COVID-19

People with long Covid sit in the audience at a U.S. Senate hearing about the condition on January 18.

Scientists Find Indicators in Blood Linked to Long Covid, Hinting at Future Treatments

One part of the immune system appeared to be overly active in long Covid patients in a small study, a finding researchers hope could help diagnose or treat the condition

Advances in artificial intelligence and dinosaur discoveries were just some of the major science stories this year.

The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2023

From an asteroid sample that was delivered to Earth to a discovery about human migration from North America, these were the biggest moments of the year

Covid-19 lockdowns had all kinds of effects on wild populations, helping some and hindering others. In one Mexican marine park, though, the sudden lack of tourists led to an increase in the density and diversity of marine species.

During Covid-19 Lockdowns, Fish Flourished in This Park

In the absence of tourists, the animals increased within Mexico’s Cabo Pulmo National Park

A candlelit vigil on January 13, 2022, in Washington, D.C., for nurses who died during the Covid-19 pandemic. A new study finds that Covid-19 was the leading reason for a growing gap in life expectancy between U.S. men and women from 2019 to 2021.

Women Now Live Nearly Six Years Longer Than Men in the United States

Disparities from Covid-19 and opioid overdose deaths are major contributors to the widening gap, according to a new study

In 2022, nearly 46 percent of health workers felt burnt out either often or very often.

Health Care Workers Are Burning Out, CDC Says

Depression, anxiety and harassment of health professionals have risen beyond crisis levels, per a new report from the agency

The ship, Ruby Princess

Cruise Passengers Win Lawsuit After Covid Outbreak on Ship in 2020

The Ruby Princess, which launched from Australia in the early days of the pandemic, was linked to 662 cases of Covid-19 and 28 deaths

John Akomfrah at his London studio, 2016

Artist John Akomfrah Is Having a Moment

The works of the recently knighted filmmaker address contemporary issues in two different Smithsonian museums

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 7.5 percent of all adults in the U.S. had experienced long Covid.

Reduced Serotonin Levels Could Cause Long Covid Symptoms, Study Finds

Researchers identify a mechanism through which inflammation related to the virus leads to lower levels of the neurotransmitter

A photo from the announcemnent of this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The researchers discovered a way to edit synthetic mRNA so that it could pass by cells' defense mechanisms, allowing it to be used in Covid-19 vaccines.

Nobel Prize in Medicine Honors Two Scientists Who Enabled mRNA Vaccines

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman discovered a way to edit mRNA so it could be used in vaccines without getting attacked and destroyed by the body

A new round of Covid-19 vaccinations was recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisers on Tuesday.

What to Know About the New Covid-19 Vaccines, Now Recommended by CDC Advisers

Experts say the latest boosters are effective against emerging variants including EG.5.1 and BA.2.86

Covid-19 cases are on the rise in the U.S., but experts say it is not unexpected.

Covid-19 Hospitalizations Show an Uptick in the U.S. but Remain Low

Since the end of the nation's public health emergency for the virus, hospitalizations are one of the best available indicators of trends in case totals

Candida auris

This Fungus Is Quickly Spreading, and Climate Change May Be to Blame

Washington state reported its first case of Candida auris, which can cause illness in people with weakened immune systems

A woman with long Covid, suffering symptoms including extreme fatigue and brain fog, rests on her couch on February 3, 2022.

Long Covid's Brain Fog Is Akin to 'Aging Ten Years,' Study Finds

Scientists tested the cognitive function of more than 3,000 participants and found those with longer-lasting Covid symptoms had the strongest decline

The research team stands alongside the SARS-CoV-2 wet cyclone aerosol sampler they developed.

New Device Can Detect Covid in the Air Within Five Minutes

Researchers report the technology is 77 to 83 percent accurate in finding any of the coronavirus variants in a room

Abigail Previlon, 13, takes part in online learning at home on October 28, 2020 in Stamford, Connecticut. At the time, Stamford Public Schools was using a hybrid educational model due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

What the Covid-19 Pandemic Revealed About Remote School

The unplanned experiment provided clear lessons on the value—and limitations—of online learning. Are educators listening?

A sea lamprey

Bloodsucking Sea Lampreys Made a Comeback in the Great Lakes During Covid

Travel restrictions hindered population control of the invasive parasites, which feed on fish like trout, whitefish, perch and sturgeon

Vertical farming can produce as much as traditional farming while using less water and less energy—if executed correctly.

Empty Office Buildings Are Being Turned Into Vertical Farms

With office usage hovering near 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels, cities are putting the underutilized space to new use growing food

Losang Samten, a Tibetan American scholar and former Buddhist monk, will create, with the help of festivalgoers, a sand mandala.

The 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Explores the Many Ways Americans Express Their Spirituality

Tibetan Buddhist monks, Yiddish musicians and many more creatives will share their cultural practices with visitors to the National Mall

A medical professional prepares a Covid-19 booster shot in Freeport, New York, on November 30, 2021.

Fall Covid-19 Boosters Should Target New Variants, FDA Advisers Say

The shots would no longer take aim at the virus's original strain, which experts say is not likely to return

Mountain goats roam the streets of Llandudno, Wales, in March 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

What Wild Animals Were Really Doing During Covid-19 Lockdowns

Researchers around the world traced mammals' movements and behaviors when fewer humans and cars were outside in spring 2020

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