The pandemic has dramatically disrupted kids’ normal routines, but a new study suggests the initial lockdowns of 2020 did not necessarily hinder preschoolers’ language development. In fact, researchers found, there was an unanticipated “lockdown boost” in youngsters’ vocabulary growth — possibly because parents were spending more time at home. Studying families in 13 countries, the… read on > read on >
Many states are already dispensing with mask mandates, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s director says COVID-19 case and hospitalization numbers in the United States remain too high to ease its mask guidelines. The agency “still recommends that all schools encourage students to wear well-fitting masks consistently and while indoors. And that’s… read on > read on >
No contraceptive is perfect, and scientists continue searching for safer, more effective methods. Now, researchers have found a way to trap sperm in semen’s natural gel state, and they believe their findings could point the way to a new type of birth control. Normally, semen liquefies after ejaculation, which enables sperm to swim through a… read on > read on >
Vaccinated people in California will no longer have to wear masks indoors as of Feb. 15, but schoolchildren will still have to wear masks, state health officials announced Monday. However, they said that unvaccinated people will still have to wear masks indoors, and both vaccinated and unvaccinated people will be required to wear masks in… read on > read on >
If you’ve already had COVID-19, your natural antibodies may last as long as 20 months, a new study suggests. While this is reassuring, experts are quick to caution that the new findings don’t necessarily mean you’re protected against reinfection, and that vaccines remain an important part of a COVID-19 prevention strategy. “This study tells us… read on > read on >
Chimpanzees aren’t monkeying around when they catch insects and place them on open wounds, researchers report. An ongoing study of about 45 chimps in Loango National Park in Gabon is the first to document via video that such “healing” behavior is occurring, according to the team from Osnabrück University in Germany and the Ozouga Chimpanzee… read on > read on >
Omicron COVID-19 patients are younger and have more breakthrough infections, a new study finds. But people infected with Omicron are also less likely to be hospitalized or need intensive respiratory support than those who’d gotten the earlier Alpha and Delta variants. The researchers examined data on patients at Houston Methodist hospital, where by the start… read on > read on >
It’s a fate many older women fear: loneliness and isolation as they age. Now, new research suggests those feelings may also predispose them to heart disease. The findings may be especially relevant now because of social distancing required by the pandemic. “We are social beings. In this time of COVID-19, many people are experiencing social… read on > read on >
A new study finds that kids who have received years of seasonal flu shots have antibodies that provide wider protection against new influenza strains, something researchers say doesn’t happen in adults. These findings could help efforts to develop a universal flu vaccine for children. That would be significant, according to the authors of the study,… read on > read on >
The type of drill your dentist uses just might determine your chances of catching COVID-19 while in the chair. So claims new research that suggests dentists can significantly improve patient safety during the pandemic by switching the type of drill they use. British researchers used a harmless virus similar in size and structure to SARS-CoV-2,… read on > read on >
