How deforestation helps deadly viruses jump from animals to humans
Yellow fever, malaria and Ebola all spilled over from animals to humans at the edges of tropical forests. The new coronavirus is the latest zoonosis.
June 25, 2020 • ~11 min
Tags: health climate covid-19 coronavirus ebola pandemic malaria forests disease epidemics wildlife deforestation bats wildlife-trade monkeys mosquitoes yellow-fever zoonoses vectors carrying-capacity
What the archaeological record reveals about epidemics throughout history – and the human response to them
People have lived with infectious disease throughout the millennia, with culture and biology influencing each other. Archaeologists decode the stories told by bones and what accompanies them.
June 15, 2020 • ~11 min
Tags: infectious-diseases covid-19 coronavirus archaeology pandemic skeletons plague sars-cov-2 outbreak disease pathology 1918-flu-pandemic black-death pathogens disease-spread pathogen skeleton bioarchaeology
Research highlights immune molecule’s complex role in Huntington’s disease
Knocking out the immune cytokine IL-6 exacerbates symptoms in HD model mice, affects neural connection genes.
Tags: neuroscience immunology broad-institute disease research school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences picower-institute
What goes into the toilet doesn’t always stay there, and other coronavirus risks in public bathrooms
Public restrooms can be scary when it comes to coronavirus, and they get scarier when you look at how the virus spreads. A doctor explains how to stay safe when you're traveling and really gotta go.
Tags: health covid-19 coronavirus pandemic disease soap toilets cleanliness gastroenterology bathrooms public-buildings
Marshaling artificial intelligence in the fight against Covid-19
The MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab is funding 10 research projects aimed at addressing the health and economic consequences of the pandemic.
Tags: machine-learning medicine artificial-intelligence covid-19 funding economics biology pandemic health-care disease research school-of-engineering school-of-science sloan-school-of-management computer-science-and-artificial-intelligence-laboratory-csail quest-for-intelligence materials-science-and-engineering dmse lincoln-laboratory electrical-engineering-and-computer-science-eecs mit-schwarzman-college-of-computing mit-ibm-watson-ai-lab
SMART researchers receive grant to develop rapid tests for Covid-19
Using engineered binder proteins to detect viral proteins or antibodies rather than RNA, new tests may overcome current challenges in testing for SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Tags: health public-health covid-19 pandemic rna disease research proteins school-of-engineering grants singapore-mit-alliance-for-research-and-technology-smart
Making an impact through chemical engineering
Hadley Sikes designs simple-to-use diagnostic devices that could benefit patients around the world.
Tags: cancer covid-19 profile disease research school-of-engineering faculty chemical-engineering singapore-mit-alliance-for-research-and-technology-smart diagnostics
MIT engineers propose a safer method for sharing ventilators
Suggested design could make it easier to divide air flow for Covid-19 patients in emergencies when no other options are available.
Tags: medicine covid-19 pandemic disease research mechanical-engineering school-of-engineering harvard-mit-health-sciences-and-technology
HIV genome bends over backwards to help virus take over cells
Differently shaped RNA molecules allow HIV to express different genes from the same RNA sequence.
Tags: medicine genetics hivaids biology rna disease viruses research computer-science-and-technology algorithms whitehead-institute
Your genes could determine whether the coronavirus puts you in the hospital – and we're starting to unravel which ones matter
Researchers from Oregon Health and Science University found that variations in genes that code for parts of the cellular alarm system might play a role in how well people fight off COVID-19.
May 5, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: genetics covid-19 coronavirus immune-system biology genes t-cells immune-cells disease viruses research-brief white-blood-cells immune cells computational-biology
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