Scientists have identified antibodies that can target the unchanged parts of the novel coronavirus as it continues to mutate and evolve, an advance that could lead to new therapeutics to neutralise Omicron and other Covid-19 variants. Identifying such “broadly neutralising” antibodies on the coronavirus spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells, can help develop better vaccines and ... Read More »
Since the first cases of Omicron were reported in the UK just over a month ago it has spread rapidly across the UK, fuelling a surge of infections. But scientists have also been working at speed. Here is an overview of the expanding scientific knowledge of Omicron. Spread Soon after ... Read More »
‘I think it will protect people through the coming holiday period and through these winter months, when we’re going to see the most severe pressure of Omicron’ A booster dose of the Moderna vaccine generates a strong antibody response against the Omicron coronavirus variant, the company has said. Laboratory testing showed that a half-dose ... Read More »
Common cold is caused by a different strain of virus to Covid-19, while the rapidly-spreading omicron variant of Covid-19 often causes mild symptoms, such as stuffy nose, sore head and sore throat, it is very hard to tell the difference without testing. Professor Tim Spector, from Britain’s Covid Zoe app, ... Read More »
The US scientists who created the first living robots say the life forms, known as xenobots, can now reproduce — and in a way not seen in plants and animals. Formed from the stem cells of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) from which it takes its name, xenobots are less than ... Read More »
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the heavily mutated Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to spread internationally and poses a very high risk of infection surges that could have “severe consequences” in some places. No Omicron-linked deaths had yet been reported, though further research was needed to assess its potential ... Read More »
… Since it was first detected in India in December 2020, the Delta variant of Sars-CoV-2 has become so ubiquitous that it would be easy to assume that the once-rapid evolution of the virus has been replaced by a state of quiescence. According to the World Health Organization, 99.5% of all ... Read More »
Emergence of Earth’s earliest continents from ocean influenced planet’s atmosphere, oceans, and climate The first continents emerged from the Earth’s oceans over 700 million years earlier than previously thought, according to a new study that sheds more light on the evolution of the planet’s habitability. Although widely debated, the rise of ... Read More »
A second antiviral pill for Covid-19 cuts rates of hospitalisation and death by nearly 90 per cent among at-risk patients with mild to moderate infections, according to early trial results. The drug, if taken early enough, prevents the escalation of disease to keep newly-infected people out of hospital. Manufactured by Pfizer, the ... Read More »
Scientists say Landsat 9 will monitor the effects of climate change in unprecedented detail NASA’s newest satellite, Landsat 9, has started taking pictures of the Earth. In collaboration with the US Geological Survey, the space agency launched Landsat in September to take thermal and infrared images of the planet, tracking ... Read More »
Lebanese Ministry of Information