CLINICAL & MOLECULAR DX | 
IMMUNOLOGY |
2-In-1: Stroke Scans Also Diagnose COVID
King’s College London researchers took a closer look at emergency room CT scans of patients suspected of having a stroke and made a surprising discovery: the scans could also be used to indicate the presence of COVID-19 infection. The study, published in the American Journal of Neuroradiology saw the … | Remember That Coronavirus You Once Met? Your T Cells Do.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and quickly escalated to pandemic status. From an immunological perspective, were global populations sitting ducks, entirely defenseless against this newly emerged viral killer? According to scientists, the answer is no, thanks to a … |
 CHEMISTRY & PHYSICS | 
MICROBIOLOGY |
Turning Pulsars into Deep Space Beacons
Navigating beyond Earth’s orbit is tricky. Any misstep in movement could lead to the crushes of space probes and vessels. To these days, spacecraft pilots have been relying on Earth-bound «beacons» – a network of transmission stations, for navigation. NASA scientists are hoping to establish … | Poxvirus Made Harmless After Removing One Gene
Poxviruses are deadly viruses that are known to infect both animals and humans. Cowpox and monkeypox can both spread from cows and monkeys to people, in whom they cause swollen lymph nodes, fever, skin lesions, and sometimes death. New research has shown that poxviruses can be rendered harmless by removing a … |
 CANCER |  IMMUNOLOGY |
Can Increased Pain Indicate Oral Cancer?
The human body has many ways of letting you know something is wrong. It can send signals to tell you that you are hungry, that you ate too much, but pain is probably the most useful. We usually associate it with a cut or bruise, but pain can also indicate more severe diseases like cancer. Cancer is a tricky … | Gene That Fuels Antibody Factories Discovered
Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins that play a central role in the immune system’s arsenal of germ-busting weapons. These molecules are of particular interest to scientists as means of fighting back against global health threats such as COVID-19. According to the University of British Columbia’s Josef … |
 CANNABIS SCIENCES |  CELL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY |
Hemp Seeds May Reduce Heart Disease Risk
Heart disease is the leading cause of death around the world. And it seems that many methods to avoid it involve lifestyle choices. Now, research has shown that due to hemp seed’s nutritional value, eating the seeds may be protective against the disease. Although hemp is a form of cannabis, it has a … | How Heparan Sulfate Helps SARS-CoV-2 Enter Cells
To infect a cell, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has to find a way in. That way is through receptors on the surface of cells that line the nose and lungs; one of those receptors is called ACE2. Researchers have also found that a molecule called heparin sulfate, a carbohydrate that also sits on the surface of lung cells … |
