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July 12, 2025
 

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Apoorva Mandavilli
In an image provided by federal agencies, a colorized electron microscope image shows avian influenza grown in cultured cells. The virus is poised to become a permanent presence in cattle, raising the odds of an eventual outbreak among people.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 22, 2024
How U.S. farms could start a bird flu pandemic
The longer the virus circulates in cattle, the more chances it has to acquire the mutations necessary to set off an influenza pandemic.
A chicken in its coop on Fogline Farm in Pescadero, California, on March 1. Unlike the coronavirus, the H5N1 virus has been studied for years. Vaccines and treatments are available should they ever become necessary.
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 6, 2024
Is bird flu coming to people next? Are we ready?
Outbreaks have been found among dairy cows in multiple states, as well as at least one infection in a farmworker in Texas.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 19, 2022
Will COVID boosters prevent another wave? Scientists aren’t so sure.
The shots may help vulnerable Americans dodge serious illness or death. But some experts believe boosters must be improved and are calling for a new strategy.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 1, 2022
New infectious threats are coming. The U.S. probably won’t contain them.
The coronavirus revealed flaws in the nation's pandemic plans. The spread of monkeypox shows that the problems remain deeply entrenched.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 17, 2022
How often can you be infected with the coronavirus?
Variants that are adept at dodging the body's defenses and waves of infections two, maybe three times a year, may be the future of COVID-19.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 19, 2022
Scientists question data behind an experimental Alzheimer’s drug
Studies linked to Cassava Sciences, once a stock market favorite, have been retracted or challenged by medical journals.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 11, 2022
New COVID vaccine findings pose tough questions for parents of young children
For adults, vaccines proved to be safe and powerfully protective in clinical trials and were speedily authorized for use. But the trials in children were complicated by the arrival of virus variants.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 2, 2022
Vaccine protection against moderate illness waned among adolescents, new CDC data suggests
The vaccine does protect against severe illness, and booster shots increase the protection.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 22, 2022
Got a COVID booster? You probably won’t need another for a long time.
New studies suggest that several parts of the immune system can mount a sustained, potent response to any coronavirus variant.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 10, 2022
The next vaccine debate: Immunize young children now, or wait?
Next week, advisers to the U.S. FDA will decide whether to endorse two doses of the vaccine for children 6 months to 4 years old, before trials have shown the full course to be effective.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 5, 2022
Younger Americans benefited less from COVID booster shots than older people
Several recent studies have found that vaccination alone, without boosters, remained strongly protective against severe illness and death in most people, even after omicron's appearance.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 3, 2022
The COVID-19 vaccine we need now may not be a shot
Nasal vaccines may be the best way to prevent infections long term, because they provide protection exactly where it is needed to fend off the virus: the mucosal linings of the airways.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 9, 2022
Will ‘forever boosting’ beat the coronavirus?
Everyone should get a booster shot. In the long run, though, doses every few months aren't a viable public health strategy, scientists say.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 29, 2021
Will the vaccines stop omicron? Scientists are racing to find out.
A “Frankenstein mix” of mutations raises concerns, but the variant may remain vulnerable to current vaccines. If not, revisions will be necessary.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 2, 2021
How often do COVID-19 vaccines cause heart problems in kids?
While the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna do seem to be associated with an increased risk of myocarditis, the absolute risk remains very small.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 18, 2021
In a handful of U.S. states, early data hint at a rise in breakthrough infections
With the arrival of the contagious delta variant, COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths among vaccinated Americans also may have increased, according to preliminary figures.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 9, 2021
How does the delta variant dodge the immune system? Scientists find clues.
The variant, first identified in India, is believed to be about 60% more contagious than alpha, the version of the virus that thrashed Britain and much of Europe earlier this year.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 28, 2021
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines likely produce long-lasting immunity
The findings add to growing evidence that most people immunized with mRNA vaccines may not need boosters, so long as the virus and its variants do not evolve much.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 27, 2021
Immunity to the coronavirus may persist for years, scientists find
The findings may help put to rest lingering fears that protection against the virus will be short-lived.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 4, 2021
Reaching ‘herd immunity’ is unlikely in the U.S., experts now believe
New variants and persistent hesitancy about vaccines will keep the goal out of reach. The virus is here to stay, but vaccinating the most vulnerable may be enough to restore normalcy.
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
Air India crash report to offer peek into last seconds
Members of the Indian Army's engineering arm prepare to remove the wreckage of an Air India aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 14.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.
NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya holds a board that reads "Japanese First" in Tokyo on July 2. In a joint statement on Tuesday, eight human rights nongovernmental organizations described the far-right party's stance as "hate speech."
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
“Giselle” lead Yuriko Kajiya (center), performing with Connor Walsh as Albrecht, is one of six Japanese dancers at Houston Ballet.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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