Walbridge Fund 2021 graduate researchers explore environmental topics from carbon capture to the social power of “sacred ecology”
July 15, 2021 ・ Morgan KellyThe High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) has selected 10 Princeton University graduate students as 2021 recipients of the Walbridge Fund Graduate Award for Environmental Research. The awardees are Maria Curria, Ipsita Dey, Yuki Haba, Shannon Hoffman, Xiaohan Li, Sayumi Miyano, José Montaño…
Spacing COVID-19 vaccine doses has epidemiological benefits, but longer-term outcomes depend on immunity robustness
March 9, 2021Delaying second doses of COVID-19 vaccines should reduce case numbers in the near term. But the longer-term case burden and the potential for evolution of viral “escape” from immunity will depend on the robustness of immune responses generated by natural…
True toll of coronavirus on sub-Saharan Africa may be obscured by tremendous variability in risk factors and surveillance
February 17, 2021 ・ Morgan KellyOne early feature of reporting on the coronavirus pandemic was the perception that sub-Saharan Africa was largely being spared the skyrocketing infection and death rates that were disrupting nations around the world. While still seemingly mild, the true toll of…
Adherence to health precautions, not climate, the biggest factor driving wintertime COVID-19 outbreaks
February 9, 2021 ・ Morgan KellyWintertime outbreaks of COVID-19 have been largely driven by whether people adhere to control measures such as mask wearing and social distancing, according to a study published Feb. 8 in Nature Communications by Princeton University researchers. Climate and population immunity…
Large, delayed outbreaks of endemic diseases possible following COVID-19 controls
November 9, 2020Measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 through non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as mask wearing and social distancing are a key tool in combatting the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. These actions also have greatly reduced incidence of many…
Largest COVID-19 contact-tracing study to date finds children key to spread, evidence of superspreaders
September 30, 2020 ・ Morgan KellyA study of more than a half-million people in India who were exposed to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 suggests that the virus’ continued spread is driven by only a small percentage of those who become infected. Furthermore, children and young…
Long-term COVID-19 containment will be shaped by strength and duration of natural, vaccine-induced immunity
September 21, 2020New research suggests that the impact of natural and vaccine-induced immunity will be key factors in shaping the future trajectory of the global coronavirus pandemic, known as COVID-19. In particular, a vaccine capable of eliciting a strong immune response could…
Local climate unlikely to drive the early COVID-19 pandemic
May 18, 2020 ・ Morgan KellyLocal variations in climate are not likely to dominate the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Princeton University study published May 18 in the journal Science. The researchers found that the vast number of people still vulnerable…
COVID-19′s silent spread: How symptomless transmission helps pathogens thrive
May 14, 2020 ・ Catherine ZandonellaCOVID-19′s rapid spread throughout the world has been fueled in part by the virus’ ability to be transmitted by people who are not showing symptoms of infection. Now, a study by researchers at Princeton has found that this silent phase…
