Science and Innovation

A massive vaccination effort against the coronavirus disease is underway worldwide. In Arizona, more than 2 million people have received at least one dose. It’s a race against emerging disease variants which in some cases reduce the effectiveness of vaccines or make the disease more deadly. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke about the latest science with Dr. Paul Keim of Northern Arizona University.

The coronavirus pandemic has struck nursing homes particularly hard, and a new study from Northern Arizona University shows how race plays a role in mortality rates. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.

It’s been one year since Arizona restaurants and gyms shut their doors due to state-mandated closures at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny checked back in with some Flagstaff businesses to see how they’ve fared during a difficult year.

A recent report from Colorado River experts says it’s time for radical new management strategies to safeguard the Southwest’s water supplies. It’s meant to inform discussions on how to renegotiate certain parts of the Law of the River that will expire in 2026. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke about the report with Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University.

A study published in Science last week shows butterfly populations are declining by almost two percent a year in the Western U.S. The authors say that’s driven by climate change. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with lead author Matt Forister of the University of Nevada-Reno about the findings, which came from decades of community science data from the North American Butterfly Association.