I awoke on Monday morning to the sad news that Max Randell had passed away on April 18. He would have been…
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post A Tribute to Max Randell, Gene Therapy PioneerRead more
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post Dr. Fauci Evokes Memories of Past Rock Star ScientistsRead more
As Anthony Fauci, MD, long-time head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), emerged as the voice of reason…
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post A Brief History of Plagues and Pandemics: From the Black Death to COVID-19Read more
Daily life in the age of coronavirus has affected us in different ways. For science writers, it means that many of the…
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post Drugs to Treat Novel Coronavirus Part 2: Rx for RestraintRead more
It’s impossible to keep up with entries at ClinicalTrials.gov that include the search term “COVID-19.” Last week when I posted Can Existing Drugs Treat…
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post Can Existing Drugs Treat COVID-19? From Viagra to Thalidomide to Cough SyrupRead more
As the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to mount, so do entries at clinicaltrials.gov for potential treatments, reaching into the existing…
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post Viruses for the Good: Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell DiseaseRead more
While the world worries about novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, other viruses continue to be used for the good – as vectors that ferry…
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post Rare Disease in TV Series: Stranger Things, House, Call the MidwifeRead more
In honor of Rare Disease Day 2020 (February 29), I took a look at the portrayal of people with rare diseases on a…
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post COVID-19 Vaccine Will Close in on the SpikesRead more
As epidemiologists try to stay ahead of the spread of new coronavirus COVID-19, vaccine developers, like Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson, are focusing…
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post A Fruit Fly Love Story: The Making of a Mutant 2020Read more
For Valentine’s Day, I offer a fly’s eye view of my PhD research on the mutation Antennapedia, which replaces fruit flies’ antennae…
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post The Giant Squid Genome Holds SurprisesRead more
I’ve been thinking about invertebrates often lately, and so was delighted to learn that the genome of the giant squid has been…
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post New View of the Brink of Cancer May Validate Preventive MastectomyRead more
Women who have prophylactic mastectomies to stay ahead of a BRCA2 mutation may have made a wise choice, according to findings of…
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post The Wuhan Coronavirus Inspires a Look Back at the Discovery of VirusesRead more
I’m astonished at the speed with which geneticists and epidemiologists are zeroing in on the Wuhan coronavirus. Nomenclature is still up in…