25 articles from SUNDAY 7.2.2021

Let’s inoculate at-risk Australians then send Covid vaccines overseas | Ben Bramble and Peter Collignon

Countries grappling with coronavirus should have priority access. The rest of us can waitAustralia is poised to roll out Covid-19 vaccines later this month, with the goal of vaccinating as many Australians as quickly as possible. This is not the strategy the world needs now.Vaccinate our most vulnerable citizens, health workers and hotel quarantine staff immediately – no question about that....

Hundreds get Covid vaccine at East London mosque's pop-up clinic

Mosque serving largest Muslim community in UK seeks to reassure those hesitant about the shotCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHundreds of people were vaccinated at the weekend at a pop-up clinic set up by the East London mosque to encourage Muslims to be inoculated amid widespread concerns about the jab.The mosque, which serves the biggest Muslim community in the UK,...

Study shows Oxford Covid jab has less protection against South African variant

Researchers say vaccines’ focus must shift to protecting people from hospitalisation and deathCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine will not stop people becoming ill if they contract the South African variant of Covid-19, researchers have confirmed, warning that vaccines’ focus needs to shift from population immunity to protecting...

When will Britain's Covid lockdown be lifted? Three scenarios

At best, vaccines and lockdown could make life more normal by May. But at worst, a new mutation could undo any progressCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHopes are rising that Britain may soon put the worst of Covid-19 behind it. After a year in which the disease has paralysed the nation, killed more than 100,000 people, closed schools and universities, and brought the...

Are we losing the rat race? How rodents took over our offices

Rats are clever, resilient, horrifying and yet somehow admirable. And, while we’ve been away, they’ve been colonising our office spacesAn empty office building is a good place to shelter if you’re a rat in a crisis. It will be warm and dry and, if you’re lucky, one of the humans who hastily vacated before the last coronavirus lockdown will have left a half-eaten Pret flapjack in a drawer...

Tensions rise as rival Mars probes approach their final destination

Anxious moment for scientists in US, China and UAE as spacecrafts enter crucial stages of long journey to red planetThe skies above Mars will witness some startling aeronautical displays in the next few days when three rival space robot probes reach the red planet after journeying for millions of miles across space. Related: US billionaires vie to make space the next business frontier Continue...

Beyond secretion of insulin,the novel function of β cell in regulating glucose homeostasis

In a new study published in Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, Chen-Yu Zhang's group and Antonio Vidal-Puig's group at University of Cambridge report that pancreatic β cells secrete miR-29 family members (miR-29a, miR-29b and miR-29c) in response to high levels of free fatty acids (FFAs). These β cell-derived miR-29s are delivered to the liver, promoting insulin resistance and enhancing...

Happy childhood? That's no guarantee for good mental health

It's well understood that a difficult childhood can increase the likelihood of mental illness, but according to new research from the University of South Australia, a happy and secure childhood does not always protect a child from developing a mental illness later in life.

New research reveals drivers of regionally different ozone responses to the COVID-19

Professor Ding Aijun explored global air-quality changes during COVID-19 lockdowns and regional disparities in O3 responses to emission reductions. They integrated multiple observational datasets, including global air quality monitoring network and satellite retrievals, to shed more light on the regional differences in interactions between emissions, atmospheric chemistry, and meteorological...

Scientists measure spectral line of Cherenkov radiation in radiant regime

The scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University jointly with the colleagues from Keysight company have conducted an experiment with an electron beam at the TPU microtron to study a super-radiant regime that occurs when radiation is generated by a train of electron bunches. The research findings obtained by a high-precision measurement of a spectral line width proved that about 8,000 electron...

AstraZeneca set to weather Covid in better health than rivals

The Anglo-Swedish firm already had a strong lineup of cancer drugs when vaccine success gave it a further boostBefore the pandemic, AstraZeneca was highly regarded in the business and pharmaceutical world – seen as one of the UK’s best companies. Now, thanks to Britain’s successful vaccine programme, it is a household name.The Anglo-Swedish firm, which publishes annual results on Thursday,...

Oxford Covid jab less effective against South African variant, study finds

University of the Witwatersrand and Oxford University research shows vaccine has reduced efficacy against mutationCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBritish drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Saturday that its vaccine developed with the University of Oxford appeared to offer only limited protection against mild disease caused by the South African variant of Covid-19, based on...