Category: Coping with COVID
6 Horrifying Fictional Diseases and Their Real-Life Inspirations
Gizmodo The Ebola virus, Cordyceps fungi, and even the stomach flu have helped inspire some of the most gruesome infectious diseases seen on the screen. As both a health reporter and avid horror fan, there are few things I love more than seeing a fictional contagious disease take center stage as a villain—especially when they’re […]
Mar 4, 2026
Why Strawberries Aren’t As Sweet Anymore
AOL News Have you ever tried making a strawberry dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth, only to end up with something disappointingly bland? It’s not you; it’s the strawberries. According to a 2021 study published in Horticulture Research (via Oxford Academic), participants said most strawberries they tasted weren’t sweet enough. This isn’t a case of underperforming strawberry […]
Feb 25, 2026
Bacteria Frozen Inside 5,000-Year-Old Ice Cave Is Crazy Resistant to Antibiotics
Gizmodo For decades, antibiotics have been humanity’s frontline defense against bacterial infections, yet these essential medications have also led to the rise of drug-resistant “superbugs.” Now, researchers have discovered an ancient strain of bacteria that managed to develop this superpower thousands of years before humans ever invented antibiotics. A study published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology describes Psychrobacter SC65A.3, […]
Feb 18, 2026
Encephalitis Lethargica: The Strange Disease That Killed 500,000 People, And Then Abruptly Disappeared
IFL Science The disease affected millions, but to this day has not been satisfactorily explained. The symptoms were pretty distressing. Around a century ago, and around the same time the 1918 influenza pandemic killed between 50 and 100 million people worldwide, humanity was met with a new and unusual disease. The disease, known as encephalitis lethargica […]
Feb 11, 2026
Syphilis May Have Originated in the Americas, Study Suggests
Archeology Magazine According to an ABC News Australia report, a previously unknown strain of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis, has been found in 5,500-year-old human remains recovered from the Sabana de Bogota rock shelter in the eastern highlands of Colombia by an international team of researchers. Davide Bozzi of the University of Lausanne said that the […]
Jan 28, 2026
This Adorable Good Boy Just Got Rare, Life-Saving Brain Surgery
Gizmodo Six-year-old Woody has recovered well enough to take his daily walks again. A six-year-old dog named Woody has just earned a new lease on life, thanks to a rare type of brain surgery performed by veterinarians in Portland, Oregon. Surgeons at DoveLewis Animal Hospital conducted the surgery to remove a tumor in Woody’s skull. […]
Jan 21, 2026
Mystery as hundreds of Victorian shoes wash up on beach
BBC Mystery surrounds the appearance of hundreds of Victorian hobnailed shoes which have washed ashore on a beach. The black leather boots, thought to date back to the 19th Century, were discovered by volunteers cleaning up rock pools on Ogmore By Sea Beach in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales. Emma Lamport from the Beach […]
Jan 14, 2026
The Ancient Art of Nasal Rinsing Might Protect You From a Cold
Wired On average, the typical American contracts two to three colds per year between September and May, at an estimated cost of around $40 billion to the economy. Effective forms of treating or preventing colds have proven hard to come by, with the majority of over-the-counter medicines yielding modest results; it’s hard to devise a drug that tackles the vast array of viral […]
Jan 7, 2026
The Origins of 6 Unique Christmas Traditions
History Facts bserved on December 25, Christmas is both a religious holiday, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, and a secular holiday that includes cultural customs and traditions, many of which have their roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia, honoring the agricultural god, Saturn. For more than 2 billion people in over 160 countries, […]
Dec 30, 2025
How the Pandemic Lockdowns Changed a Songbird’s Beak
NYT For ecologists, the Covid-19 pandemic has presented a remarkable natural experiment in what can happen to wild animals when humans stay home. About two decades ago, the dark-eyed junco, a forest-dwelling sparrow, began to colonize urban Los Angeles. The birds proved to be remarkably successful in the city, making themselves at home on the […]
Dec 17, 2025
