In The News

Ebola Is Rapidly Mutating As It Spreads Across West Africa

Michaeleen Doucleff September 1, 2014
An international team – 20 researchers working around the clock – sequenced DNA from 78 human subjects infected with Ebola and report the virus is mutating quickly. “The Ebola genome is incredibly simple,” writes Michaeleen Doucleff for NPR in the United States, based on an interview with a lead author on the study, Pardis Sabeti. computational biologist at Harvard University. Ebola has seven...

The Science Behind ISIS Savagery: 5 Ways Humans Become Hardwired for Violence

Ian Robertson August 20, 2014
Islamic State militants stun the world with senseless acts of violence, with the public beheading of a journalist covering civil war in Syria as the most recent example. Such atrocities are not limited to Islamic extremists and have been waged by throughout history by many other religious fanatics and even governments, reminds Ian Robertson, professor of psychology in an essay for the Telegraph....

The Economics of Ebola

Amara Konneh August 14, 2014
The Ebola threat disrupts daily routines in the four countries where infections are spreading and concern is high in neighboring nations and beyond about doing business or accepting travelers and students from the region. The numbers of infections are small. Meticulous attention to precautionary measures can prevent the spread, but a 60 percent fatality rate is alarming. “The reason this...

Ebola’s Escape From Africa Unlikely Though Not Impossible

Simeon Bennett and Marie French July 30, 2014
The Ebola outbreak in Africa is terrifying: Flu-like symptoms appear two days to three weeks after infection; about half of the people who contract the disease die, though early treatment could reduce the fatality rate. There is no cure, and Ebola is spread by direct contact with infected person’s bodily fluids: “While an infected person who sneezes or coughs directly in another person’s face...

Delhi Gets Its First Internet De-Addiction

Durgesh Nandan Jha July 28, 2014
Addiction is when a substance or activity gets out of control, consuming so much time that it interferes with work, family relationships or health. Video games, online shopping, mobile-phone use and constant internet browsing join the list of addictions. “Worried over the complete lack of socialization arising out of an internet-driven lifestyle among children, an NGO has launched Delhi's...

Costly Cures

July 9, 2014
New drug regimens that can cost $100,000 or more are frustrating insurers, employers, physicians and patients who cannot afford rising prices, suggests an article from the Economist. The release of new and expensive medicines has spurred “a coalition ranging from doctors to labor unions to launch a campaign against ‘unsustainable and abusive’ prices.” Many within the industry defend high US...

MERS Outbreak Could Spread With Annual Pilgrimage: Officials

Maggie Fox June 23, 2014
Outbreaks of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, may not be a global emergency, but the annual mass pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, known as the Hajj could allow the virus to spread. The syndrome first appeared in 2012. The disease has since caused 500 fatalities and spread to 16 nations. Research from the World Health Organization suggests that camels are carriers, with no evidence of human-...