New research finds that the appearance of the HbS mutation, which protects against malaria but leads to sickle cell disease when present in two copies, was more common in sperm samples from men in Ghana, where malaria risk is high, than Europeans.

The pandemic has yielded many lessons. One is that adequate and well-distributed diagnostics are key to battling disease outbreaks.

Caskey’s contributions to the field were instrumental to modern genetics.

In a trio of studies, researchers report capturing and analyzing airborne environmental DNA from a wide variety of plants and animals, suggesting a new way of monitoring which terrestrial species are present in an area.

The Scientist checks in on scientists who switched gears to combat the pandemic.

Countries outside the US and Europe that are already used to long wait times for laboratory supplies are facing greater research disruptions than ever during the pandemic.

Researchers find that SARS-CoV-2 variants can evade primer-probe sets and recommend that diagnostic assays include multiple targets for reliability.

An automated wastewater monitoring technique could enable researchers to predict outbreaks of the virus up to a week in advance.

Researchers use magnetic nanoparticles and liquid-handling robots in an effort to detect COVID-19 outbreaks early.

Brock’s discovery of a thermophile bacteria at Yellowstone National Park in 1966 eventually enabled the development of PCR.

A noninvasive saliva test accurately identified concussions in a study of hundreds of rugby players.

An abundance of immunoglobulin antibodies, and a paucity of viral RNA, in breastmilk offer evidence that women can safely continue breastfeeding during the pandemic.

Researchers are adapting CRISPR, synthetic biology, and other creative approaches to detect SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acids outside of the lab or doctors’ offices, in the hopes of making diagnostics more affordable and accessible.