University of Arizona in the News

Experts say national coordination of contact-tracing smartphone applications developed with Apple and Google may be necessary to curb the coronavirus. Assessing the effectiveness of COVID-19 tracking apps by looking at downloads may be misleading, said Joanna Masel, a professor of evolutionary biology and ecology at the University of Arizona, and a consultant to the state's Covid Watch app.

How long might immunity to the coronavirus last? Years, maybe even decades, according to a new study – the most hopeful answer yet to a question that has shadowed plans for widespread vaccination. These studies "are all by and large painting the same picture, which is that once you get past those first few critical weeks, the rest of the response looks pretty conventional," said Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona who was not involved in the studies.

Dr. Murtaza Akhter, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, answers viewer questions about the coronavirus vaccine.

University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins discusses the university's mitigation efforts in regard to holiday travel. 

Renowned illusionist, mentalist and performance artist Scott Silven invites you on a journey, from your home to his. Arizona Arts Live is hosting this virtual performance Dec. 1-6.

Airline passengers must present negative antibody test results before boarding. Scientists consider it a largely useless way to curb disease transmission. In theory, that could be a sound strategy, said Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona: "We're fans of being able to check with two independent kinds of tests." But the approach quickly falls apart, he added, if officials select the wrong test as a safety net, as appears to be the case with China.

Hospitals have put their pandemic plans into action, adding more beds and creating makeshift COVID-19 wards. But in the hardest-hit areas, experts say there are simply not enough doctors, nurses and other specialists to staff those beds. "The winter is traditionally a very stressful time in health care, and everyone gets taken down at some point," said Saskia Popescu, an infectious epidemiologist at the University of Arizona.

New University of Arizona-led research updates our understanding of how water escaped Mars – not like a leaky faucet but with a sudden splash.

The latest show from experimental theater duo 600 Highwaymen, "A Thousand Ways," is a triptych whose first part, "A Phone Call," is a product of digital alienation. That first part (currently presented by Canadian Stage in Toronto, Arizona Arts Live in Tucson and the Singapore International Festival of Arts) is entirely distanced. As with online performance, people can get tickets to participate in "A Phone Call" from anywhere.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says wearing cloth masks not only keeps people from unknowingly transmitting the virus, it keeps people from inhaling the virus from the air. Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Arizona, tweeted, "We know that even fabric masks offer some variable protection for the wearer, but I think the bigger issue is that the CDC has to reiterate this to get people to wear a mask."