Just Plain WEIRD #2
A fresco shows St. Francis speaking to the birds in the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, Italy. Photo Beto/iStock Getty Images Plus – By Vanessa Corcoran, Adjunct Professor of History, Georgetown University Published: 2026 Feb 02 – On the 800th anniversary of the …
The vast majority of people who get measles are not vaccinated against the measles virus. Andrzej Rostek/istock via Getty Images Plus – By Alla Katsnelson, Associate Health Editor, The Conversation US Published: 2026 Feb 06 – The measles outbreak in South Carolina reached …
The discovery paves the way for new medicines to treat cirrhosis. Depositphotos –By Pranjal Malewar 2026 Jan 11 – Chronic liver disease gets worse when the liver’s immune system stays overactive, resulting in ongoing inflammation and scarring. Signals from the gut make the situation …
The findings indicate MS could have two distinct degenerative pathways, one fast and the other slow. And this knowledge could help better inform patients and doctors. Depositphotos – By Chelsea Haney 2026 Feb 04 – For decades, multiple sclerosis (MS) has been defined primarily …
Yuvezzi breaks new ground in restoring sight without glasses. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Feb 03 – The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a landmark eye drop that uses a combined dose of medication to restore age-related near-sightedness, without the need …
Could the Earth and everything on it – and even the whole universe – be a simulation running on a giant computer? OsakaWayne Studios/Moment via Getty Images – By Zeb Rocklin, Associate Professor of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology Published: 2026 Feb 02 …
Sonograms could get a lot more comfortable thanks to solid gel pads made by researchers in Japan. Professor Hajime Monzen from Kindai University, Japan – By Michael Franco 2026 Jan 31 – If you’ve ever had a sonogram you know that, even though the …
The U.S.-WHO collaboration has been critical in the country’s response to mpox, shown here, as well as Ebola, Marburg, flu and COVID-19. Uma Shankar sharma/Moment via Getty Images – By Jordan Miller, Teaching Professor of Public Health, Arizona State University Published: 2026 Jan …
Attendees at the 1892 Colored Catholic Congress included the nation’s first openly Black priest, Augustus Tolton, who stands in the middle of the front row. Wikimedia Commons By Annie Selak, Director, Women’s Center, Georgetown University Published: 2026 Jan 27 – The first publicly …
Amyloid plaques that misfold and form oligomers kill brain cells leading to cognitive decline. Scientists find that a protein in some cancers helps the brain get rid of them. Depositphotos By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Jan 29 – For some time, we’ve known that it’s …
