The promise and limitations of antiviral pills for COVID-19

+ exploding fried turkeys; building a map of the brain US Edition - Today's top story: Could oral antiviral pills be a game-changer for COVID-19? An infectious disease physician explains why these options are badly needed [View in browser]( US Edition | 24 November 2021 [The Conversation]( This year’s Thanksgiving promises to be a lot more like holidays of old, with more people traveling and socializing than a year ago, in large part because of COVID-19 vaccines. Patrick Jackson, an infectious disease physician at the University of Virginia, reports on another way to combat the virus: antiviral drugs. He explains how they work, noting [how important early diagnosis and treatment is](. “The pills will only be useful if people also have access to cheap, fast and accurate COVID-19 tests, which are currently in short supply. If COVID-19 is diagnosed too late, patients will already be outside the window of time when antiviral drugs can be helpful,” he writes. No doubt you’ve heard about the notion of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it underground. Coming shortly after the conclusion of the COP26 climate conference, this article provides a reality check on [how difficult it is to commercialize carbon capture and storage technologies]( and realize that vision. Two scholars – June Sekera from the New School and Neva Goodwin from Tufts University – who have surveyed the field, conclude: “So far, CCS at U.S. power plants has been a failure.” Animal stories are always among the favorites of science editors here at The Conversation, and this one on ocelots doesn’t disappoint. As part of our ongoing Scientist at Work series, University of Tennessee researcher Ashley Reeves describes her work trying to conserve wild ocelot populations by [mixing their gene pool with ocelots from zoos through artificial insemination](. Also in this week’s science and research news: - [What you should know about tick-borne diseases]( - [The deadly impact of fentanyl]( - [Mapping the brain to understand how it works]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of editors to investigate, please reply to this email. And I hope you all have a restful and warm Thanksgiving. Martin La Monica Director of Editorial Projects and Newsletters If authorized, molnupiravir could be a key oral treatment to help keep COVID-19 patients out of the hospital. Plyushkin/iStock via Getty Images Plus [Could oral antiviral pills be a game-changer for COVID-19? An infectious disease physician explains why these options are badly needed]( Patrick Jackson, University of Virginia Merck and Pfizer both have oral antiviral pills under review by the FDA. Such treatments could help turn the tide of the pandemic. Most carbon dioxide captured in the U.S. today is used to extract more oil. Citizens of the Planet/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images [Why the oil industry’s pivot to carbon capture and storage – while it keeps on drilling – isn’t a climate change solution]( June Sekera, The New School; Neva Goodwin, Tufts University Most carbon dioxide captured in the U.S. today is used to extract more oil. Two scholars point to another way: biological sequestration. Wild ocelots hunt alone at night. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images [Scientist at work: Endangered ocelots and their genetic diversity may benefit from artificial insemination]( Ashley Reeves, University of Tennessee There are so few wild ocelots in the US that the cats are becoming inbred, with a bad prognosis for their ultimate survival. But researchers are perfecting ways to get new genes into the population. - [Why do frozen turkeys explode when deep-fried?]( Kristine Nolin, University of Richmond Deep-fried turkeys are delicious, but making one can be dangerous. The scientific reason for fiery Thanksgiving mishaps? A difference in the densities of ice, water and oil. - [Misremembering might actually be a sign your memory is working optimally]( Robert Jacobs, University of Rochester Errors don’t necessarily mean your mind is faulty. They may actually be a sign of a cognitive system with limited capacity working efficiently. - [Tick management programs could help stop Lyme disease, but US funding is inadequate]( Isobel Ronai, Columbia University Lyme disease affects millions worldwide. But there are things you can do to protect yourself from this insidious illness. - [Mapping how the 100 billion cells in the brain all fit together is the brave new world of neuroscience]( Yongsoo Kim, Penn State Scientists have been mapping the brain for centuries. New visualization tools bring them one step closer to understanding where thoughts come from and new ways to treat neurological disorders. - [How the pandemic helped spread fentanyl across the US and drive opioid overdose deaths to a grim new high]( Andrew Kolodny, Brandeis University The number of fatal drug overdoses in the US over a 12-month period has surpassed 100,000 for the first time. Fentanyl is the main driver of the spike in deaths. - [Foods high in added fats and refined carbs are like cigarettes – addictive and unhealthy]( Ashley Gearhardt, University of Michigan Ultra-processed foods meet the same criteria for addictiveness that tobacco products do – and they’ve even been marketed in similar ways. - [Americans support climate change policies, especially those that give them incentives and clean up the energy supply]( Janet K. Swim, Penn State; Nathaniel Geiger, Indiana University A set of studies found people prefer incentives to disincentives, especially for individuals but also for businesses. They have views on clean energy and efficiency, too. [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](