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 Dr. Fauci Evokes Memories of Past Rock Star ScientistsRead more
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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…
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post How Breast Cancer Reunited Six High School FriendsRead more
Four of the six of us from my high school inner circle have had breast cancer over the past two years. And…