Coronavirus Test Shortages Trigger a New Strategy: Group Screening

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May 13, 2020

Dear Reader, Experts say cases of COVID-19 will surge unless there is widespread testing. Now researchers are pursuing a strategy to dramatically increase diagnostic capacity: group tests. Read our lead story to learn more. In climate news, April 2020 was the planet's second warmest April since record keeping began, according to NOAA. Forecasters say this year is likely to be the warmest on record. Also featured in today's roundup is an article from our May issue that examines how pollution can damage brain cells. Specifically, the piece highlights new studies that point to a strong correlation between exposure to toxic substances in the air and Alzheimer's disease.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Public Health Coronavirus Test Shortages Trigger a New Strategy: Group Screening Pooling diagnostic samples, and using a little math, lets more people get tested with fewer assays By Marla Broadfoot

Neurological Health The New Alzheimer's–Air Pollution Link Toxic airborne particles can travel from lungs and nose to the brain, and exposure is linked to memory loss By Ellen Ruppel Shell

Environment Researchers Will Track Whether Coronavirus Recovery Spending Benefits Climate The ways governments choose to bolster foundering economies could impact greenhouse gas emissions By John Fialka,E&E News

Public Health Anti-Vaccine Movement Could Prolong Coronavirus Pandemic, Researchers Warn Studies of social networks show that opposition to vaccines is small but far-reaching—and growing By Philip Ball,Nature magazine

Behavior & Society Coping with 'Death Awareness' in the COVID-19 Era According to terror management theory, people can have surprising reactions By Dan Cable,Francesca Gino

Climate April 2020: Earth's 2nd Warmest April on Record 2020 is likely to be the warmest year on record By Jeff Masters

Policy & Ethics The Answer to a COVID-19 Vaccine May Lie in Our Genes, But ... We shouldn't risk our genetic privacy to find it By Ifeoma Ajunwa,Forrest Briscoe

Medical & Biotech Donut Sugar Could Help Stored Blood Last Dehydrated blood that could be kept at room temperature for years may be possible thanks to a sugar used to preserve donuts—and made by tardigrades and brine shrimp so they can dry out and spring back with water. By Susanne Bard | 02:56

Public Health Prediction Tools Can Save Lives in the COVID-19 Crisis Platforms that enable nuanced forms of crowdsourcing are opening a new era in epidemiological forecasting By Gregory Laughlin,Anthony Aguirre,Gaia Dempsey

FROM THE STORE Scientific American Digital & Full Archive For $69 per year, your Digital & Full Archive subscription includes 12 digital issues with full digital archive access back to 1845 and Android and iOS app access.

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FROM THE ARCHIVE 'Photography' Outshines Silver Plates and Mercury Vapor Originally published in November 1855 | May 2020

QUOTE OF THE DAY "As long as we have no vaccine, we can only stop the transmission of the virus by testing and isolation of people who are infected." Sandra Ciesek, director of the Geothe University Frankfurt's Institute of Medical Virology

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