Science

A plane sits at Melbourne Airport in December, ahead of the Australian Open. The country will reopen its international borders to visa holders and fully vaccinated travelers on Feb. 21.

Australia will reopen to fully vaccinated travelers in 2 weeks

1:03pm February 07, 2022

by Rachel Treisman

Doubly vaccinated travelers will be welcomed starting Feb. 21, nearly two years after it first closed its border. The move is seen as relief for its tourism industry.

Paradoxical kinesia is a phenomenon familiar to Peter Strick, chair of neurobiology and scientific director of the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute. He and a team of other scientists hypothesize that there is a brain circuit that remains intact in

A brain circuit tied to emotion may lead to better treatments for Parkinson's disease

11:24am February 07, 2022

by Jon Hamilton

The symptoms of Parkinson's disease can vanish briefly in the face of stress or a strong emotion. Now scientists are searching for a treatment based on this phenomenon, a form of the placebo effect.

Pennsylvania's acting Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter walks from a news conference at Grandview Health in Sellersville, Pa., on Jan. 24.

900,000 Americans have died of COVID in 2 years of the global pandemic

9:26pm February 04, 2022

by Jonathan Franklin

The U.S. death rate from COVID-19 continues to increase daily, as the rolling seven-day average for daily COVID-19 deaths has been above 2,000 since Jan. 23.

Science

Building a fire in a cave is not easy — early humans figured out how

4:40pm February 04, 2022

Early humans seemed to strike the perfect balance in situating their hearths in the cave, preserving ample sitting and cooking space while avoiding the worst effects of smoke.

Antibody tests are becoming more available at drugstores, but what do the results really tell you? Above: A Paris pharmacist deposits a blood sample for a COVID-19 antibody test.

Coronavirus FAQ: My drugstore now offers antibody tests. Is it worth getting one?

4:35pm February 04, 2022

by Sheila Mulrooney Eldred

Antibody tests may be coming soon to a pharmacy near you. Here's what the tests reveal — and don't reveal — about you and COVID-19.

A colorized electron microscope image from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows a single human immunodeficiency virus budding from a human immune cell.

Discovery of HIV variant shows virus can evolve to be more severe — and contagious

2:10pm February 04, 2022

by Melody Schreiber

Findings from a new study help answer questions about why some people get more severe and transmissible HIV than others — and serve as a reminder that viruses don't always weaken over time.

Flared natural gas is burned off at a natural gas plant. Methane, the main ingredient in natural gas, can leak from natural gas plants and pipelines.

A satellite finds massive methane leaks from gas pipelines

6:05pm February 03, 2022

by Dan Charles

A satellite has detected massive leaks of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from natural gas plants and pipelines. Most of these releases are deliberate, resulting from sloppy pipeline repairs.

Downtown Wilmington, N.C., after Hurricane Florence made landfall in 2018. Storms like Florence, with both heavy rain and very high tides, are projected to get more common as the Earth gets hotter.

Science

A new study predicts a huge increase in catastrophic hurricanes for the northeastern U.S.

5:44pm February 03, 2022

by Rebecca Hersher

When hurricanes cause both extreme high tides and heavy rains, devastating floods ensue. Such storms will get much more frequent by the end of the century, according to a new study.

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National Guard Specialist Austin Alt stands as he fills in as a substitute teacher due to staffing shortages caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic and other non-illness related absences at Pojoaque Valley Middle School in Pojoaque, N.M.

New Mexico asks National Guard to work as substitute teachers to keep classrooms open

12:22pm February 02, 2022

by Alice Fordham

New Mexico is short 1,000 teachers. National Guard volunteers now serve as substitute teachers.

Male song sparrows don't bore their audience with the same old song.

The song sparrow might be nature's best DJ

6:55am February 02, 2022

Instead of playing the same old tune, male song sparrow's sing a variety of songs to keep potential mates interested.