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Why COVID-19 Infection Curves Have Not Been What Epidemiologists Predicted

Why COVID-19 Infection Curves Have Not Been What Epidemiologists Predicted

Epidemiologists assured us S-shaped curves would be the case for COVID-19, but many countries had decreases of infection numbers "social distancing" and a linear rise of infection curves after the first peak.A new paper offers an explanation for the linear growth of the infection curve.Traditional epidemiological models required so much fine-tuning of parameters that they became scientifically meaningless. Linear growth, with an R number at 1, in the epidemiology models that were being used would have to mean reducing contacts by the same exact and constant percentage. That was never going to happen outside the world of statistical hope.

Academic Surgery Has Fewer Women, But They Get More NIH Grants

Academic Surgery Has Fewer Women, But They Get More NIH Grants

There are disparities in many fields of academia; physics has fewer women, for example, while psychology has fewer men. Some contend that is due to discomfort in not having equal representation.But fewer members of the same sex is assuaged if there is more money, and that is the case for female academic surgeons. They are outnumbered by men but get more NIH funding than men do. They get nearly 50 percent more R01 grants.

There Is Now No Racial Disparity In Lung Cancer Incidence - Except For White Women

There Is Now No Racial Disparity In Lung Cancer Incidence - Except For White Women

Historically, lung cancer incidence rates have been higher in Black people than White people among men of all ages and among younger women, likely reflecting historically higher smoking rates in Black adults.That is no longer the case, and in women the trend has even reversed.That is a big win for science and health nonprofit groups like ours, which have warned about the perils of smoking for our entire existence.

Our Food Supply Was Built On Engineering Plants: The War On Science Risks That Food Security

Our Food Supply Was Built On Engineering Plants: The War On Science Risks That Food Security

The majority of today's plant-based food was created using scientific optimization of traits - genetic engineering. Watermelons, bananas, tomatoes, lettuce, and corn are all great examples of genetically engineered foods that few realize are not natural even if they carry an "organic" manufacturing process sticker.Despite that success, government-funded scientists are reporting less funding than ever and the reason is largely because the private sector has done so well. It may also be because the war against agriculture is being waged by those often in the same political tribe as those who want to pursue a career in academia. No one wants to be shamed at parties because they do science that a giant chunk of people educated by marketing dislike.

Melanoma: Why Lymph Nodes Matter In How Cancer Cells Spread

Melanoma: Why Lymph Nodes Matter In How Cancer Cells Spread

If you or someone you know have gotten a cancer diagnosis, you know one of the first tests is to see if it has spread to your lymph nodes.That is because they will often be a harbinger of spread to distant organs. Most cancer deaths happen after cancer spreads to other parts of the body through a process known as metastasis. This occurs when cancer cells from the primary tumor spread through blood vessels or migrate through lymphatic vessels before entering the blood.

More Evidence That Emotional Expressions Are Universal

More Evidence That Emotional Expressions Are Universal

Are smiles, scowls, or sympathetic sighs universal across cultures? Studies from Namibia to Bhutan have attempted to find out, but the findings have been too inconsistent to take seriously. It may be because asking asking participants in a remote culture to match depictions of Western facial, bodily, or vocal expressions to situations or words in their native language is not the way to go.

Corgis And Noise, Retrievers And Surfaces - How You Can Reduce Fearfulness In Your Dog

Corgis And Noise, Retrievers And Surfaces - How You Can Reduce Fearfulness In Your Dog

Fear of thunder or other loud noises, nervousness about new areas, and fear of slippery surfaces and heights are common among dogs but a new paper says these non-social fears can be mitigated.Not for all dogs, the typical Cairn Terrier will remain more fearful than the average Chinese Crested Dog, but living environment and lifestyle will help. What works, according to 14,000 dog owners surveyed? Exposure to new things as puppies. Insufficient socialization of puppies to various situations and new environments were a link with fearfulness related to novel situations, loud noises as well as different walking surfaces. The company of other dogs reduced the occurrence of non-social fear.

Hydrocodone, Lorazepam, Oxycodone And More Are Being Prescribed For Dementia With No Evidence They Work

Hydrocodone, Lorazepam, Oxycodone And More Are Being Prescribed For Dementia With No Evidence They Work

Data from 737,839 people with dementia find that 73.5 percent of them filled at least one prescription for an antidepressant, opioid painkiller, epilepsy drug, anxiety medication or antipsychotic drug in a one-year period. The percentages generally were even higher among women, non-Hispanic white patients, people in their late 60s and early 70s, and people with low incomes.The problem; there is no evidence they work, they are not approved for off-label use in dementia, and some of the drugs have been linked to worse cognitive symptoms in old adults. 

Consumers Don't Realize It But The Pandemic Has Clobbered Farmers

Consumers Don't Realize It But The Pandemic Has Clobbered Farmers

Tennessee corn, soybean, cotton and wheat producers are estimated to have declines in income of $58.8 million, $21.4 million, $20.3 million and $1.2 million, respectively, for a total decline of $101.7 million - and that's just what is known right now.

COVID-19 Is Not Transmitted Through Breast Milk

COVID-19 Is Not Transmitted Through Breast Milk

Samples of breast milk collected by the Mommy's Milk Human Milk Research Biorepository from women infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) only showed one positive for viral RNA. However, subsequent tests found that the virus was unable to replicate, and thus unable to cause infection in the breastfed infant.There have been no documented cases to-date of an infant contracting COVID-19 as a result of consuming infected breast milk but without studies it was hard to be sure, to this is good news for families with new babies.

Terminator 2 T-1000 Gets Closer: A New Material That Can Autonomously Heal In Air And Underwater

Terminator 2 T-1000 Gets Closer: A New Material That Can Autonomously Heal In Air And Underwater

A new epoxy material is a first-of-its-kind, 3-D printable, stimuli-responsive polymeric material that enable massive reconfigurability in future military platforms, according to a recent paper.It will have embedded intelligence allowing it to autonomously adapt to its environment without any external control. It is a system of materials to simultaneously provide structure, sensing and response.

Flying Dinosaurs: Anchiornithine Theropods As The Earliest Birds

Flying Dinosaurs: Anchiornithine Theropods As The Earliest Birds

A new paper supports the traditional relationship of dromaeosaurid ('raptors') and troodontid theropods as the closest relatives of birds, but also supports the status of the controversial anchiornithine theropods as the earliest birds.The authors say theirs is the most comprehensive study of feathered dinosaurs and early birds into the evolutionary relationships of dinosaurs at the origin of birds. They used an analytical pipeline to search for evolutionary trees, and estimated how each species may have crossed the stringent thresholds for powered flight.