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Matthieu Groussin sits with three other people on stools in front of a low table, on which there are several bowls of food. Another person stands above Groussin spooning something into a bowl.
Q&A: Gathering Diverse Microbiome Samples
Cofounders of a microbiome biobank speak with The Scientist about their new partnership with nonprofit OpenBiome and how to ethically work with donors.
Q&A: Gathering Diverse Microbiome Samples
Q&A: Gathering Diverse Microbiome Samples

Cofounders of a microbiome biobank speak with The Scientist about their new partnership with nonprofit OpenBiome and how to ethically work with donors.

Cofounders of a microbiome biobank speak with The Scientist about their new partnership with nonprofit OpenBiome and how to ethically work with donors.

global health

a person in a black shirt crouches on a dirt bank and cups water drawn from a river.
Cholera Outbreak Strikes 29 Countries, Highlights Vaccine Shortage
Katherine Irving | Oct 31, 2022 | 3 min read
The international group coordinating emergency vaccines recommends administering one dose instead of two to combat the “dire shortage” of cholera vaccines worldwide.
Mosquito with red abdomen and white stripes on human skin
Mosquitoes Add Bacteria to Water to Help Larvae Grow: Preprint
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Apr 12, 2022 | 4 min read
Pregnant mosquito females deploy the microbe Elizabethkingia to speed larval growth; the larvae, in turn, help the bacteria outcompete other strains.
Updated
COVID-19 vaccine vials on a map of the world indicating inequitable distribution
Wealthier Nations Disregarding WHO Call for COVID-19 Booster Moratorium
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Aug 5, 2021 | 3 min read
The organization implored nations to wait on booster shots until the global vaccination rate increases, but several of the world’s more well-off countries have expressed their intentions to offer them regardless.
Blurred out people standing near train at station.
Cities Have Distinct Microbial Signatures: Study
Lisa Winter | May 27, 2021 | 2 min read
The researchers found thousands of species not previously documented.
Worm War
The Scientist | Nov 1, 2020 | 1 min read
Chelsea Wood, a University of Washington parasitologist and this month’s Scientist to Watch, gives an overview of her research on schistosomiasis in Africa.
Opinion: Coronavirus Pandemic Highlights Dangers of Health Disparities
Matthew Dacso, Kara McArthur, and Clifford Dacso | Jul 13, 2020 | 4 min read
The coronavirus pandemic is exposing the underlying biological dangers of being a minority in the US.
Triage Test for Tuberculosis Spots Infections Within an Hour
Ruth Williams | Oct 23, 2019 | 4 min read
An early-stage, blood-based assay shows potential as a method for sorting patients with suspected TB from those with other respiratory illnesses.
measles in europ European region WHO emergency action number of cases 2019 first half more than 2018
Europe Had 90,000 Measles Cases in First Half of 2019
Chia-Yi Hou | Aug 30, 2019 | 2 min read
The number of measles cases this year is already more than all of the cases reported in 2018.
Global Virus Doc
The Scientist | Oct 31, 2018 | 1 min read
Author and researcher Peter Hotez explains the campaign to combat neglected tropical diseases.
Thomas Frieden, Former CDC Chief, Arrested on Sexual Abuse Charges
Sukanya Charuchandra | Aug 24, 2018 | 1 min read
A woman told police in July that Frieden groped her in his Brooklyn apartment in October 2017.
Head of Global Health Security Ousted from White House
Shawna Williams | May 10, 2018 | 2 min read
The position was eliminated the same week a new Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Rainy Season Likely to Exacerbate Yemen’s Cholera Outbreak
Shawna Williams | Aug 18, 2017 | 1 min read
Pregnant and lactating women are particularly vulnerable to the disease.
Cholera Ripping Through Yemen
Diana Kwon | Jun 8, 2017 | 2 min read
More than 100,000 cases of the bacterial disease have been reported in the war torn country.
Famed Statistician and Data Visualizer Dies
Jef Akst | Feb 7, 2017 | 2 min read
Hans Rosling of the Karolinska Institute has passed away at age 68.
Notable Science Quotes
The Scientist | Feb 1, 2017 | 2 min read
Intellectual property theft, gun violence, scientific failure, and more
Meet the Three Finalists for WHO Director-General
Diana Kwon | Jan 25, 2017 | 2 min read
The World Health Organization announces three final candidates for the agency’s top position. 
Global Food-Related Disease Estimate
Jef Akst | Dec 7, 2015 | 2 min read
More than 400,000 people—including 125,000 children—die from foodborne illness every year, according to the World Health Organization.
WHO: Few Countries Protecting Antibiotics
Kerry Grens | Apr 30, 2015 | 1 min read
Just a quarter of countries have an action plan in place to address antibiotic resistance, according to a survey by the World Health Organization.
WHO: TB’s Toll Worse Than Thought
Bob Grant | Oct 22, 2014 | 1 min read
A new report from the World Health Organization finds that tuberculosis has infected hundreds of thousands more people around the world than was estimated a year ago.
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