Why Is It So Hard to Study Covid-Related Smell Loss?
Patients have long reported the sudden inability to smell. But restrictions on in-person exams are complicating efforts to figure out what's going on.
Old Drugs Could Reveal a New Way to Attack the Coronavirus
Researchers found that SARS-CoV-2 hijacks tendrils that grow from infected cells and may ride them to infect others. But existing compounds might slow their roll.
Covid-19 Vaccine Makers Turn to Microchip Tech to Beat Glass Shortages
We'll need millions of vials to distribute the vaccine. The US government thinks manufacturing methods from the semiconductor industry can help.
Dexamethasone and the Recovery Trial’s High-Speed Science
In just three months, one British research team identified the first life-saving drug of the pandemic (and helped cancel hydroxychloroquine).
5 Weird Concepts to (Theoretically) Supercharge Mask Fabrics
From diamonds to salt, researchers are exploring novel materials for face coverings. But don't expect to see these far-out ideas in stores anytime soon.
My Friend Was Struck by ALS. To Fight Back, He Built a Movement
At 37, Brian Wallach was diagnosed with the fatal disease. So he tapped a lifetime of connections to give help and hope to fellow sufferers—while grappling with his own mortality.
The Unseen Victims of the Opioid Crisis Are Starting to Rebel
The push to end opioid abuse has ended up hurting the people who use the drugs legitimately. Now those chronic pain patients are starting a movement of their own.
Abortion Bans Create a Public Health Nightmare
Making abortion mostly illegal will kick off an unintentional, vast experiment in public health—one where the outcomes are sick or dying women and children.
‘Heartbeat’ Bills Get the Science of Fetal Heartbeats All Wrong
Anti-abortion laws lean on the heartbeat as a defining moment of aliveness. But at six weeks, it indicates little more than cells and electrical activity.
Caster Semenya and the Twisted Politics of Testosterone
The ruling that Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya will need to take testosterone suppressants is already affecting other runners.