Type 1 diabetes is a challenging, time-intensive disease that often strikes children, and new research suggests that strong family support helps improve the well-being of young adults with the condition. The study found that young adults (under 30) with type 1 diabetes were more likely to be “flourishing” if they had good family connections. Flourishing…  read on >

One side effect of the coronavirus pandemic could be long-lasting: U.S. school closures may worsen the child obesity crisis, experts warn. Previous research has shown that kids tend to gain weight when they’re out of school during the summer — especially Hispanic and black youngsters and children who are already overweight. “There could be long-term…  read on >

U.S. pathology labs are now awash in COVID-19 tests, with more than two dozen rapid tests on the market thanks to expedited approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, infectious disease experts say. Despite this, laboratories are still struggling with shortages that hamper their ability to get ahead of the ever-expanding pandemic. “Early in…  read on >

If more women were hired for trucking jobs, the roads would be a lot safer, British researchers suggest. That’s because men, who hold most driving jobs, are more likely to drive dangerously. This puts other road users at risk, said lead researcher Rachel Aldred. She’s a reader in transport at the University of Westminster in…  read on >

Researchers are gathering data from thousands of Americans to create an “early warning system” that can identify people in the early stages of COVID-19. More than 12,000 people — including thousands of health care workers in California and West Virginia — are already wearing specially designed Oura rings that track their temperature, breathing, heart and…  read on >

It’s a tough task, but parents need to keep kids away from playgrounds, shared toys and sports equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, experts emphasize. The coronavirus can stick around on surfaces for a long time, a recent New England Journal of Medicine study found. It takes 72 hours for the virus to become undetectable on…  read on >

What’s the best material for a do-it-yourself face mask? Yang Wang, an assistant professor of environmental engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has some suggestions based on initial testing. He investigated how a few common household materials — such as pillowcases, scarves and furnace filters — filtered out aerosols. The new coronavirus may…  read on >