Nature

Can dogs smell COVID? Here’s what the science says

Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about training dogs to identify COVID-19 infections by scent. “The dogs can do it. The challenge is the ignorance that we have as humans as to what can confuse the dogs,” she says.

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A close-up image of a hand holding a mobile phone, with the words "News," "Business," Politics" and "Sports" visible on the screen. Next to the phone is a cup of coffee. In the background are blurred open books.

How did echo chambers influence the 2020 election?

Research from the Annenberg School for Communication shows that people are consuming news from more diverse sources, but many don’t consume any news at all. It’s too soon to tell what role that played in the recent race for president.

Michele W. Berger , Julie Sloane ・

Los Angeles Times

At-home health tests are booming amid coronavirus. Experts warn about their safety

Perelman School of Medicine researchers, led by Louiza Kalokairinou, studied the pros and cons of at-home COVID-19 testing and found an increased risk of consumers misinterpreting test results.

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CBS Philadelphia

Moderna coronavirus vaccine uses method ‘developed largely’ by University of Pennsylvania researchers, doctor says

Jonathan A. Epstein of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about the mRNA vaccine technology developed by Drew Weissman and his colleagues at Penn. The method is currently being used to engineer a COVID-19 vaccine.

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KYW Newsradio (Philadelphia)

Research behind COVID-19 vaccine development began at Penn lab decades ago

Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. "We’ve all seen fantastic results in animal models, and now we’re seeing that it works in humans, and I think that’s just incredible," he said.

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The Washington Post

When coffee smells like gasoline: COVID isn’t just stealing senses—it may be warping them

Richard Doty of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about parosmia, a temporary condition that makes things smell different. “It’s more debilitating in some ways than loss of smell,” he said. “Even water can become unpleasant.”

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Today.com

Are sound machines actually good for sleep?

Mathias Basner of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about his study on how white noise impacts sleep: “There simply is not enough research out there, so we can neither conclude they work nor that they are harmful.”

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The New York Times

Why you shouldn’t worry about studies showing waning coronavirus antibodies

Scott Hensley of the Perelman School of Medicine said it’s normal for antibody levels to drop after the body clears an infection. “It doesn’t mean that those people no longer have antibodies. It doesn’t mean that they don’t have protection,” he said.

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