The story of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, or PEDV, is a reminder that even strong vaccines can lose their edge when a pathogen keeps evolving. This virus, which lives in pig guts, began as a regional problem in the 1970s but now spreads worldwide. Its ability to change its genetic makeup, su
Pollen is the key to a plant’s next generation, but scientists have only recently begun to see how small changes in RNA can steer its development. A new study looks closely at a process called alternative polyadenylation, or APA, where the cell chooses different “stop” points for RNA molecules. Thes
In Canada, researchers often submit applications to ethics boards before starting a study. These forms normally ask for basic details about the trial, but they rarely prompt investigators to think about who will benefit from the research or how patients will be involved in decisions. The study lo
Making super tiny particles is tricky. Scientists usually start with big chunks of stuff and break them down, like sculpting from a block of ice. But this time, they flipped the script and built particles from scratch using teeny reactors instead. These reactors are like microscopic pipes that twist
During the early COVID-19 wave, experts tossed around different ways to model how diseases spread. One approach used SEIR—the Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered—framework but added a twist: it considered that people might not all be equally likely to catch or spread the virus. The idea was tha
Eascra Biotech, a startup that builds tiny delivery machines for medicines, has hired Dr. Anne Yau as a Life Science Research Scientist. She will work in the company’s preclinical laboratory at the Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives facility in Worcester, where researchers test new tools before
Janus nanostructures are tiny materials that have two distinct sides, each able to interact differently with their surroundings. This dual‑surface design lets scientists tweak properties on one side without affecting the other, making these structures useful in many science areas. In medicine, a
Aumolertinib, a newer drug that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), has been tested in two hospitals on patients with a rare form of lung cancer. The cancer cells carry uncommon deletions in exon 19 of the EGFR gene, a pattern that often makes standard treatments less reliable. R
Scientists tested whether two common sleep‑aid drugs, diphenhydramine and cyclizine, could be found in hair after only one dose. The drugs are often sold without a prescription and can make people very sleepy, which is why they might be used in crimes that involve drug‑facilitated attacks. The
Ontologies help scientists keep medical facts tidy, letting computers find patterns and answer questions. In the world of vaccines, this organization is even more vital because vaccine data touch many different areas—biology, policy, and public health. A clear Vaccine Ontology lets researchers mix d
