Air pollution linked to higher risk of COVID-19 in young adults

Residential exposure to ambient air pollutants is linked to an elevated risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, an observational study of young adults in Stockholm shows. The study was conducted by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and is published in JAMA Network Open.

Alpaca nanobodies potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a novel strategy for identifying potent miniature antibodies, so-called nanobodies, against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. The approach led to the discovery of multiple nanobodies that in cell cultures and mice effectively blocked infection with different SARS-CoV-2 variants. The findings are described in the journals Nature Communications and Science Advances.

No increase in pregnancy complications after COVID-19 vaccination

Vaccination against COVID-19 during pregnancy is not associated with a higher risk of pregnancy complications, according to a large-scale registry study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health published in the journal JAMA.

The scientific race to understand the Omicron variant

Late last year, preliminary studies revealed that the fast-spreading Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant was likely to evade COVID-19 antibodies but, in many people, less so than expected. Now one of those studies from Karolinska Institutet has been published in the prestigious journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases. KI researcher Ben Murrell explains the findings and recalls the rush to understand the new variant.

Glimpses of a new reality

During spring 2020 all of our lives changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are the stories that was sent in by staff, students, and alumni during this special period of time.

Distance learning imposed completely new demands

The campus closes on 18 March, but teaching must continue. For KI’s teachers, it’s the start of an intensive undertaking, one that proved particularly challenging for the Unit for Teaching and Learning.

Video games can help boost children’s intelligence

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have studied how the screen habits of US children correlate with how their cognitive abilities develop over time. They found that the children who spent an above-average time playing video games increased their intelligence more than the average, while TV watching or social media had neither a positive nor a negative effect. The results are published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The Conversation: How children's cognitive abilities are affected by video games, TV and social media

"Screens create conflicts in many families"

Psychologist Martin Forster will investigate what happens in families who skip using screens.