All posts tagged "Genetics"

New data Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show omicron’s more transmissible BA.2 subvariant now accounts for more than a third of the virus circulating in the U.S. but is not yet driving a surge in cases here as it has overseas. The CDC data show that as of March 19, BA.2 — often referred to as “stealth omicron” — accounted for 34.9% of genetically sequenced samples across the U.S., up from 22.3% as of March 12 and 12.6% on March 5. In the Northeast, BA.2 accounts for as much as 55.4% of the virus, and in Western states including California, 41.3%. Dr. George Rutherf......

SURFSIDE, Fla. – On Thursday, June 24, Pablo Rodriguez had planned to see his mother and grandmother for a typical weekday drop-in. They would bring his 6-year-old son treats and, on this special day, his first bicycle. But instead, he woke up to news that the building where the women who raised him were spending the night had partially collapsed. And like the other friends and family of the 97 confirmed dead and eight potentially missing in the partial collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Rodriguez was suddenly left to ponder horrific questions: Did the matriarchs of his family fee......

ATLANTA — Machines whir away as scientists in the lab at the Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University try to unlock the code of disease that can pose a threat to human life. Jin-Xiong She, the lab’s director, is making sure genetic material from patients is properly sequenced to identify the mutation to blame for their illnesses. He has used the genetic sequencing platforms to answer lingering questions about juvenile diabetes and other ailments. Now, he and his staff of scientists stand ready to help in solving one of the greatest s......

As if 2020 needed any more alarming headlines, each day brings news about the new “mutant” strain of the coronavirus identified in Great Britain, where health officials have proclaimed that it spreads far more readily than the microbe that has been crisscrossing the globe for months. Well, maybe. Scientists who study the biology of viruses say that so far, there is no proof that this new strain is more transmissible, only what amounts to circumstantial evidence. Human behavior and random chance also could explain the sudden emergence of the strain which, given that it was identified in a Color......

The COVID-19 vaccines rolling out across the nation are lifting spirits over the holidays. But there's also budding concern about new strains of the virus that have been discovered in Great Britain, South Africa and possibly in Nigeria. Scientists say they are hopeful, but unsure, that the vaccines will repel the mutants. The variant found in Great Britain may be more contagious than the original virus. And it's unclear if the pathogens will take hold in the U.S., where nearly 19 million people have already been infected. There's lots of uncertainty because things are happening quickly. Resear......