What comes after Omicron?

YOUR WEEKLY CHECKUP

This week: They don’t have Greek names yet, but new variants are emerging; grizzly bears may hold the key to future diabetes treatments; the world’s best record of how chemicals contaminate us.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ODED BALILTY, AP

What comes after Omicron? New variants are emerging.

At least 300 Americans have died from COVID-19 every day for the past three months, and roughly 50,000 new COVID-19 infections were reported in the U.S. every day in September—all caused by new sublineages of Omicron: BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4., and BA.5. To date there have been more than 200 newer Omicron sublineages and their derivatives. What does mean for the new boosters and treatments?

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

IS THE PANDEMIC REALLY OVER? Here’s what scientists want you to know. +

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT HUBNER, WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY

Some bears can control their insulin. Learning how could help treat diabetes.

If a human ate tens of thousands of calories a day, ballooned in size, then barely moved for months, the health outcomes would be catastrophic. Scientists have long been puzzled why this same behavior doesn’t lead to diabetes in grizzly bears—until now. The implications for human health could be enormous.

ONE STEP CLOSER TO DIABETES PREVENTION?

LOW-CALORIE SWEETENERS: They may increase the risk of diabetes, weight gain, and heart disease +

COVID-19 AND YOUR PANCREAS: New diabetes cases linked to virus—but long-term problems could be more severe +

PHOTOGRAPH BY ESTHER HORVATH

Why is this old military bunker filled with human blood and urine?

Some 400,000 specimens from German citizens, collected over four decades and stored in an old military bunker, trace the rise—and sometimes the fall—of chemical pollutants in an industrial country. It’s the best record we have of how chemicals contaminate our bodies.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

WHAT ELSE IS IN OUR BODIES? Microplastics are in our blood and lungs. How much do they really harm us? +

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

NG STAFF

As we head into fall, new variants are on the horizon

Just in time for the expected fall and winter surge in COVID-19 cases, the U.S. announced a new initiative to make treatment more accessible to uninsured or underinsured patients

TRACKING COVID IN THE U.S.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CFOTO, FUTURE PUBLISHING/GETTY IMAGES

How will we know when the pandemic is over?

A pandemic is a disease outbreak spanning several countries that affects many people. The WHO is responsible for declaring when an outbreak has grown into a pandemic and deciding when it stops being a public health emergency of international concern.

SUSBCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Flu is expected to flare up in U.S. this winter, raising fears of a ‘twindemic’ (NPR)

How COVID-19 headaches are different from others—and how to manage them

Women said coronavirus shots affect periods. New study shows they’re right. (Washington Post)

6 big questions about new Omicron-targeting boosters answered

MORE HEALTH NEWS

PHOTOGRAPH BY DENNIS KUNKEL MICROSCOPY, SCIENCE SOURCE

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ FROM THE ARCHIVES‌ ‌ ‌

The microbe behind the baby formula recall could pose a threat to our food safety

Cronobacter sakazakii is less well-known than other food-borne pathogens like E. coli or Salmonella, but it can wreak havoc in vulnerable populations like newborns or people with compromised immune systems—and it has evolved traits that make it difficult to destroy.

READ ON

IN THE NEWS: Here’s what the FDA says contributed to the baby formula shortage crisis (NPR) +

Why the White House wants to put nutrition labels on the front of food packages (NPR)

A devious cellular trick cancers can use to escape your immune system (New York Times)

Experimental Alzheimer’s drug slows cognitive decline in trial, firms say (Washington Post)

U.S. sees increase in respiratory infections that can lead to paralysis in children, CDC data shows (CNN)

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What comes after Omicron?

What comes after Omicron?

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