Research News

Science

'Invisibilia' New Episode: An Unlikely Superpower

5:35am March 23, 2020

by Alix Spiegel

NPR's podcast Invisibilia is back with a new season. A Scottish woman discovers she has a biological gift that allows her to see things that will happen in the future that no one else can see.

Queue Listen Now

'Silent Spreaders' Speed Coronavirus Transmission

7:44am March 21, 2020

by Geoff Brumfiel

A growing body of evidence shows that people without any major signs of illness can spread the coronavirus.

Queue Listen Now

Gilead Sciences, headquartered in Foster City, Calif., makes remdesivir, one of the experimental drugs now being investigated as a possible treatment for COVID-19.

Might The Experimental Drug Remdesivir Work Against COVID-19?

7:19am March 21, 2020

by Sydney Lupkin

It's too soon to know if the antiviral compound tested in 2014 as a potential Ebola treatment will hobble the coronavirus. Lab tests show promise, but studies in people with COVID-19 have only begun.

How Long Can Coronavirus Survive On Hard Surfaces?

6:25pm March 18, 2020

by Allison Aubrey

The new coronavirus can survive on hard surfaces such as plastic and stainless steel for up to 72 hours and on cardboard for up to 24 hours. To prevent transmission, keep surfaces clean.

Queue Listen Now

Drive-through screening stations are opening up in several parts of the country as testing capacity starts to expand nationally. At one station in Meridian, Idaho, nurse Ashley Layton communicates with a patient before taking a swab sample.

U.S. Coronavirus Testing Starts To Ramp Up But Still Lags

4:27pm March 18, 2020

by Rob Stein

Thousands of tests are now being conducted weekly, but tests remain scarce in many places. And experts question recent steps aimed at boosting testing capacity in states.

MedStar Washington Hospital Center's "ready room" in Washington, D.C., has mostly been used to house emergency supplies — but some storage carts have been moved out to make way for patient assessment stations.

Are U.S. Hospitals Ready?

2:16pm March 17, 2020

Here's what it will take for medical facilities across the nation to handle the coming surge of COVID-19 patients.

The Pentagon funded research into the social sciences as part of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now as those wars wind down, it's bringing one program to an end.

As The War On Terror Winds Down, The Pentagon Cuts Social Science

8:03am March 16, 2020

by Geoff Brumfiel

The Pentagon is ending a controversial program to fund social science research. It's part of a shift from asking for academic advice toward building new weapons systems.

Queue Listen Now

Science

Ages Ago, Beads Made From Ostrich Eggshells Cemented Friendships Across Vast Distances

8:14am March 14, 2020

A new study shows that ostrich eggshell beads were more than just decorative jewelry for the hunter-gatherers in sub-Saharan Africa, as archaeologist Brian Stewart explains.

Queue Listen Now

In a widely shared graphic, a tan curve represents a scenario without social distancing measures and where the U.S. hospital system becomes inundated with coronavirus patients.

Flattening A Pandemic's Curve: Why Staying Home Now Can Save Lives

7:21pm March 13, 2020

by Maria Godoy

From school closures to event cancellations, the disruptions are real — and vital. It's all to slow the spread of coronavirus, so hospitals don't get so overwhelmed that they can't treat the sickest.

Research: Coronavirus Can Live For A Long Time In Air, On Surfaces

5:12am March 13, 2020

by Allison Aubrey

A new study is first to examine how long the new coronavirus can survive on steel, plastic and cardboard. It can live up to 72 hours, but that's under idealized lab conditions, not the real world.