Americans are of two minds about President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate, with political party affiliation playing a pivotal role in their opinions, a new poll finds. Most Democrats are for it and most Republicans are against it, the survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research revealed. Overall, the poll found that 51%…  read on >  read on >

The country’s leading health agency on Wednesday implored all Americans who are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant to get a coronavirus vaccine. COVID-19 poses a serious risk to women who are expecting, since they are vulnerable because of pregnancy’s dampening effect on their immune system, experts say. But less than one-third of pregnant…  read on >  read on >

Artificial intelligence (AI) might be able to spot the next virus to jump from animals to humans, Scottish researchers report. Identifying diseases before they become a threat to humans is challenging, because only a few of the nearly 2 million animal viruses can infect humans. By developing machine learning models, researchers can analyze genetic patterns…  read on >  read on >

In a survey of parents in metro Chicago, nearly half of Black parents (48%) said they were reluctant to have their kids vaccinated against COVID-19, researchers say. That’s significantly higher than the 33% of Hispanic parents and 26% of white parents who expressed vaccine hesitancy, the findings showed. “As vaccines are becoming available to younger…  read on >  read on >

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 29, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — For people with heart disease and stroke, COVID-19 vaccines offer protection against the life-threatening disease caused by the coronavirus, and a booster dose could bolster that protection, health experts said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which sets policy on vaccine use, recommended Pfizer booster…  read on >  read on >

A pair of experimental tests could help doctors detect colon or prostate cancer with just a sample of blood or saliva. One test examines a person’s blood for four biomarkers linked to inflammation. In a small study, it outperformed the fecal blood test now used in colon cancer screening, said lead researcher Dr. Mona Eldeeb,…  read on >  read on >

As millions of Americans sign up to get their Pfizer booster shot, a new government report delivers reassuring news about its expected side effects. The study, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, evaluated the experiences of individuals who were able to get third doses starting in mid-August because they…  read on >  read on >

Spend time with babies and you’ll see they pick up items, bang them together and, often, chew on them. That play is key to learning and development, but most research on infant play has taken place in a lab and not on a living room floor — until now. “At a time in development when…  read on >  read on >

Air pollution impacts the youngest humans, with new research linking dirty air to almost 6 million premature births and almost 3 million underweight babies worldwide in 2019. More than 90% of the world’s population lives with polluted outdoor air, a new study points out. And its effects continue through the years: Preemies or children with…  read on >  read on >