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Person in a black, beaked robe (left) and man in a black tunic (right), flanking a red coat of arms
Masking Up, 1619 to Present
Putting on a mask to protect oneself and others against disease is nothing new, nor is resistance to mask-wearing, but mask designs have changed considerably from their first iterations.
Masking Up, 1619 to Present
Masking Up, 1619 to Present

Putting on a mask to protect oneself and others against disease is nothing new, nor is resistance to mask-wearing, but mask designs have changed considerably from their first iterations.

Putting on a mask to protect oneself and others against disease is nothing new, nor is resistance to mask-wearing, but mask designs have changed considerably from their first iterations.

controversy

3D objects of Ebola Viruses in abstract plasma
Notable Science Quotes
The Scientist | May 31, 2022 | 3 min read
Cracking the mystery of fungal infections in India, the Sabatini controversy, addressing Ebola, and more
EXCLUSIVE
Stethoscope on top of form and clipboard
Robert Malone Targets Physician Who Alerted Medical Board to Misinformation
Catherine Offord | Feb 19, 2022 | 8 min read
A Hawaii hospital worker who reported the controversial scientist to the Maryland Board of Physicians was subjected to harassment and a retaliatory complaint after Malone made his name and location public.
A stamp with a checkmark and the word FDA approved lying on its side on a white background.
Biogen Defends Newly Approved Alzheimer’s Drug
Jef Akst | Jul 27, 2021 | 3 min read
The US Food and Drug Administration has called for a federal investigation of its own regulatory review process after widespread criticism of its decision on Aduhelm.
A European robin on a tree branch
New Study Fuels Debate About Source of Birds’ Magnetic Sense
Catherine Offord | Jun 23, 2021 | 7 min read
A detailed analysis of cryptochrome 4 shows that the protein is highly sensitive to magnetic fields in vitro, but some researchers dispute the authors’ assertion that the findings could help explain avian magnetoreception.
A scanning electron micrograph of a coculture of E. coli and Acinetobacter baylyi. Nanotubes can be seen extending from the E. coli.
What’s the Deal with Bacterial Nanotubes?
Sruthi S. Balakrishnan | Jun 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Several labs have reported the formation of bacterial nanotubes under different, often contrasting conditions. What are these structures and why are they so hard to reproduce?
An illustration of a flask of bacteria, a weighted microscope slide, and two bacteria exchanging materials via nanotubes.
Infographic: Sources of Variation in Bacterial Nanotube Studies
Sruthi S. Balakrishnan | Jun 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Differences in how researchers prepare and image samples can lead to discrepancies in their results.
Frontiers Removes Controversial Ivermectin Paper Pre-Publication
Catherine Offord | Mar 2, 2021 | 4 min read
A review article containing contested claims about the tropical medicine drug as a COVID-19 treatment was listed as “provisionally accepted” on the journal’s website before being removed this week.
Deep-Sea Jelly Reignites Debate on Remote Species Identification
Max Kozlov | Mar 1, 2021 | 4 min read
Researchers say they have discovered a novel species of comb jelly using video footage, but they couldn’t recover a physical specimen. Is that enough?
Questions Raised About Widely Used Blood-Brain Barrier Model
Catherine Offord | Feb 16, 2021 | 6 min read
A study has sparked controversy by suggesting that cells made using a popular lab protocol have been misidentified, with potentially serious repercussions for brain research. Critics say the significance of the findings has been overstated.
Insects Might Be More Sensitive to Radiation than Thought
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Feb 1, 2021 | 5 min read
A study of bumble bees exposed to levels of radiation equivalent to those existing in Chernobyl hotspots shows that the insects’ reproduction takes a hit.
The Surgisphere Scandal: What Went Wrong?
Catherine Offord | Oct 1, 2020 | 10+ min read
The high-profile retractions of two COVID-19 studies stunned the scientific community earlier this year and prompted calls for reviews of how science is conducted, published, and acted upon. The warning signs had been there all along.
Dramatic Temperature Spikes Inside Cells Draw Interest, Skepticism
Shawna Williams | Dec 1, 2019 | 5 min read
Using a tiny thermometer, researchers record fluctuations of more than 7 Kelvin in sea slug neurons when a heat-generating mitochondrial process is switched on.
Union Says National Lab in Canada Is a Toxic Workplace
Jef Akst | Sep 30, 2019 | 3 min read
After a scientist at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg had a mental breakdown that may have contributed to her death in 2016, employees raise red flags about an unhealthy work environment.
human embryo
First Human–Monkey Chimeras Developed in China
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 5, 2019 | 3 min read
The researchers aim to grow transplantable human organs from primate embryos.
Brazil’s Researchers Criticize Budget Freeze
Catherine Offord | Apr 9, 2019 | 2 min read
Scientists have attacked the government’s spending policies after it locked down nearly half of the money that had been allocated for science funding.
Opinion: What You Believe about “Science Denial” May Be All Wrong
Kari Fischer | Feb 11, 2019 | 4 min read
A recent meeting about the disconnect between scientific and public beliefs points to ways researchers can improve how they communicate with skeptics.
Two Plant Biologists Penalized by CNRS in France
Jef Akst | Oct 3, 2018 | 1 min read
Olivier Voinnet and Patrice Dunoyer face consequences for misconduct that led to the retractions of numerous high-profile papers.
Call to Stop Using the Term “Mesenchymal Stem Cell”
Abby Olena, PhD | Sep 26, 2018 | 4 min read
Critics say the misleading term actually refers to a heterogeneous population of cells, including possible tissue-specific progenitor cells and nonstem cells all lumped together.
Race Is Not a Genomic Phenomenon
Rob DeSalle and Ian Tattersall | Jun 1, 2018 | 3 min read
Rather, DNA sequencing can help us parse our ancestry, a subtle but important distinction.
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