The highly-infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus is most ideally adapted to infect human cells—rather than bat or pangolin cells, according to new computer modeling. In a quest to find a vaccine or drug treatment for COVID-19, high-performance computer modeling has been used by Australian scientists to study the virus’s ability to target…
Why you should avoid overindulging in ice cream right now
Avoid ice cream? Say it ain’t so! Winter or summer, rain or shine, triumph or tragedy, everybody knows a girl’s true best friend isn’t diamonds, it’s Ben and Jerry’s. Not that men don’t enjoy it either, along with Haagen-Dazs, Baskin-Robbins, Dairy Queen… the only bad ice cream is no ice…
Excess coffee consumption a culprit for poor health
Cappuccino, latte or short black, coffee is one of the most commonly consumed drinks in the world. But whether it’s good or bad for your health can be clarified by genetics, as a world-first study from the University of South Australia’s Australian Centre for Precision Health shows that excess coffee…
Top health officials warn against reopening as millions more Americans go out
Even as the country’s top health officials testified to Congress on Tuesday about the dangers of reopening too quickly, a new report shows millions more Americans are now venturing out in public. About 25 million more people went out on an average day last week than did during the six…
Drug counterfeiters use fear of coronavirus epidemic
Drug counterfeiters are using the corona pandemic to make profits in Africa selling completely ineffective or even harmful medicines. In Cameroon and Congo, five different types of falsified chloroquine tablets have appeared in recent weeks, containing far too little active ingredient, or even completely different ingredients. The falsified medicines were…
CDC docs stress plans for more virus flareups
Advice from the nation’s top disease control experts on how to safely reopen businesses and institutions in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic included detailed instructive guidance and some more restrictive measures than the plan released by the White House last month. The guidance, which was shelved by Trump administration…
Tiny RNA that should attack coronavirus diminish with age, disease
A group of tiny RNA that should attack the virus causing COVID-19 when it tries to infect the body are diminished with age and chronic health problems, a decrease that likely helps explain why older individuals and those with preexisting medical conditions are vulnerable populations, investigators report. MicroRNAs play a…
More than 300 million cases of hip and knee osteoarthritis worldwide in 2017
There were more than 300 million cases of hip and knee osteoarthritis worldwide in 2017—predominantly in high income countries—with the figures set to rise further, reveals an analysis of international modelling data, published online in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Women are disproportionately affected by the condition, while…
Courteney Cox Gets Real About Being Pregnant in Interview with Daughter Coco
Courteney Cox is opening up to her daughter about her experience being pregnant. To promote the premiere of season 2 of 9 Months with Courteney Cox, a Facebook Watch series focused on couples who have endured a variety of pregnancy struggles and subsequent successes, Cox discussed her own road to…
Biosynthetic capacity: The key to switch-off cancer stem cells
Tumours are not a uniform mass of cells. Colon cancers bear differentiated-like cells, similar to the functional cells of the intestinal wall, and pluripotent cells—the so-called tumour stem cells. The latter fuel tumour growth and cause metastasis. A group of scientists headed by Eduard Batlle, ICREA researcher, group leader at…
