An estimated 168 billion gallons of wastewater—or produced water—is generated annually by the Permian Basin fracking industry, according to a 2022 report by the Texas Produced Water Consortium. The major waste stream has proved both difficult and costly to treat because of the chemical complexity of the water.
An outbreak of infections with the mpox virus—formerly known as monkeypox—in Europe in 2022 led to a rise in interest in poxviruses. An international research team has now investigated the structure of the poxvirus prototype, the vaccinia virus (VACV). The work is published in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
At least 10 cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection have been reported in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala, officials in the state health department said. Both the districts in north Kerala have reported five cases each.Of the 10 infections, nine have recovered while one is under treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode, officials said. The deaths of two persons in the recent days are suspected to be because of the WNV virus, though no official confirmation has been made so far....
Genomic analysis suggests that the outbreak probably began in December or January, but a shortage of data is hampering efforts to pin down the source.
A rare, but dangerous tick-borne virus is on the rise. Here's what to look
Last week, the USDA released the genetic sequences of a strain of influenza that originated in birds and has now spread to dairy cattle in at least eight states. While scientists welcomed the information, there has been growing concern that the USDA isn’t moving fast enough to address a threat to the nation’s food supply and the potential source of a new pandemic. Stories about the danger of Avian Influenza Type A, also known as bird flu or H5N1 flu, have made their way into the news for...
Christina Applegate was still recovering from her first run-in with COVID-19 when another virus recently had her health in the toilet again. The “Dead to Me” star spoke humorously — and graphically — about her “gross” experience with a sapovirus infection in the sixth episode of “MesSy,” the multiple sclerosis-themed podcast she shares with actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler. “It’s now time for the poop talk,” Sigler introduced the segment. “It’s a poop pod,” Applegate said. “If you don’t like this part,...
The U.S. government said on Monday it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing but remains confident the meat supply is safe. Federal officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in 34 dairy cattle herds in nine states since late March, and in one person in Texas. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have said the...
The chocolate supply is currently facing a massive threat from cacao virus problems, and researchers are proposing a solution.
After identifying remnants of bird flu virus in grocery store milk, federal officials announced Wednesday that they "believe" the nation's milk supply is safe and that the virus is inactivated by pasteurization. "Heating milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time through pasteurization is done to limit the activity of pathogens to a level that does not pose a risk to consumer health," said Don Prater, acting director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety...
The USDA and FDA said the commercial milk supply remains safe for now.
Scientists are frustrated that the USDA again failed to include basic information about H5N1 genetic sequences from cows when the data were released this week.