As new variants emerge and surges of disease continue to ebb and flow, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of clean air. Invisible, airborne particles can impact the lives of billions in highly significant and consequential ways, spreading infection despite multiple rounds of vaccination. As the pandemic persists, personal protective equipment (PPE) like face masks remain crucial for protection against the virus by reducing exposure to this particulate matter.

More than two years after the first identified case of COVID-19 and with over half the worldwide population fully vaccinated, an onslaught of breakthrough infections have left scientists wondering what more can be done to prevent transmission. Rather than improve on existing vaccination methods, researchers at the University of Maryland are looking to stop the spread of COVID-19 at its source–in the nose. 

Counterfeit goods result in hundreds of billions of dollars in losses every year. According to a 2020 report co-authored by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, counterfeiting tops the list of global criminal enterprises, with  domestic and international sales of counterfeit and pirated goods estimated between $1.7 trillion and $4.5 trillion each year.

While the COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed innovation in at-home testing via rapid antigen​​ tests, these technologies are limited to a small number of diseases and are not suitable for more complicated sample types, such as blood. Currently, tests for viruses in blood must be performed in a sophisticated laboratory and thus generally require multiple days before results are delivered to patients.

Ear infections, or the inflammation of the middle ear typically caused by bacteria, are a notorious nuisance in early childhood. The high incidence, recurrent nature, and non-specific presentation of ear infections in children have made it a feared diagnosis among parents.

Since the emergence of COVID-19 over two years ago, this disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has had a monumental impact on society, with 514 million cases and 6.24 million deaths reported globally to date. It appears likely that COVID-19 will remain present for the foreseeable future, and as the third coronavirus to emerge as a human pathogen in the last 17 years, there is a clear possibility that others will arise in the future.

Since their first known use thousands of years ago, surgical sutures—simple medical devices consisting of a needle and thread—have remained the most common method to close wounds and hold together tissue after surgery. While time has brought advancements in methods and materials, the basic nature of surgical sutures has not changed since their conception, and their use still poses significant risk of complications to patients. But what if doctors could close tissues without the use of sutures at all?

The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated how quickly a new pathogen can fundamentally change economies and society. Early in the pandemic, public health professionals demanded quick and accurate testing to track and control the spread of COVID-19 but still struggle to do so using existing testing methods. Two years after its first recorded case, however, researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) are developing faster, less invasive, and more reliable means of diagnosing pathogens like COVID-19. 

In the newly released 2022 Top Scientist rankings by Research.com, 18 University of Maryland researchers ranked among the Top 1,000 Environmental Sciences researchers in the United States, and seven ranked among the Top 1,000 worldwide. 

Worldwide, buried dangers lurk: 110 million buried landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and explosive remnants of war (ERWs) result in an annual 10,000 casualties. For every one landmine that is removed, a further 100 are planted, and the process for removal is hazardous, costly, and inefficient.  Over 7000 additional casualties come from construction utility digs in the U.S. from inaccurate maps (accidentally striking a utility being the primary cause).