‘We don’t know what else is out there.’ Five ways new diseases emerge — and what we can do about them
From forests and farms to our own backyards, there’s a lot we can do to reduce future risks of pandemic outbreaks.
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Which drugs and therapies are proven to work, and which ones don’t, for COVID-19?
We have made amazing progress in the treatment of COVID-19. Two therapies – steroids and Remdesivir – have already been shown to help.
An illustrated history of government agencies twisting the truth to align with White House misinformation
It has become a familiar pattern: President Donald Trump says something that doesn’t line up with the facts held by scientists and other experts at government agencies. Then federal officials scramble to reconcile the fiction with their own public statements.
‘Just make it home’: the unwritten rules Blacks learn to navigate racism in America
Darnell Hill, a pastor and a mental health caseworker, offers Black teenagers emotional and physical coping strategies every time a Black person is fatally shot by a police officer.
Keith Ellison talks about police power, protest and George Floyd murder prosecutions
Keith Ellison on change: “I don’t ask for patience. Imagine it’s 400 years of people being denied it in so many cases where there was no accountability. I mean, it just compounds, you know, that level of disappointment and expectation of an unjust outcome.”
Can the president really order the military to occupy U.S. cities and states?
The answer to this question involves a web of legal provisions that help define the president’s constitutional roles as commander in chief and chief executive of the country.
Will the coronavirus transform or destroy higher education as we know it?
A new book from a Georgetown University expert is filled with ideas for change, but even with reforms the poor may fall even further behind.
You don’t need invasive tech for successful contact tracing. Here’s how it works.
While most discussions have focused on countries’ use of surveillance technology, contact tracing is actually a fairly manual process. After interviewing experts and taking an online course, ProPublica health reporter Caroline Chen presents her takeaways.
How the Lyme disease epidemic is spreading and why ticks are so hard to stop
A once-isolated population of ticks in northern Wisconsin has spread northward into Canada and south to Illinois and Indiana, west as far as Nebraska and east to Michigan.
Destruction of habitat and loss of biodiversity are creating the perfect conditions for diseases like COVID-19 to emerge
“There’s misapprehension among scientists and the public that natural ecosystems are the source of threats to ourselves. It’s a mistake,” said scientist Richard Ostfeld. “Nature poses threats, it is true, but it’s human activities that do the real damage.”
What antibody studies can tell you — and more importantly, what they can’t
Coronavirus antibody studies and what they allegedly show have triggered fierce debates, further confusing public understanding.
Coronavirus advice from abroad: Seven lessons America’s governors should not ignore as they reopen their economies
ProPublica spoke to frontline experts from around the globe and has compiled a list of recommendations for reopening U.S. states. Their consensus? It’s tough to find policies that simultaneously save lives and livelihoods.
What we do and do not know about COVID-19’s infectivity and viral load
The infectious dose is the amount of virus needed to establish an infection, while the viral load is the amount of a specific virus in a test sample taken from a patient.
Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling COVID-19 patients
As more data comes in from China and Italy, as well as Washington state and New York, more cardiac experts are coming to believe the COVID-19 virus can infect the heart muscle.
Temperature check: Tips for tracking a key symptom of coronavirus contagion
A specific temperature is only one of many indications of a fever. People will also have alternating chills and sweats, and body aches.
Could chloroquine treat coronavirus? Five questions answered about a promising, problematic and unproven use for an antimalarial drug
So far, there is no consensus about whether the drugs are safe and effective for treating COVID-19, as it is still very early in the testing process.
How many Americans are really infected with the coronavirus?
ProPublica health care reporter Caroline Chen dug into the projections to learn what to make of them. Forecasts are fuzzy, but the takeaway is clear: Stay home.
Why so many epidemics originate in Asia and Africa – and why we can expect more
An unprecedented shift in human population is one reason why more diseases originate in Asia and Africa.
Some colleges and universities are bringing the classroom to the workplace
To build career skills, faculty teach fermentation at a brewery, hospitality at a ski resort.
Animals large and small once covered North America’s prairies – and in some places, they could again
Scientists know surprisingly little about today’s remnant biodiversity in the grasslands – especially the status of what we call “big small mammals,” such as badgers, foxes, jackrabbits and porcupines.
