Category: Coping with COVID
Stunning amber fossil reveals ‘Last of Us’-type fungus likely lived alongside dinosaurs
CNN A glob of 99 million-year-old amber has preserved an ancient fly in horror show fashion: with the mushroom-like fruiting body of zombie fungus bursting forth from its head. The insect, along with a second specimen of a young ant infected with a similar fungus, are two of the oldest examples of a bizarre natural […]
Jun 25, 2025
These glowing axolotls may hold the secret to human limb regeneration
Washington Post The adorable salamanders are helping scientists investigate a serious question: Could the human body be coaxed to regrow a lost arm or leg? With a silly smile and frilly gills, the axolotl has wriggled its way into the hearts of millions, becoming a popular aquarium pet and pop culture icon in video games, children’s books […]
Jun 10, 2025
Are you a mosquito magnet? It’s because of how you smell.
Washington Post Your body is a big protein shake that smells like stinky feet for hungry mosquitoes. Some people are magnets for mosquitoes, emitting a tantalizing combination of chemicals that invites the pesky insects to dine on them. Researchers at Rockefeller University in New York found people who have higher levels of certain acids on […]
Jun 3, 2025
Why Did Doctors Wear Beak Masks During the Bubonic Plague?
HistoryFacts Few images in medical history are as striking (or as creepy) as those of plague doctors with their long, beaked masks. This peculiar costume, worn by physicians during outbreaks of bubonic plague in Europe, has become an enduring symbol of the disease. But why did doctors wear these strange masks, which surely must only […]
May 21, 2025
Miss your flight? There’s a dance for that.
Washington Post Dancer Blake McGrath missed his flight after creating an airport dance. It sparked a TikTok trend. Blake McGrath has danced all over: in his living room, on the lawn, in local grocery stores, on concert stages, on television sets, in the movies. And, perhaps most visibly of late, at the airport. A professional dancer for […]
May 14, 2025
Chimpanzees use medicinal leaves to perform first aid, scientists discover
Phys.org Scientists studying chimpanzees in Budongo Forest, Uganda, have observed that these primates don’t just treat their own injuries, but care for others, too—information which could shed light on how our ancestors first began treating wounds and using medicines. Although chimpanzees elsewhere have been observed helping other community members with medical problems, the persistent presence of […]
May 14, 2025
World’s tallest and smallest dogs meet up for a playdate
Smithsonian Magazine The world’s tallest and shortest dogs recently met up for a playdate—and their unique get-together was just as adorable as you might imagine. Reggie is a massive Great Dane that can easily rest his head on the kitchen counter, while Pearl is a pint-sized Chihuahua that barely hovers off the ground. Despite their […]
May 7, 2025
Humans’ Wounds Heal Much More Slowly Than Other Mammals’
NYT We naked apes need Band-Aids, but shedding the fur that speeds healing in other mammals may have helped us evolve other abilities. Watching wild baboons in Kenya, Akiko Matsumoto-Oda, an evolutionary biologist and primatologist at the University of the Ryukyus in Japan, had a front-row seat to the violence between these monkeys, especially the […]
Apr 30, 2025