Author Archives: Tanya Lewis

New Evidence Supports Animal Origin of COVID Virus through Raccoon Dogs

Posted on March 18, 2023 by Tanya Lewis

Genetic sequences show evidence of raccoon dogs and other animals at the Wuhan market sites where SARS-CoV-2 was found in early 2020, adding to evidence of a natural spillover event Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

New Evidence Supports Animal Origin of COVID Virus through Raccoon Dogs

Posted on March 18, 2023 by Tanya Lewis

Posted in STEM News |

COVID Poses Severe Risks during Pregnancy, Especially in Unvaccinated People

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Tanya Lewis

Pregnant people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit or die than those who are uninfected, but vaccination significantly reduces the risk Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

Survivors of Deadly Earthquakes Must Deal with Lasting Trauma

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Tanya Lewis

A psychiatrist who has studied the effects of previous devastating quakes explains how the Turkey-Syria earthquake could impact survivors’ mental health Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

How the U.S. Lost Years of Life

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Tanya Lewis

Many countries saw drops in life expectancy during the pandemic, but some populations have suffered more than others Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

Your Cats Can Tell When You’re Speaking to Them

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

Felines recognize their owners’ cat-directed baby talk Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

The Biggest Health and Biology Breakthroughs of 2022

Posted on December 20, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

From reviving dead pig organs to measuring viruses in our poop, here are some of the most intriguing medical advances of the year Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

People in Rural Areas Die at Higher Rates Than Those in Urban Areas

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

Deaths from heart disease, cancer and COVID are all higher in rural areas than urban ones in the U.S., and the gap is only widening Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

Why Life Expectancy Keeps Dropping in the U.S. as Other Countries Bounce Back

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

COVID cut average life spans short in many high-income countries, but the U.S. decline has been steeper and longer than most Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

Sexist Science in Soccer Harms Women in an Epic Own Goal

Posted on November 18, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

As players take the pitch for the men’s World Cup, science supports their safety and equipment more than it does women’s Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

Abortion Rights Won Big at the Ballot Box

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

Voters chose to protect abortion rights in all five states with abortion-related measures on their ballots Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

The New COVID Booster Shot Could Save Your Life; Get One Now, FDA Expert Says

Posted on November 2, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

FDA Chief Medical Officer Hilary Marston explains the importance of getting a booster shot, considers why so few people have gotten them and answers other questions Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

One of the Biggest Problems in Biology Has Finally Been Solved

Posted on October 31, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis explains how its AlphaFold AI program predicted the 3-D structure of every known protein Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

The U.S. Just Lost 26 Years’ Worth of Progress on Life Expectancy

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

COVID and overdose deaths have sharply cut U.S. life expectancy, with Indigenous peoples experiencing the biggest decline Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

Discoveries about Ancient Human Evolution Win 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

Svante Pääbo’s work on sequencing the DNA of Neandertals and Denisovans, which won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, revealed surprising interbreeding among human species Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

Why So Few Young Kids Are Vaccinated against COVID–And How to Change That

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

Only a fraction of young children in the U.S. are vaccinated against COVID. Parents cite concerns about safety and a lack of worry about the disease itself Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

Monkeypox Explained: Transmission, Symptoms, Vaccines and Treatment

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

Frequently asked questions about how monkeypox spreads, who’s most at risk, and what vaccines and treatments are available Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

How Scientists Revived Dead Pigs’ Organs, and What the Feat Means for Transplants

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

A whole-body perfusion system restored cellular activity in pigs an hour postmortem Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

Scientists Revive Human Retinas after Death

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

Restoring eye tissue postmortem could pave the way for reviving other types of brain tissue Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

There Is an Effective Treatment for Monkeypox, but It’s Hard to Get

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

A smallpox antiviral that’s effective against monkeypox is tied up in red tape, and gay-health advocates are pushing to make it easier to access Continue reading →

Posted in STEM News |

How Abortion Medications Differ from ‘Plan B’ and Other Emergency Contraceptives

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Tanya Lewis

Drugs such as mifepristone and misoprostol end a pregnancy, whereas the ‘morning-after’ pill works by preventing one