Field: Public Health
South Korea starts using “phone booths” for coronavirus tests
A South Korean hospital has created “phone booths” where medical staff can complete coronavirus tests on patients during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Flu drug may be an effective new coronavirus treatment
The Japanese flu drug favipiravir is an effective and safe new coronavirus treatment, Chinese officials claim after testing it on 340 patients.
The daily coronavirus news roundup – monday, march 23rd
Solutions to the mask shortage, a massive vaccine and treatment list, and other fresh coronavirus news updates.
Your voice could help train an AI to detect coronavirus
The Corona Voice Detect project is developing an AI-powered system to detect coronavirus infections based on a sample of a person’s voice.
Here is every potential coronavirus treatment and vaccine
Across the globe, researchers are scrambling to find a coronavirus treatment or vaccine that could bring the COVID-19 outbreak to a swift end.
Crowdsourcing the seed for coronavirus antiviral medications
Foldit players are solving a protein structure puzzle that could help kickstart coronavirus antiviral medications.
The daily coronavirus news roundup – friday, march 20th
Each day, Freethink publishes the “Coronavirus Roundup,” a collection highlighting the latest must-read COVID-19 stories from us and others.
FDA to begin testing chloroquine as coronavirus treatment
The FDA has announced plans to begin testing chloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, as a potential treatment for the novel coronavirus behind COVID-19.
An epidemic of false confidence related to COVID-19
To distinguish between the most optimistic and pessimistic pandemic scenarios, we need to measure how many people have developed an immunity to the virus.
Private sector stepping up to combat COVID-19
Cosmetics companies and distilleries are making hand sanitizer and the UK asks manufacturers to make ventilators as the private sector responds to the pandemic.
Our spare computer is helping fight coronavirus. yours can, too.
Help fight the coronavirus by donating your spare computing power to Folding@home, which will use it to run valuable protein-folding simulations.
How to improve shopping for the elderly during a pandemic
To improve shopping for the elderly during the coronavirus pandemic, stores have set “seniors-only” hours, while volunteers deliver supplies for free.
Experts are 3D printing coronavirus supplies for hospitals
After an Italian firm 3D printed in-demand coronavirus supplies for a hospital, others in the community were inspired to offer their own help.
First coronavirus vaccine is ready for human testing
The experimental coronavirus vaccine, mRNA-1273, began human testing on March 16, several weeks ahead of expectations.
The coronavirus hospital staffed by robots
A robot-run coronavirus hospital in Wuhan, China, is just one remarkable example of how technology is helping combat the global COVID-19 outbreak.
What is protecting kids against the coronavirus?
Something is protecting kids against the coronavirus, and researchers want to figure out what it is so they can use it to develop a treatment.
More than $1 million in prizes for coronavirus solutions
Emergent Ventures is awarding more than $1 million in coronavirus prizes to people who make significant progress in combating COVID-19.
Blood plasma from coronavirus survivors could save lives
A drug company is using the blood plasma of coronavirus survivors to develop a treatment for those still battling the disease.
Gates Foundation funds at-home coronavirus testing project
The Gates Foundation is funding an at-home coronavirus testing project in Seattle, with the goal of testing thousands of people for COVID-19 daily.
AI can detect coronavirus infections far faster than humans
New artificial intelligence systems can detect coronavirus infections far faster than human doctors and could help end the COVID-19 outbreak.
US’s first drive-thru coronavirus clinic opens in Seattle
A Seattle hospital system has opened a drive-thru coronavirus clinic, a place where people can be tested for COVID-19 without leaving their cars.
Why aren’t the World Bank’s pandemic bonds helping fight COVID-19?
The World Bank sold pandemic bonds to address global health emergencies, but it has yet to release any of the money to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak.
Data scientists are making it easier to track COVID-19
Teams of computer scientists across the globe are working tirelessly to help track COVID-19 through the use of computer modeling and data dissemination.
Can an algorithm predict the next disease outbreak?
Researchers are using this algorithm to predict which regions are likely to see a zoonotic disease outbreak, and hopefully prevent the next global pandemic.
AI helps scientists discover powerful new antibiotic
Using a computer model powered by artificial intelligence, researchers at MIT have identified several promising candidates for powerful new antibiotics.
China is responding to the coronavirus in a way only China could
China is using its vast surveillance network and near-total control over citizens to respond to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in a way perhaps no other nation could.
How to make 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine in a year
Creating a new vaccine is slow and expensive. One biotech firm thinks a “plug-and-play” vaccine could change that.
