Don't count on warmer weather to slow the coronavirus

+ Building microbiomes, antibody testing Edition: US - Today's top story: Coronavirus may wane this summer, but don't count on any seasonal variation to end the pandemic [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 22 April 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Editor's note Will the heat of the spring and summer stem the pandemic? A National Academies committee on emerging diseases recently assessed the latest research and concluded that [weather plays a minor role in the coronavirus’s spread](. As for indoor environments, people can make [buildings less friendly to pathogens](. And as Americans think about what the next phase of the pandemic might look like, it’s worth considering [South Korea’s technology-centric approach to containing disease spread](. I welcome your comments or questions on this weekly science and research newsletter; you can just reply to this email. Martin La Monica Deputy Editor Plenty of warm and humid places – including Miami – are seeing the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images [Coronavirus may wane this summer, but don’t count on any seasonal variation to end the pandemic]( Ellen Wright Clayton, Vanderbilt University Winter is flu season – could it be coronavirus season as well? The research is mixed, but other factors besides temperature and humidity have more to do with the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Sunlight, ventilation and relative humidity all affect the microbiome of indoor spaces. iStock / Getty Images Plus [Buildings have their own microbiomes – we’re striving to make them healthy places]( Kevin Van den Wymelenberg, University of Oregon; Leslie Dietz, University of Oregon; Mark Fretz, University of Oregon We spend 90% of our lives indoors, and every building has its own indoor microbiome. Can we learn to manage them in ways that support helpful microbes and suppress harmful ones? Testing blood provides answers about who has been infected. Sean Gallup/Getty Images News via Getty Images [Checking blood for coronavirus antibodies – 3 questions answered about serological tests and immunity]( Aubree Gordon, University of Michigan; Daniel Stadlbauer, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai After your body fights off an infection, antibodies remain in your blood. Two researchers explain how tests identify these antibodies and what the data can be used for. Other good finds - [How South Korea flattened the coronavirus curve with technology]( - [Coronavirus quarantine could provide lessons for future space travel on how regular people weather isolation]( - [Linking self-driving cars to traffic signals might help pedestrians give them the green light]( [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111