It’s fair to say most bosses want their employees to have high productivity. Unfortunately, the air that office workers breathe may put a damper on quick thinking and fast work. A new study found increased concentrations of fine particulate matter, called PM2.5, and lower ventilation rates were linked to slower response times and reduced accuracy.…  read on >  read on >

People who eat plenty of fruits and vegetables may have a somewhat lower risk of COVID-19 than those with unhealthy diets, a new study suggests. Of more than 590,000 adults surveyed, researchers found that the quarter with the most plant-rich diets had a 9% lower risk of developing COVID-19 than the quarter with the least-healthy…  read on >  read on >

An experimental Ebola vaccine appeared effective in children and adults in a clinical trial. Two doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Ebola vaccine appear safe, well tolerated and produce a strong immune response in people over the age of 1, according to two just-published papers. The trial was conducted in the West African nation of Sierra…  read on >  read on >

Eight in 10 older Americans think health care workers should be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new poll. Among 50- to 80-year-olds, 61% of respondents said the vaccine should be required for all health care workers. Another 19% said vaccination should probably be required. The remaining 20% oppose mandatory vaccination, the findings showed. The…  read on >  read on >

Your favorite tabby cat may seem to have little similarity to her relatives in the wild, but all share a key gene that gives them their distinctive look. Why cats’ coats are decorated with stripes, spots and blotches has long been a mystery. Now, researchers have identified a specific gene that all domestic cats, wild…  read on >  read on >

Seeing eye to eye — literally — makes conversations more appealing, a new study finds. “Eye contact is really immersive and powerful,” said researcher Sophie Wohltjen, a graduate student in psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth College. “When two people are having a conversation, eye contact signals that shared attention is high — that they…  read on >  read on >

COVID-19 is surging in U.S. states with low vaccination rates, and these places may also be seeing a higher-than-usual number of stillbirths linked to the virus. While the number of stillbirths is still very low nationally, doctors in the Deep South have noticed increases in stillbirths, NBC News reported. One of those states is Alabama.…  read on >  read on >