Pandemic
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Coronavirus variants: Facts about omicron, delta and other SARS-CoV-2 mutants
By Nicoletta Lanese, Rachael Rettner last updated
Here's a look at the science behind SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the now-dominant omicron and its many defunct relatives.

'Excess deaths' tied to COVID have plummeted in America — what does that mean?
By Kiley Price published
Data shows that America's excess death rates have mostly returned to pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the end of the public health crisis, experts say.

Genetic quirk could explain why not everyone shows symptoms of COVID-19
By Emily Cooke published
In a large cohort of people infected with SARS-CoV-2, a specific gene variant was more common in people who didn't show symptoms, compared to those who did.

Mystery pathogen is stripping sea urchins of their flesh and turning them to skeletons — and it's spreading fast
By Ben Turner published
A mysterious epidemic that began in the Mediterranean at the start of the year looks set to wipe out all of the Mediterranean and Red Sea’s urchins, and possibly their coral reefs too.

COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, WHO says
By Ben Turner published
The World Health Organization no longer considers COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern and has brought an end to an emergency declaration that has been in place since January 2020.

COVID pandemic had 'minimal' effect on mental health, study says. Is that true?
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new study finds that COVID-19 had minimal mental health impacts on the population, consistent with other research suggesting that people are resilient.

COVID-19 is a leading cause of death among US children and teens, study shows
By Nicoletta Lanese published
An analysis of mortality data shows that COVID-19 ranks as a leading cause of death among children and teens.

Maybe rats didn't spread the Black Death after all, new evidence suggests
By Samuel Cohn published
Recent research suggests rats may not have played the critical role in keeping plague going in Europe.
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