Study of former American footballers offers hope that damage could be diagnosed more easilyBrain scans of former American football players reveal signs of white matter injury, according to research into the lasting effects of repetitive head impacts in sport.The finding is viewed as significant because until now it has been difficult to identify such damage in the brain until after death. The...

At least 241 people linked to religious community test positive for virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA little known sect led by a pastor who pokes eyes to heal is at the centre of a Covid outbreak in South Korea, as the country reported a new daily record of 4,116 cases and battles a rise in serious cases straining hospitals.In a tiny, rural church in a town of...

Trials show the protein-based jab causes fewer side-effects – and hundreds of British jobs depend on itCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna. Britons have become so accustomed to the three Covid vaccines available in the UK that most have forgotten about another jab, Novavax – even though the government has ordered 60m doses and hundreds of...

I’m doing my best to act normal, but I’ve become incredibly aware of other people’s snuffling, coughing and wheezing. Am I vigilant – or paranoid?Like the unnamed woman Drake sings about in his 2015 hit Hotline Bling, I’ve been wearing less – at least metaphorically – and going out more. Apparently she started to behave that way ever since Drake left the city. Before that, he...

Charities say Nice’s decision to endorse progesterone for some cases in England will help save babies’ lives Women at a higher risk of miscarriage in England are to be offered a hormone drug under new NHS guidelines.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has published updated guidance on miscarriage that says certain women can be offered progesterone to help prevent...

Spacecraft heads off on 6.8m-mile journey to crash into moonlet Dimorphos in test to see if asteroids can be diverted from collision with EarthA spacecraft that must ultimately crash in order to succeed lifted off late on Tuesday from California on a Nasa mission to demonstrate the world’s first planetary defence system.Carried aboard a SpaceX-owned Falcon 9 rocket, the Dart (Double Asteroid...

Nasa is preparing to launch a mission that could show us how to save the planet from an asteroid strike, similar to that seen in films such as Armageddon and Deep Impact. The Dart mission is the first dedicated to investigating and demonstrating a method of asteroid deflection by changing an asteroid’s motion in space through kinetic impact. Nasa has released an animation showing what the...

Experts say shifting data collection to the home may break down barriers to participation in researchAstraZeneca is to let more people take part in clinical trials from the comfort of their own homes in an attempt to increase the diversity of participants.Recruiting volunteers to clinical trials can be difficult, but they are a crucial step in the development of new drugs, tests, devices and other...

Border will first open to New Zealand citizens coming from Australia, then from the rest of the world, and finally to all other vaccinated visitors from AprilSee all our coronavirus coverageNew Zealand has announced it will reopen its borders to vaccinated visitors in the opening months of 2022, for the first time since prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced their snap closure in the first month...