who are both pathologists at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, ordered tests of the placental tissue for markers of...…rucilla Roberts and Vanda Torous stared at the placental tissue of two babies—fraternal twins—and were stunned by what they saw. The twins had shared the same womb and obviously the same mother, who’d tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during delivery, yet the babies’ individual placentas looked very different, Roberts recalls. The tissue of one of the placentas was severely inflamed, riddled with immune cells. The other one looked healthy. When Roberts and Torous, who are both pathologists at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, ordered tests of the placental tissue for markers of...WW…

arah Byosiere was at a barbecue just outside Melbourne, Australia, when she came up with the idea of presenting optical illusions to dogs. It was 2015, and she was visiting La Trobe University shortly after finishing a master’s degree on canine cognition back home in the US. Chatting at the barbecue with a group of psychologists who were studying how the human brain perceives visual illusions, it struck her that the same approach could provide a window into how dogs see the world around them—and how their perception differs from our own. “We had this crazy question of: Could you give a dog...…arah Byosiere was at a barbecue just outside Melbourne, Australia, when she came up with the idea of presenting optical illusions to dogs. It was 2015, and she was visiting La Trobe University shortly after finishing a master’s degree on canine cognition back home in the US. Chatting at the barbecue with a group of psychologists who were studying how the human brain perceives visual illusions, it struck her that the same approach could provide a window into how dogs see the world around them—and how their perception differs from our own. “We had this crazy question of: Could you give a dog...WW…

new study is challenging the idea that younger children are somehow less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Children under the age of five have been found to carry just as much, if not more, coronavirus in their noses and throats than older kids or adults.The results, published Thursday (July 30) in , tested 145 people for evidence of the virus’s RNA. After breaking their participants down into three age categories—younger children, older children, and adults—researchers found that the youngest group harbored between 10 times and 100 times more virus than the other two. While the results...…new study is challenging the idea that younger children are somehow less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Children under the age of five have been found to carry just as much, if not more, coronavirus in their noses and throats than older kids or adults.The results, published Thursday (July 30) in , tested 145 people for evidence of the virus’s RNA. After breaking their participants down into three age categories—younger children, older children, and adults—researchers found that the youngest group harbored between 10 times and 100 times more virus than the other two. While the results...WW…