Disease and Illnesses

An RN administers the Covid-19 vaccine to a nurse at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia.

The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2020

From the rapid development of vaccines for Covid-19 to the stunning collection of an asteroid sample, these were the biggest science moments of the year

“He is setting a fine example for the youth of the country,” said a public health official after the King of Rock 'n' Roll received a vaccine on the set of “The Ed Sullivan Show” in October 1956.

How Elvis Helped America Eliminate Polio

The rock star's much-publicized vaccination inspired reluctant U.S. teens to get inoculated

The survey did not conclude how the wild mink became infected with the virus, but it’s not unusual for captive minks to escape fur farms. (Infected mink not pictured.)

First Case of Covid-19 in a Wild Animal Found in a Utah Mink

The U.S. Department of Agriculture detected the infection while testing wild animals around a mink farm with a Covid-19 outbreak

A nurse administers the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to a patient in London on December 8. Some experts say the fastest way to test second-generation COVID-19 vaccines is through human challenge trials.

A Brief History of Human Challenge Trials

For more than two centuries, scientists have been intentionally infecting patients with dangerous diseases in order to learn more

Chimps relax at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Humans can transmit many diseases to chimps, orangutans and their kin.

How Researchers Are Protecting Great Apes From Covid-19

Humans who study and care for the primates are taking precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and its unknown effects

Henry Bergh (in top hat) stopping an overcrowded horsecar, from Harper’s Weekly, Sept. 21, 1872.

The Horse Flu Epidemic That Brought 19th-Century America to a Stop

An equine influenza in 1872 laid bare how essential horses were to the economy

Trench fever came to prominence during World War I, but new research suggests that the disease afflicted people long before the 20th century.

Before WWI, Trench Fever Plagued the Ancient Romans and Napoleonic Soldiers

Long associated with the Great War, the disease actually dates back at least 2,000 years, a new study suggests

In February, the Covid-19 pandemic halted polio immunization campaigns across Afghanistan and Pakistan, fueling a new resurgence of polio in children. Here, a young girl is given the polio vaccine in the Kabul Province in October after campaigns were resumed.

How Covid-19 Drove New Polio Cases in Afghanistan

Due to the pandemic, a total of 50 million children did not receive the polio vaccine in Afghanistan and Pakistan

According to the World Health Organization, some 42 "candidate vaccines" against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 are undergoing clinical trials.

What Is the Best Strategy to Deploy a Covid-19 Vaccine?

Mathematicians are modeling different scenarios for a vaccine rollout to see what may work best

An American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) on a human finger.

Higher Temperatures Make Some Ticks Pick Humans Over Dogs

The study’s results suggest certain tick-borne diseases could become even more prevalent as climate change heats up the planet

But since 2010, the percentage of children around the world receiving the first vaccine has plateaued at around 85 percent; only 71 percent receive the second dose.

A Resurgence of Measles Killed More Than 200,000 People Last Year

Public health experts worry that vaccine availability will be further stalled by the Covid-19 pandemic

Reconstruction of a titanosaur with ulcerations

First Evidence of Parasites in Dinosaur Bones Found

A team of paleontologists used CT scans and tissue samples to uncover blood pathogens in an infected titanosaur

Electron microscope image of a human cell (purple) heavily infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (yellow)

Will the Coronavirus Evolve to Be Less Deadly?

History and science suggest many possible pathways for pandemics, but questions remain about how this one will end

An illustration of Legionella bacteria, the cause of Legionnaires' disease

Why Reports of Legionnaires' Disease Are on the Rise in the United States

Though less common than in the past, Legionella bacteria and other dangerous pathogens still lurk in drinking water

A father and his daughter engage in a video chat with their doctor.

Should Parents Test for Covid if Their Kid Might Just Have a Cold?

Experts weigh in on when students with runny noses, fevers, and coughs should be quarantined and checked

A woman with anorexia gets ready to weigh herself.

How Patients With Eating Disorders Have Been Affected by the Pandemic

A recent study suggests that worries related to Covid-19 may exacerbate conditions including anorexia and binge eating

The discoveries of these three Nobel laureates “saved millions of lives worldwide,” one Nobel committee member said.

Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded to Three Scientists Who Discovered Hepatitis C

The contributions of these Nobel laureates helped identify, test, and treat hepatitis C

Woodrow Wilson, seen here at the start of the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919, never publicly acknowledged the pandemic's toll on his country.

What Happened When Woodrow Wilson Came Down With the 1918 Flu?

The president contracted influenza while attending peace talks in Paris, but the nation was never told the full, true story

School children are spaced apart in one of the rooms used for lunch at Woodland Elementary School in Milford, Massachusetts on Sept. 11, 2020.

Exactly How Far Should You Distance From Others to Avoid Covid-19?

The CDC recommends 6 feet or more, the WHO about half that distance, but experts say the science is far from settled

Some Covid-19 patients are reporting that foods including coffee, chocolate and red wine smell awful.

Why Covid-19 Patients Are Suffering From Distorted and Phantom Smells

An increasing number of patients are reporting awful scents that aren’t present

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