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Drinking at least one cup of coffee per day was associated with a decreased risk of about 10% when it came to contracting COVID-19, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

“Game of Thrones” author George RR Martin appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (WTTW News)

A notable Northwestern alum is in town for some major recognition. “Game of Thrones” author George RR Martin was awarded an honorary doctorate at Monday’s commencement ceremony. We caught up with Martin to talk about the GOT phenomenon and his time at Northwestern.

Northwestern University (WTTW News)
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Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro has faced intense criticism over his handling of sexual harassment allegations involving cheerleaders, donors and Wildcat fans. He joins us in discussion.

A team of researchers at Northwestern University has developed a suite of wireless pregnancy monitors. (courtesy Northwestern University)
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For pregnant women, fetal monitoring devices are a cumbersome array of wires and tape that require constant adjustment and, quite literally, tether the patient to a hospital bed. A team of researchers at Northwestern University is working to change that.

Students on the campus of Northwestern University. (WTTW News)
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As students wrap up their spring semesters, colleges and universities have started announcing plans for the fall. We discuss the outlook for three area universities.

Richard Biggs, 20, an evolutionary biology major at the University of Colorado Boulder, gets his first dose of the Moderna vaccine from Dr. Laird Wolfe. Biggs is one of the first group of students in a new study to determine if the vaccine can prevent COVID-19 infection and transmission in the student population. CU Boulder students will join 12,000 other college students in the country.  (Photo by Glenn Asakawa / University of Colorado)

More than 20 colleges and universities across the country are looking for students to enroll in a clinical trial to see if the COVID-19 vaccine prevents infection and spread of the virus among them.

Mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, Colorado, have once again brought questions of gun control to the fore. One possibility with Democrats in power in Washington is a revival of a federal assault weapons ban. (WTTW News)

The last assault weapons ban expired in 2004, but a new study finds that had that ban remained in place, as many as 30 mass shootings could have been prevented. We speak with the study's lead author, Lori Ann Post, and Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association. 

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Far more Chicagoans may have been infected by COVID-19 than previously thought. We discuss the preliminary findings of a new study with Dr. Elizabeth McNally of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

From the football field to the front office: We speak with Jason Wright, the NFL’s first Black team president.

A file photo of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (WTTW News)
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Some college campuses are seeing alarming spikes in the number of COVID-19 cases. Many schools have launched widespread testing efforts, but reports of student parties and gatherings have led to increased restrictions.

(Credit: Northwestern Medicine)

Northwestern Medicine is seeking 5,000 people who are at risk of exposure to the coronavirus and are interested in participating in vaccine studies to join its newly launched COVID Prevention Trials Registry.

Researchers at Northwestern University and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab have developed a wearable sensor to monitor and interpret key symptoms of the novel coronavirus. (Credit: Northwestern University)

Worn 24/7, the soft, flexible sensor is being used to monitor cough, shortness of breath and fever in a small number of patients and front-line health care workers. Researchers hope the device can provide more insight about the coronavirus.

“I have done a phenomenal job with it,” President Donald Trump says of his response to COVID-19 at a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday, June 20, 2020. (WTTW News via CNN)
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He is optimistic about the development of vaccines and treatments to slow the spread of COVID-19 but describes the national response to the virus as a “disgrace.” We speak with Dr. Robert Murphy of Northwestern University.

Mayra Ramirez (Courtesy of Kate Ramirez)

Kate Ramirez is asking for prayers and donations as her 28-year-old sister, Mayra, recovers from a double lung transplant she received earlier this month as a result of complications from COVID-19.

Dr. Ankit Bharat chief of thoracic surgery and surgical director of the Northwestern Medicine Lung Transplant Program. (©Copyright 2020, Northwestern Medicine)

After six weeks on a ventilator and life-support machine, a 20-year-old woman whose lungs were damaged by COVID-19 received what is believed to be among the first double lung transplants performed on a survivor of the virus.

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The placenta provides nutrients and oxygen to a developing fetus, among other things. In a small study, researchers found the placentas from pregnant women with COVID-19 showed signs of injury.