COVID-19 official counts can miss mild cases – here's how serosurveys that analyze blood for signs of past infection can help

Your blood can hold a record of past illnesses. That information can reveal how many people have had a certain infection – like 58% of Americans having had COVID-19 by the end of February 2022.

Isobel Routledge, Postdoctoral Scholar in Medicine, University of California, San Francisco • conversation
May 6, 2022 • ~9 min

Heading into the third year of the pandemic, the US blood supply is at a 10-year low

Life-saving blood is needed for everything from treating cancers and chronic conditions to helping trauma victims. But blood donations have dropped to crisis levels during the pandemic.

Anna Nagurney, Professor and Chair in Integrative Studies, UMass Amherst • conversation
Feb. 3, 2022 • ~9 min

Why do we bleed? A hematologist explains how the body prevents blood loss after injury

Blood plays a vital role in keeping us alive, from delivering oxygen to the body’s organs to fighting off infections.

Mikkael A. Sekeres, Professor of Medicine and Chief, Division of Hematology, Sylvester Cancer Center, University of Miami • conversation
Jan. 31, 2022 • ~6 min

200 years ago, people discovered Antarctica – and promptly began profiting by slaughtering some of its animals to near extinction

For 200 years, a small number of countries have exploited the marine wildlife of Antarctica, often with devastating impact on their populations.

Alessandro Antonello, Senior Research Fellow in History, Flinders University • conversation
Nov. 13, 2020 • ~8 min

Seven things you might not know about blood

We're full of blood – around five litres, on average.

Adam Taylor, Professor and Director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre, Lancaster University • conversation
May 13, 2020 • ~7 min

Coronavirus: what is plasma therapy?

A century old therapy is being tested on patients with COVID-19.

Sarah L Caddy, Clinical Research Fellow in Viral Immunology and Veterinary Surgeon, University of Cambridge • conversation
May 12, 2020 • ~7 min

Coronavirus: what is convalescent plasma therapy?

A century old therapy is being tested on patients with COVID-19.

Sarah L Caddy, Clinical Research Fellow in Viral Immunology and Veterinary Surgeon, University of Cambridge • conversation
May 12, 2020 • ~7 min

How does a baby 'breathe' while inside its mom?

A fetus needs oxygen long before its lungs work and it's exposed to the air. Some ingenious biochemistry explains how the mother's blood delivers it.

Julie Pollock, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Richmond • conversation
May 5, 2020 • ~6 min

What is a brain freeze?

Have you ever felt a piercing pain in your head when you eat something cold?

Tyler Daniel Anderson-Sieg, Doctoral Student in Biomedical Sciences, University of South Carolina • conversation
April 23, 2020 • ~4 min

Checking blood for coronavirus antibodies – 3 questions answered about serological tests and immunity

After your body fights off an infection, antibodies remain in your blood. Two researchers explain how tests identify these antibodies and what the data can be used for.

Daniel Stadlbauer, Postdoctoral Fellow in Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai • conversation
April 16, 2020 • ~9 min

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