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Airborne transmission by droplets and aerosols is important for the spread of viruses. Face masks are a well-established preventive measure, but their effectiveness for mitigating SARS-CoV-2 transmission is still under debate. We show that variations in mask efficacy can be explained by different regimes of virus abundance and related to population-average infection probability and reproduction number. For SARS-CoV-2, the viral load of infectious individuals can vary by orders of magnitude. We find that most environments and contacts are under conditions of low virus abundance (virus-limited) where surgical masks are effective at preventing virus spread. More advanced masks and other protective equipment are required in potentially virus-rich indoor environments including medical centers and hospitals. Masks are particularly effective in combination with other preventive measures like ventilation and distancing.

Are you an established, leading principal investigator who wants long-term funding to pursue a ground-breaking, high-risk project? The ERC Advanced Grant could be for you. Who can apply? Applicants for the ERC Advanced Grants - called Principal Investigators (PI) - are expected to be active researchers who have a track-record of significant research achievements in the last 10 years. The Principal Investigators should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions.

French trial shows dogs were able to detect presence of coronavirus with 97% accuracy

Brussels presented a new global research agenda on Tuesday, committing to a more cautious approach to cooperation with foreign science powers, while at the same time pledging to reinvigorate ties with an EU-friendly US administration.

Swiss universities called on the Federal Council on Monday to resolve a long-running treaty saga with Brussels, or risk scuppering the country's chances of a research deal.

After a consultation process, the 193 member states of the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO started negotiating the final text of its ‘Recommendation on Open Science’ this month.

The pandemic is teaching us key lessons about crisis, communication and misinformation, and is spurring changes in the way scientists study public-health questions.

Six years after a statue of Cecil Rhodes was toppled, students and staff at the South African university are still working to improve equity and representation.

A new technology developed by researchers from the University of Zürich enables the body to produce therapeutic agents on demand at the exact location where they are needed. The innovation could reduce the side effects of cancer therapy and may hold the solution to better delivery of Covid-related therapies directly to the lungs.

Global migration flows show a profound diversification of migrants' groups in recent years. Their patterns of nationality, ethnicity, language, age, gender and legal status are growing ever more complex and migrants with 'new diversity' traits live in cities alongside people from previous immigration waves. Prof. Steven Vertovec's comparative study helps understand how old and new waves of migrants meet, mix, interact and get integrated into a given society.

Working long hours poses an occupational health risk that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year, the World Health Organization says.

For this grad student, speaking publicly about mental health was scary but worth it

Hundreds of bits of rocket, space stations and satellites have returned to Earth since the 1960s. They are often dumped at sea. How sustainable is that?