Tag: disease
Vibrio pectenicida Identified as Cause of Sea Star Wasting Disease Affecting Billions
Mysterious Illness Decimating Sea Stars Finally Identified A devastating bacterium has decimated populations of sunflower sea stars, predators that play a crucial role in their environment By Andrea Tamayo edited by Andrea Gawrylewski A giant sunflower star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) walks across the reef underwater in Point Dume State Beach, California. Join Our Community of Science…
Did Disease Defeat Napoleon?
Did Disease Defeat Napoleon? Napoleon’s campaign against the Russian Empire was one of the most costly wars in history. Many soldiers died of diseases. Some of these illnesses are only now being identified By Daniel Lingenhöhl Join Our Community of Science Lovers! Beginning on June 24, 1812, around 600,000 soldiers led by French emperor Napoleon…
Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak in New York City Linked to Cooling Towers
What Is the Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak That Has Killed Two People in New York City? Fifty-eight people have been infected—and two have died—in a New York City outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease—a severe type of pneumonia caused by a bacterium commonly associated with air-conditioning systems and cooling towers By Meghan Bartels edited by Lauren J. Young…
Scientists identify bacterium behind devastating wasting disease in starfish
After 90% loss of global sunflower sea star population in 10 years, researchers hope decline can now be tackled A decade after the onset of a sea star wasting disease (SSWD) epidemic considered the largest ever documented in the wild, researchers have identified the microbial culprit responsible: a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida. In…
Malaria ‘back with a vengeance’ in Zimbabwe as number of deaths from the disease triple
Withdrawal of USAID funds threatens decades of progress, say experts, with cuts to research and shortage of mosquito nets putting thousands at risk across the country Zimbabwe’s efforts to control malaria have been dealt a huge blow as experts say the disease has returned “with a vengeance” after US aid cuts, with 115 outbreaks recorded…
Babies made using three people’s DNA are born free of hereditary disease
Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions, doctors say. The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines the egg and sperm from a mum and dad with a second egg from a donor woman. The technique has been legal here for a…
How a third parent’s DNA can prevent an inherited disease
Rob Stein Scientists can protect children from being born with certain devastating genetic disorders by creating “three-parent” babies, according to the results of a landmark study released Wednesday. British researchers used the experimental technique to help families have eight children who appear healthy. They now range in age from younger than 6 months to older…
Engineered Viruses Are Transforming Neuroscience and Treating Brain Disease
Engineered Viruses Make Neurons Glow and Treat Brain Disease Neuroscientists can now make precise genetic tweaks to the neurons that are most affected by brain diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and ALS By Allison Parshall edited by Jeanna Bryner Different populations of cells in the mouse brain, each one targeted with high specificity by one…
Malawi battles mpox as cases of the infectious disease surge in Africa
Medicine shortages plus limited testing and hospital capacity exacerbated by withdrawal of USAID as outbreak gathers pace across countries in the region Malawi’s ministry of health has announced three new cases of mpox in the capital, Lilongwe, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 11 since the country’s first was reported in April. Malawi is…
If HPV Infection Increases Heart Disease Risk, Can Vaccination Lower It?
HPV Infection May Increase the Risk of Heart Disease. Could Vaccination Lower It? A vaccine that blocks infection with the human papillomavirus has helped to lower cervical cancer rates. Researchers want to find out if the shot also prevents heart attacks By Liz Szabo edited by Tanya Lewis Human papilloma virus (HPV) illustration. Human papillomavirus…
How will the deep cuts at the Centers for Disease Control affect global programs?
By Fatma Tanis As of April 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shut down its Maternal and Child Health Branch, which works with other countries to ensure that mothers and children at risk of or infected by HIV receive treatment. All 22 staff were terminated. That’s one of the ways that global…
Suspected outbreak of deadly Marburg virus disease kills eight in Tanzania
Healthcare workers among suspected cases of Ebola-like disease as WHO issues warning of high risk to the country and its neighbours A suspected outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Tanzania has killed eight people and poses a high risk to the country and its neighbours, global health leaders have said. The World Health Organization…
Hunters Disagree on the Threat of Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer
Hunters Disagree on the Threat of Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer The prion disease that causes deer, elk and other cervids to waste away could someday jump to humans, but many hunters are not convinced they should worry By Sophie Hartley Aaron Skarlupka, a hunter in northeast Wisconsin, was recently thrilled when he got his…
Sugary Drinks Linked to Global Rise in Diabetes, Heart Disease
A new study assesses the effects of sugar-laden beverages on global health, with higher rates of consumption found in Latin America and parts of Africa. By Andrew Jacobs Across the world, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is responsible for about 340,000 deaths each year from Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a study…
Study: Cash handouts have a dramatic impact on the deadliest infectious disease
By Gabrielle Emanuel What if the best medicine isn’t a pill or vaccine — but it’s cold cash? There’s a growing body of research that suggests economic programs that give money to very poor people can have major health benefits. Now, a new study — out on Friday in Nature Medicine — proves this approach…
What was ‘Disease X’ and what can we learn from it?
By Gabrielle Emanuel In early December, international alarm bells went off because of a mysterious disease circulating in a remote part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dubbed it “Disease X.” Once the medical experts arrived, they quickly gathered samples from the sick to take back to…
9 countries said goodbye to a devastating disease in 2024
By Gabrielle Emanuel What does it take to wipe out a human disease? That’s only happened once in the history of the world: smallpox, which had killed hundreds of millions, was officially eradicated in 1980. But it happens on a smaller scale every year. In 2024, nine countries eliminated a disease. “These are great accomplishments…