An Emotional TikTok Reveals How Black Women Experience Touch Starvation
In a now-viral TikTok, 33-year-old Mayte Lisbeth gets vulnerable about how a recent long-term lack of affectionate touch has affected her psyche. The video’s caption — “It’s been five years of touch starvation. I’ll probably have some more of it. I’m not handling it well” — is telling in itself, but the emotional recording reveals […]
Opinion | Doctors Aren’t Superheroes, We’re Human
Our profession often sends the message that we are invincible heroes. Here’s my vulnerable and honest admission: I lapped that up. There was something so seductive about denying pesky human requirements, like sleep, regular exercise, and time to decompress. I liked being needed more than I liked having needs. I sublimated mine under my superhero […]
Ultrasounds for endangered abalone mollusks: Ultrasounds proven an effective, hands-off way to help spawn endangered abalone
The world’s abalone are threatened, endangered or otherwise vulnerable in nearly every corner of the planet. While captive breeding efforts are underway for some species, these giant sea snails are notoriously difficult to spawn. If only we could wave a magic wand to know when abalone are ready to reproduce, without even touching them. Scientists […]
Discovery could enable broad coronavirus vaccine
The COVID-causing virus SARS-CoV-2 harbors a vulnerable site at the base of its spike protein that is found also on closely related coronaviruses, according to a new study from Scripps Research. The discovery, published Feb 8 in Science Translational Medicine, could inform the design of broad-acting vaccines and antibody therapies capable of stopping future coronavirus […]
New study challenges understanding of pandemic preparedness and resilience in Africa
Countries in Africa assessed as being least vulnerable to an epidemic were the worst affected by Covid-19, new research suggests. Nations with more urban populations and strong international travel links were worst affected by the pandemic, the study shows. Mortality rates and levels of restrictions — such as lockdowns and travel bans — were found […]