33 articles from SATURDAY 27.2.2021

‘I’ve had my vaccine - how well will it protect me and for how long?’

The latest answers to the important medical questions about the vaccines and the pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe prospects of vaccines failing to trigger immune responses are dismissed as remote by scientists. “If a vaccine has not been properly refrigerated that might pose problems but doctors take great care to ensure that doesn’t happen,” said...

Germany now says its seniors could get AstraZeneca jab

Regulator concedes process had ‘somehow gone wrong’ and is set to approve vaccineCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGermany could soon authorise the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for seniors after the head of the country’s vaccination committee said his body’s advice to give the Oxford-developed vaccine only to those under 65 had “somehow gone wrong”.Unlike...

Clean break: the risk of catching Covid from surfaces overblown, experts say

Prioritising eye protection and face masks will prevent the spread of coronavirus more than disinfecting surfaces, research showsAustralia vaccine tracker: when will you get the jab?Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWhen cases of Covid-19 first began emerging in Australia, some people reported disinfecting their groceries before bringing them into their homes, and there...

Archaeologists find unique ceremonial vehicle near Pompeii

Well-preserved iron, bronze and tin carriage discovery is ‘without precedent in Italy’Archaeologists have unearthed a unique Roman ceremonial carriage from a villa just outside Pompeii, the city buried in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD.The almost perfectly preserved four-wheeled carriage made of iron, bronze and tin was found near the stables of an ancient villa at Civita Giuliana, about 700...

Concerns grow as UK Covid testing labs scaled back before even opening

Planned multi-million Lighthouse facilities cut by up to 50%, with smaller labs decommissionedNew Lighthouse labs, created by the government to boost the nation’s Covid testing capacity, are to be dramatically scaled back before they open. It is understood that new multi-million pound labs in Gateshead and Plymouth, announced last year but yet to open, are among those to see a big cut in daily...

Imaging space debris in high resolution

Researchers have introduced a new method for taking high-resolution images of fast-moving and rotating objects in space, such as satellites or debris in low Earth orbit. They created an imaging process that first utilizes a novel algorithm to estimate the speed and angle at which an object in space is rotating, then applies those estimates to develop a high-resolution picture of the target.

When using pyrite to understand Earth's ocean and atmosphere: Think local, not global

Scientists have long used information from sediments at the bottom of the ocean to reconstruct the conditions in oceans of the past. But a study raises concerns about the common use of pyrite sulfur isotopes to reconstruct Earth's evolving oxidation state. These signals aren't the global fingerprint of oxygen in the atmosphere, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

Sensing robot healthcare helpers

Robots that could take on basic healthcare tasks to support the work of doctors and nurses may be the way of the future. Who knows, maybe a medical robot can prescribe your medicine someday? That's the idea behind 3D structural-sensing robots being developed and tested right now.

Adopting older children can be the start of a special bond

For one mother, a potentially challenging choice turned out to be amazingly fulfillingWhen Margaret Reynolds was in her mid-40s, she was a successful writer, academic and broadcaster. One winter’s morning, she asked herself what she would like in her life that she did not already have. The answer was clear and quick: she realised she’d like to have a child. She wanted to be a mother. She was...

Coronavirus live news: UK will face 'enormous strains', says chancellor; New Zealand PM says Auckland to go into lockdown for seven days

Rishi Sunak warns of risk to economy; Joe Biden tells US ‘now is not the time to relax - follow all the day’s news as it happensVan-Tam warns against giving up on Covid rulesExperts criticise Boris Johnson for putting dates in Covid roadmapSee all our coronavirus coverage 10.01am GMT People may “drop their guard” and adhere to coronavirus restrictions less closely after being vaccinated, a...