Studies of human microbiome have ignored the developing world, potentially compromising treatments | Science

Thousands of studies have linked the trillions of microbes living in and on our bodies to conditions from cancer to autism to depression. But most microbiome samples come from wealthy countries in North America and Europe, a new analysis finds, distorting our understanding of human-microbe interactions. “There are many ethnic groups and geographical locations that … Read more

Dinosaurs: First evidence giant animals caught potentially fatal coughs

The first evidence of a respiratory infection in a dinosaur suggests that a 15-year-old diplodocid suffered from coughing, sneezing and fever before dying Earth 10 February 2022 By Matthew Sparkes An artist’s impression of Dolly the dinosaur Woodruff et al. (2022) and Corbin Rainbolt The fossil record has revealed dinosaurs with broken bones, osteoarthritis and … Read more

‘Ghost’ viruses offer potentially better approach to gene editing | Science

Not every human disease can be tackled with a pill or shot. Some disorders would ideally be treated by delivering molecular payloads—like modified viruses carrying gene-editing tools—into defective cells, where they could rewrite target genes. Despite some early successes, researchers are still struggling to get this approach to work. Now, researchers say they have found … Read more