The first universal flu vaccine could be coming soon
After flu season, vaccines are outdated and researchers must predict next year’s virus. But soon, we may have a universal flu vaccine that doesn't expire.
The next pandemic is out there. Is the private sector ready?
Johns Hopkins' simulated, international catastrophe is helping business, government, and public health leaders improve global pandemic preparedness.
Can mosquito-repellent clothes stop the deadliest animal on Earth?
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are War, Death, Famine, and Pestilence — what Revelation doesn't tell you is...
Could another measles outbreak open up Pandora’s Box?
The global resurgence of measles has sparked renewed scientific interest in this old foe. If the theory — which is contested — turns out to be true, a measles infection could be less an isolated bout of illness and more a Pandora’s box.
mRNA vaccines could change everything in the fight against disease
Traditional methods of vaccination have come up against difficult challenges. They can also be expensive and time-consuming to produce. New RNA vaccines are faster, cheaper, and safer, and show great potential to meet evolving threats.
Bringing community healthcare to the people
In partnership with Skoll Foundation
There is an urgent challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa: people are dying from treatable illnesses like malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea. Now, people are turning to their neighbors for community health care.
Uganda begins massive new Ebola vaccine study
The Ebola outbreak in the Congo is now the second deadliest on record. How can we stop the devastation? A study in Uganda could hold the key for a new vaccine.
In the US, rural hospitals are closing. Can medical drones fill this healthcare gap?
“Whether you live in the developed world or the developing world, the further you travel outside of a major city,...
Preparing for outbreak: Fighting the world's deadliest diseases
The World Health Organization has compiled a list of the most dangerous diseases that could strike next year.
Angels of debt
These ex-bill collectors got John Oliver's attention and started a movement. They're buying hundreds of millions of dollars worth of strangers' medical debt and erasing it.
Why did measles explode in 2019?
Humanity is locked in an arms race with diseases: we update our vaccines, and diseases evolve new ways to try to...
The future of healthcare could look a lot like the 1900s
For many cancer patients, being treated at home is just as safe, more affordable, and more convenient than being...
Macgyver medicine can save lives
The package is simple and dirt-cheap—a plastic bag with a condom, a syringe, a rubber tube, and a card with...
How to change the world
In partnership with Skoll Foundation
Olivia Leland, founder and CEO of Co-Impact, on how we should approach solving the world’s most complex problems.
Is autism a mysterious medical condition or part of the spectrum of human diversity?
Rethinking Autism: Interview with NeuroTribes Author Steve Silberman
Who will save your parent’s life story?
When her dad had Alzheimer’s, this journalist wrote his life story to help his caregivers understand him. Now, she’d doing the same for hundreds more.
Can cognitive behavioral therapy break the cycle of violence?
CBT is a promising way to reduce violence, so why has it been so hard to scale?
Civilian oversight is a solution to police misconduct. But is it effective?
Creating a civilian review board to oversee police conduct seems like a straightforward solution to disciplinary...
Do we need more police or better police?
American cities are safer than they used to be, but they’re still quite violent, and many economists think they’re...
Why drugs are hurting more people than ever – and what to do about it
Is the solution to dangerous drugs... making them safer?
How redesigning labs can demystify genetic science
"Scientists work in high-security buildings that are banned to the public and then wonder why they are misunderstood."
Personal genetics might solve the opioid crisis – and the pain crisis
Why does pain hurt more for some people? Why do others feel nothing at all?
Can science make people live healthier for longer?
An MIT researcher has turned 30 years of aging research into something you can use right now.
High tech archaeology found a new way to screen for vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency is an age-old problem, but new techniques from archaeology may be the key to catching it early.
Why don’t vaccines work as well in poor countries?
Our best tool for preventing disease is the least effective in the places where it's most needed.
Two billion people have TB. What should we do about it?
In the fight against TB, sometimes it's better to just get along.
Unlike smoking, vaping won't mess with your microbiome
Smoking kills off good bacteria and upsets the balance of power your gut.
The ebola vaccine is still working 2 years later
The vaccine works great at preventing infection—let’s hope it can also prevent media panic too.
Series|
Wrong
Is vitamin C a total sham?
In the heart of cold and flu season, it's natural to reach for the Vitamin C. But we may want to think twice. While...
What we need right now is a little bit of Hans Rosling
The Swedish public health researcher says that, contrary to most of what you hear, the world is actually moving in...
This week in ideas: A $1 microscope, healing our divisions, Planet Earth is back
Democratizing microscopes, how we heal our political divisions, and BBC's Planet Earth returns. These are our...