Science - Chattanooga Times Free Press

FDA advisers back RSV vaccine for pregnant women that protects their newborns

A first-of-its-kind RSV vaccine for pregnant women guards their newborns against the scary respiratory virus -– and federal health advisers on Thursday backed Pfizer's shot despite some lingering questions.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD / AP Medical Writer May 19, 2023

FILE - This electron microscope image provided by the National Institutes of Health shows human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) virions, colorized blue, and anti-RSV F protein/gold antibodies, colorized yellow, shedding from the surface of human lung cells. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, May 18, 2023 debated a first-of-its-kind RSV vaccine to protect newborns by immunizing their moms late in pregnancy. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH via AP)

Tiny bats provide ‘glimmer of hope’ against a fungus that threatened entire species

Deep in a cool, damp cave in Vermont, tens of thousands of furry, chocolate brown creatures stir.

By WILSON RING / Associated Press May 19, 2023

Bats roost in a cave in Dorset, Vt., on May 2, 2023. Scientists studying bat species hit hard by the fungus that causes white nose syndrome, which has killed millions of bats across North America, say there is a glimmer of good news for the disease. Experts say more bats that hibernate at a cave in Vermont, the largest bat cave in New England, are tolerating the disease and passing protective traits on to their young. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

California condors confront bird flu in flight from extinction

The California condor is facing the deadliest strain of avian influenza in U.S. history, and the outbreak could jeopardize the iconic vulture with its 10-foot (3.05-meter) wingspan decades after conservationists saved the species from extinction.

By STEFANIE DAZIO / Associated Press May 14, 2023

Debbie Sears, a condor keeper, takes Condor chick LA1123 from her temperature controlled enclosure for an afternoon feeding on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at the Los Angeles Zoo facility. The chick hatched Sunday April 30, 2023. The latest breeding efforts to boost the population of North America's largest land bird, an endangered species where there are only several hundred in the wild. Experts say say the species cannot sustain itself without human intervention. More birds still die in the wild each year than the number of chicks that are born, both in nature and in captivity, and survive annually. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Memphis ‘snake factory’ transplants slither into their new home in Louisiana

They were born and raised in captivity, but as they slowly slithered away from their handlers and disappeared into gopher holes in the Kisatchie National Forest, the group of Louisiana pine snakes appeared to be right at home.

By STEPHEN SMITH and KEVIN McGILL / Associated Press May 14, 2023

A Louisiana pine snake bluffs in a posture to defend itself against predators, during the release of several of about 100 Louisiana pine snakes, which are a threatened species, in Kisatchie National Forest, La., Friday, May 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Stunning mosaic of baby star clusters created from 1 million telescope shots

Astronomers have created a stunning mosaic of baby star clusters hiding in our galactic backyard.

By Marcia Dunn May 13, 2023

This image provided by European Southern Observatory shows the L1688 region in the Ophiuchus constellation. Astronomers have created a stunning mosaic of stellar nurseries hiding in our galactic backyard. The montage, published Thursday, May 11, 2023, reveals five vast star-forming regions less than 1,500 light-years away. T(European Southern Observatory/Meingast via AP)

US agency plans deeper study of sea turtles, dredging threat

A U.S. agency has agreed to an in-depth environmental study into whether dredging a Georgia shipping channel in the spring and summer would threaten rare sea turtles nesting on nearby beaches — a review demanded by conservationists who sued to stop the project.

By RUSS BYNUM / Associated Press May 12, 2023

FILE - In this June 30, 2019, photo provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, a loggerhead sea turtle returns to the ocean after nesting on Ossabaw Island, Ga. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources via AP, File)

Galactic gobble: Star swallows planet in one big gulp

For the first time, scientists have caught a star in the act of swallowing a planet — not just a nibble or bite, but one big gulp.

By Associated Press May 4, 2023

Rosalind Franklin’s role in DNA discovery gets a new twist

The discovery of DNA's double helix structure 70 years ago opened up a world of new science — and also sparked disputes over who contributed what and who deserves credit.

By MADDIE BURAKOFF / AP Science Writer April 27, 2023

Scientists find bird flu mutations, say threat is still low

A man in Chile is infected with a bird flu that has concerning mutations, but the threat to people from the virus remains low, U.S. health officials said Friday.

By MIKE STOBBE / AP Medical Writer April 20, 2023

Extra COVID-19 booster now open to some high-risk Americans

Older Americans and people with weak immune systems can get an extra COVID-19 booster dose this spring.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD / AP Medical Writer April 20, 2023

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