Human-caused global warming is responsible for more than one-third of heat-related deaths worldwide, but the proportion is much higher in certain countries, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data gathered between 1991 and 2018 from 732 locations in 43 countries. They concluded that 37% of all heat-related deaths in recent summer periods were attributable to…  read on >  read on >

COVID-19 does not pose a threat to the safety of the United States’ blood supply under existing donor screening guidelines, researchers report. For the study, the investigators reviewed the results of tests for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in nearly 18,000 pools of donated blood, representative of over 257,800 single blood donations that were collected between…  read on >  read on >

Breathing in tiny particles of air pollution over a long period of time may put your sense of smell at risk, a new study suggests. Researchers found the risk for loss of smell — a condition called anosmia — was nearly doubled among people with lengthy exposure to this type of air pollution, known as…  read on >  read on >

Americans flocked to beaches, parks and stadiums over Memorial Day weekend, as new coronavirus cases dropped to levels not seen since March 2020. With more than 40% of the country fully vaccinated and the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases falling to about 12,000 per day, Americans showed they were eager to embrace post-pandemic life.…  read on >  read on >

Most Americans mistakenly believe they can spot fake news, which makes them more vulnerable to the false information, a new study claims. The research included nearly 8,300 people who were asked to evaluate the accuracy of a series of Facebook headlines and then rate their own abilities to identify false news. About 90% of participants…  read on >  read on >

Long-term data from northern Italy — an area hit hard during the early days of the pandemic — suggests that reinfection after recovery from COVID-19 infection is very rare, and immunity in former patients could be long-lasting. “Natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 appears to confer a protective effect for at least a year, which is similar…  read on >  read on >