The early 2000s were a great time to study amphibians in Panama. At night, dozens of species sang out in chorus while researchers measured and photographed frogafter frog, often hiking to remote sites hours from the nearest road. Jamie Voyles and Cori Richards-Zawacki were both graduate students at the time, just at the start of their scientific careers, and Panama’s amphibians offered a plethora of research possibilities. Continue reading Frog skin secretions offer the first ray of hope in a deadly fungal epidemic
Tag Archives: diseases
What is sickle cell disease?
On Wednesday, rapper Albert Johnson—better known by his stage name Prodigy—passed away at the age of 42 from complications of sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder he’d had since birth. Though some medications can help those with sickle cell manage their condition, no cure or real treatment exists to combat the disease. And while better care in the United States has extended the lifespan of those with the disease, they often face a lifelong battle with pain, infections, and extreme fatigue.
Mysterious Brain Disease in Children Tied to a Popular Fruit
Since 1995, hundreds of poor children in Muzaffarpur, India have mysteriously suffered seizures and feelings of brain fogginess, usually in the morning. Many would soon die. This happened every year between May and July: In 2014, for example, Muzaffarpur hospitals admitted 390 kids with the symptoms, resulting in 122 deaths.
Continue reading Mysterious Brain Disease in Children Tied to a Popular Fruit
Rates of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Reach ‘Unprecedented’ Levels in the US
An alarming report put out by the Centers for Disease Control shows that the total combined cases of several sexually transmitted diseases have reached an “unprecedented” high in the United States.
Continue reading Rates of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Reach ‘Unprecedented’ Levels in the US
STOCK UP ON CONDOMS: GONORRHEA MAY BECOME RESISTANT TO ANTIBIOTICS
In an interesting and unsettling turn of events, gonorrhea, a.k.a. ‘the clap,’ might soon become resistant to the antibiotics typically used to treat it. If it does, unprotected and casual sex will be a whole lot riskier.
Continue reading STOCK UP ON CONDOMS: GONORRHEA MAY BECOME RESISTANT TO ANTIBIOTICS
How a Flu Virus Invades a Cell
Researchers from the University of Washington are the first to visualize the insidious way that the flu virus latches onto a cell and plows its way inside, causing an infection.
