Readers respond to an article by Jonathan Freedland, which suggested that the coronavirus outbreak may quickly fade from collective memoryAs ever, Jonathan Freedland writes more powerfully and movingly than any other commentator (History suggests we may forget the pandemic sooner than we think, 29 January). His appeal for us to find a means of perpetuating some memory of those who died, who were...

Billions of unwanted male chicks are slaughtered by the farming industry. Now a startup claims to have found a surprising solution to the problemThe eggs we eat have a hidden cost. About 7bn male chicks are killed worldwide every year to produce them. Farmers need to replenish their supply of egg-laying hens but, by nature, half the chicks that hatch are male and growing them for meat is...

Only 0.04% of people caught virus a week after second dose and 0.002% needed hospital treatmentCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageStudies in Israel have offered tentative optimism on the effectiveness of vaccines in curbing the coronavirus pandemic, with initial data suggesting even the early stages of inoculation campaigns might have marked decreases in both...

As a hospital consultant working in intensive care, the reality of coronavirus and patients’ fear is brought home to me every dayI’m not ready,” the patient implores me through her CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure] hood. She’s breathing at more than triple her normal rate and I’ve been asked to intubate her as she’s deteriorating, despite three days in intensive care. She is...

First there was Pfizer, then AstraZeneca, now Moderna and Novavax. How do they differ? And which might you get?Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Continue...

Two politicians from Asian immigrant families seek to reassure every community of the importance of the vaccination rollout Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageLast week, we reached the sombre milestone of 100,000 Covid-19 deaths in the UK. Every death is a tragedy and leaves behind a bereft family, but it is evident some communities have been hit harder than...

When Harvard professor Avi Loeb discovered possible signs of extraterrestrial activity, it caused a scandal in the research community. Is fear and conservatism stopping science from considering plausible evidence that there are aliens out there?By the time humanity noticed the object, it was already leaving the galaxy. 19 October 2017. Astronomers at the University of Hawaii notice an odd shape...

A new trend has emerged – public figures posting ‘vaxxies’ showing the moment they received their jabCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe latest social media trend involves no ice buckets, no filters and certainly no sea shanties. Now celebrities and politicians around the world are vying to post the best “vaxxies” – selfies of the moment they receive their...

Tory MPs use short-lived announcement of export ban to call for overhaul of trade deal, as EU chief is attacked over U-turnCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe European Union’s threat to impose a vaccine border between Northern Ireland and the Republic risks reigniting one of Brexit’s bitterest disputes, as senior Tories said the move proved the need for an...

The llama has provided nanobodies that effectively prevent infection, but the use of other species in Covid research raises troubling ethical questions Cormac the llama lives a quiet life on a farm in Washington State, totally unaware that his unique immune system may be key to protecting the developing world from Covid-19.“He is an extremely charismatic llama … he’s a pretty cool guy,”...

As countries begin an age of Martian exploration, planetary protection advocates insist we must be careful of interplanetary contaminationNext month, three new spacecraft arrive at Mars. Two represent firsts for their countries of origin, while the third opens a new era of Mars exploration. The first is the UAE’s Emirates Mars Mission, also known as Hope, which enters orbit on 9 February....

Graves found under demolished student halls are providing valuable insight into life in a post-Roman settlementAn early medieval graveyard unearthed beneath student accommodation at Cambridge University has been described as “one of the most exciting finds of Anglo-Saxon archaeology since the 19th century”.King’s College discovered the “extensive” cemetery, containing more than 60...

You have to look – and sometimes very closely – but discovering small patches of woodland or flowers bursting through concrete makes me appreciate nature all the moreOne Friday morning last October, when we still could, I drove down from Brixton in south London to Somerset. It was one of those autumn days people anticipate in the midst of a sticky summer, with pillowy mist and low-lying sun...

Early trial data shows Novavax and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have much less efficacy against new variantEarly data from two new coronavirus vaccine trials has indicated that they have less efficacy at protecting from the South African variant of coronavirus.Clinical trial data showed that the vaccines from Novavax and Johnson & Johnson had significantly less efficacy at preventing...

If nations make vaccine delivery equitable, step up testing and study variant genomes, the pandemic could be under control by January 2022Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA year ago, on 30 January, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern – the highest level of alarm at our disposal...

PM pens letter recognising ‘unique challenges’ faced by those looking after children during the pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageKeeping children entertained can be an arduous task at the best of times, let alone when families are stuck at home for days on end as a result of the Covid lockdown.In recognition of the “unique challenges” faced by parents,...

Flash of light detected on planet, about 10 times more energetic than lightning on Earth, reopens debateDoes lightning strike on Venus? It’s a question that has perplexed planetary scientists for decades. Given that lightning has been detected in the clouds of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, you’d expect lightning to occur on Venus, too, but the planet’s dense clouds ensure that any lightning...

Shock and anger at EU’s move to invoke Brexit clause on Irish border; Fauci says ‘virus will continue to mutate’ as Democrats aim to fast-track Covid relief plan; Johnson & Johnson one-dose Covid vaccine shown to workOxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine given full approval by EU regulator‘Immunological unicorn’: the Australian lab growing coronavirus – and its startling discoveryUS...

Researchers walk through three negative-pressure chambers before entering the submarine-like structureIn a high security laboratory in Sydney, where a select group of researchers go to extreme lengths to work with samples of blood and swabs containing Covid-19, virologist Stuart Turville found a unicorn.“A beautiful, immunological unicorn,” Turville, an associate professor with the Kirby...

Developmental biologist and science communicator with an enduring fascination for the beginnings of lifeHow does a single fertilised egg divide and morph into an embryo with head, tail, limbs and organs? That question was an inexhaustible source of fascination to the biologist Lewis Wolpert, who has died aged 91. With a twinkle in his eye, he told audiences it was not birth, marriage or death, but...

European Medicines Agency approves jab for use in all age groups above 18, despite German doubtsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe European Medicines Agency has authorised the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for use in all adult age groups after days of doubt.A month after it received approval in the UK, the EU’s regulator declared the vaccine safe for general...

Pre-ordering of Janssen and Novavax means Britain has procured 247m successfully trialled jabsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBritain has cemented its status as one of the world’s leading buyers of effective Covid vaccines after two more pharmaceutical companies reported positive trial results – potentially growing the UK stockpile by 90m doses.The US drugmaker...

World Health Organization experts conduct on-the-ground research into origins of pandemic in ChinaCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAn international team of World Health Organization experts has visited a hospital in Wuhan, China, that saw some of the first cases of Covid in December 2019, as part of an on-the-ground investigation into the origins of the virus that...

UK has bought 30m doses of product that could transform world’s immunisation programmesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA fifth vaccine, made by the US company Johnson & Johnson, has shown efficacy against the coronavirus, giving complete protection against hospitalisation and death, and could transform prospects for protecting both the UK and the rest of the...