
Yasemin Saplakoglu
Yasemin is a staff writer at Live Science, covering health, neuroscience and biology. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Science and the San Jose Mercury News. She has a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Connecticut and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Latest articles by Yasemin Saplakoglu

Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective, company to seek FDA approval within days
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
The final efficacy analysis of its late-stage trial suggest Pfizer and BioNtech's vaccine is safe and effective at preventing COVID-19.

How early was the coronavirus really circulating in Italy?
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
A new study suggests as early as September of last year, but some experts are skeptical.

Moderna coronavirus vaccine is 94.5% effective, early results suggest
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
This comes a week after Pfizer announced similar results, providing hope that the world may soon have multiple vaccines that work effectively.

Thanksgiving with family and friends is a bad idea, health experts warn
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
Both COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising rapidly and exponentially, shattering records set in the spring.

Botched restoration leaves Spanish statue looking like a confused potato head
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
This is not the only statue that has been restored to cringe-worthy new looks.

Coronavirus vaccine could be ready for all Americans by April, Fauci says
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
This comes on the the tail of Pfizer's announcement that its experimental coronavirus vaccine may be more than 90% effective in preventing an infection.

'Diseases of despair' on the rise across the US
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
The U.S. has also been facing another deadly, but less visible, public health crisis.

Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is more than 90% effective, early data suggests
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
The data is not yet published and the study is ongoing. But if this number holds up, it far exceeds public health experts' expectations.

Massive great white shark Unama'ki spotted south of Miami
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
Unama'ki is one of the largest Great White sharks tagged.

Ancient burial of fierce female hunter (and her weapons) discovered in Peru
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
Early hunter-gatherer women in the ancient Americas hunted big game just as much as men did, a new study suggests.

AI can detect COVID-19 from the sound of your cough
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
The algorithm listens to subtle differences in coughs between healthy people and infected people.

Powerful earthquake strikes off Turkey's coast, killing at least 14
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
The earthquake caused the collapse of nearly 20 buildings in the city of Izmir. Search and rescue efforts are underway beneath the rubble.

Trump lifts protections for Tongass National Forest, allowing logging, road development
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
Alaska's Tongass National Forest was protected from logging and other development for nearly two decades.

US hits highest average number of new COVID-19 cases since start of the pandemic
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
The third wave of the pandemic may be much worse than the first two waves.

All seniors could get COVID-19 vaccine by end of January, HHS head says
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
But even if vaccines are approved soon, several major roadblocks could significantly delay the timeline of distribution.

US is a week away from 'rapid acceleration' of COVID-19 cases
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
The U.S. has averaged 60,160 new cases per day in the last week.

'Challenge study' to infect healthy volunteers with the coronavirus will begin in early 2021
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
The study will test how much virus is needed to infect humans and which vaccines work the best to prevent COVID-19.

The body fires 'blobs of fat' packed with toxic proteins to fight bacteria
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
Scientists have known about these 'blobs of fat' for more than 130 years, but they're just understanding all the roles they play in the body.

Bird flies 7,500 miles nonstop, breaking world record
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
A bar-tailed godwit just flew for 11 days straight from Alaska to New Zealand.

Masks and closures in Arizona led to a 75% decrease in coronavirus cases
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
Another study shows that masks and other mitigation efforts not only work, but work well.

Leading medical journal blasts Trump's 'astonishing' failure in pandemic response, says to vote him out
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
The New England Journal of Medicine is calling for the Trump Administration to be voted out in the upcoming election.

Earth just had its hottest September on record
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
Every year, a warming planet is shattering heat records.

Dead animals are washing ashore on a remote Russian peninsula. What’s going on?
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
Thousands of dead octopuses, starfish and other sea creatures have recently washed up on the shores of the remote Russian peninsula of Kamchatka.
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