Posts:
By Jeff Van Pelt Common sense is not so common, to borrow a quote from Voltaire. Critical thinking, to use a more technical term, seems to be on the wane in the world. From Donald Trump’s lack of concern about, and failed response to, the coronavirus, to other...
Editor's note: Although the new U.S. Food & Drug Administration's Nutrition Facts Label changes were passed in 2016, implementation was delayed until January 1, 2020, for manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual food sales. Manufacturers with less than $10...
By Julie Steenhuysen Concerns over leaks compelled the top U.S. infectious disease official to reveal data on Gilead Sciences Inc's experimental drug remdesivir, the first in a scientifically rigorous clinical trial to show benefit in treating COVID-19. The dramatic...
By Jeremiah Reardon Dedicated to Cary Riggs (pen name Jay Cardam). Former CWC Member. Died May 2, 2020 in New Orleans. You may have wondered what was going on in that back room of the Sunrise Café as you passed by to the bathroom or took a table in the light-filled...
By Giovanni Cambizaca Something I’ve noticed recently is that I’m hearing a lot more birdsong. I don't know if that’s because my world is suddenly a lot quieter, or if that same stillness is encouraging the birds to lift up their voices. Whatever the reason, it’s a...
By Aakriti Bhalla and John Miller Roche (ROG.S) has won emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to determine whether people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said on Sunday. Thomas...
By Ed Konderla In our present state we sure have a lot of time to reflect on things. In the pre-Covid virus days, many of us had an unlimited amount of distractions. We kept our heads locked, looking straight ahead, zeroing in on the next distraction like walking on a...
By Debbie Moore-Black, RN They scream and holler and march. Open up the U.S. This is a hoax. On the contrary, coronavirus is deadly. Invisible, the virus makes its trek across the world. Nurses and doctors and respiratory therapists are being named heroes. Signs and...
By Dr. Francis Collins There’s been a lot of excitement about the potential of antibody-based blood tests, also known as serology tests, to help contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. There’s also an awareness that more research is needed to...
I think everyone knows having a “knack” for something means that you’re a lot better at doing that thing than the average person. If you have a “knack,” it’s likely that others have noticed your enhanced abilities in what ever your area or areas of expertise happen to...
My friend Jerry died this week. He was 63 years old. He was married and had one son. He died of COVID-19 after almost three weeks on a ventilator in a hospital I used to work at in Fall River, Massachusetts. He had worked in that same hospital for 32 years before...
By Ray Horsley As we keep ourselves so well informed, usually too informed, of the number of Covid-19 cases, the tests, and the deaths, maybe we should take a look at the other cost. Actually, the plural as in the other "costs" is more fitting since there are so many....
By Alex Berezow, PhD When your dog looks longingly at you as you eat breakfast, out of compassion and sympathy, do you ever find yourself pouring some orange juice into his bowl? Of course not. You might get bitten. Or, at the very least, you'll get a puzzled look. He...
By John Fund and Joel Hay Spring is in the air, and it is increasingly found in the confident step of the people of Sweden. With a death rate significantly lower than that of France, Spain, the U.K., Belgium, Italy, and other European Union countries, Swedes can enjoy...
By Josh Bloom, Ph.D It's only one trial, and we don't even know if the report is correct. But a leaked draft report indicated that remdesivir was ineffective in its first controlled trial. Let's assume that this is true and we see the same from other trials. If so,...
A former pensions minister has warned that people over the age of 70 would “rebel” and “risk going to prison” if the government mandates they must continue self-isolating even after the lockdown has lifted. Baroness Ros Altmann, a Tory peer, told Sophy Ridge on Sky...
By Giovanni Cambizaca When I drive out of the city towards home, I often think that the foothills of the Cajas look a little bit like Switzerland. If I could put bells on the cows, the effect would be almost complete. When we think about Switzerland, I suppose...
Author’s note: Fat is a controversial topic but let’s cut through the chatter and delve into fat facts. This is the first of an updated three-part series about dietary fats. I'm not writing about "diets" per se, in this column. As reported by the Harvard School of...
Researchers at a Hong Kong university say they have developed an antiviral coating which could provide 90 days of “significant” protection against bacteria and viruses such as the one causing COVID-19. The coating, called MAP-1, took 10 years to develop and can be...
By Roger Theodos As I sit here in Buenos Aires, exiled by a travel ban from my home in Ecuador, I am comforted by the words of the travel writer Paul Theroux: “The most enlightening trips I’ve taken have been the riskiest, the most crisis-ridden, in countries gripped...
