Moderna shot is said to produce eightfold increase in antibody levels against Omicron in first four weeksAn updated version of Moderna’s Covid vaccine produces an eightfold increase in antibody levels against the Omicron variant, according to early trial results, raising hopes for a once-a-year booster to protect against the disease.The vaccine is the first “bivalent” formulation to combine...

Every patient treated with immunotherapy drug went into remission, researchers in New York reportedEvery patient treated for rectal cancer with an experimental immunotherapy drug went into remission, in findings that researchers have hailed as a breakthrough.All 14 patients who were given the new drug, dostarlimab, were found after six months to have no trace of cancer. Researchers at Memorial...

Experts hope study can help with reintroducing captive otters into wild to aid conservation effortsOtters are able to learn from each other – but still prefer to solve some puzzles on their own, scientists have found.The semi-aquatic mammals are known to be very social and intelligent creatures, but a study by the University of Exeter has given new insight into their intellect. Continue...

From relationships, to sport, to happiness – why data points, not feelings, are a better guide to what worksIntuition is a funny business. Back in the day, you might have thought that making life decisions by blindly following your “gut feeling” was a bad idea and could get you into trouble. But in 2005 along came Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink, a massive bestseller that made the scientific...

Visitors from select countries will be allowed to return to Japan from Friday but will only be allowed to travel under strict conditionsSee all our coronavirus coverageForeign tourists visiting Japan will be required to wear masks and spend their entire stay chaperoned by local guides, as the country prepares to open up to international travellers after two years of Covid-19 border...

Injectable, biodegradable technology developed by UK team works as a scaffold to help new tissue growBritish researchers have developed a biodegradable gel to repair damage caused by a heart attack in a breakthrough that could improve the health of millions of survivors worldwide.There are more than 100,000 hospital admissions every year due to heart attacks in the UK alone – one every five...