COVID Vaccine Boosters: the Most Important Questions
Concerns over waning immunity and SARS-CoV-2 variants have convinced some countries to deploy extra vaccine doses - but it's not clear to scientists whether most people need them.
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Concerns over waning immunity and SARS-CoV-2 variants have convinced some countries to deploy extra vaccine doses - but it's not clear to scientists whether most people need them.
But a study of the publications of millions of researchers also suggests that women are less likely to continue their academic careers than their male counterparts.
Research in this area deserves more attention - and not only for conditions related to reproduction.
International coalition aims to identify how universities use impact factors and related metrics.
Off-campus learning was essential during the pandemic. But when it ends, we should encourage students to return to campus for in-person lectures, says Michael Doran.
Psychologist Ann-Marie Creaven regularly discusses her research on Ireland's most listened-to station.
Scientists are unpicking the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 and how the virus uses tricks to evade detection.
Study of nearly 7,000 scientists also finds that more than half engage in 'questionable research practices'.
A good communications strategy can get your research seen by decision makers, says Rebecca Fuoco.
Archives, libraries, photo agencies and publishers need to do better to reflect science's true past and present.
Nobel prizewinner who revolutionized nuclear magnetic resonance.
Surveys show that people in ten low- and middle-income nations are generally more eager to receive the COVID-19 jab than people in two wealthier nations where vaccine is plentiful.
A United Nations study of world science is a wake-up call that richer countries must also shift science towards the SDGs.
The University of Liverpool is planning to make lay-offs on the basis of controversial measures. How should the global movement for responsible research respond?
Starting a family at a key career stage comes at a cost to birthing parents - and many end up leaving the profession as a result.
Programs that systematically monitor and promote the mental health of Ph.D. students are urgently needed.
World Health Organization committee says it's too soon to allow heritable gene editing, but points to paths forward for other applications.
The investments are promising but won't fix the primate shortage, experts say.
Learning to pronounce others' names doesn't have to be awkward, as long as it comes from a place of mutual respect.
Evolutionary ecologist Germán Orizaola Pereda analyses how species have been affected, 35 years after the world's worst nuclear accident.
A language barrier can be a challenge, but there are better ways to spend your resources, says Zhanna Anikina.
The systems of science must reward honesty about mistakes to speed progress.
The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 lineage was identified in October 2020 in India1-5. It has since then become dominant in some indian regions and UK and further spread to many countries6. The lineage includes three main subtypes (B1.617.1, B.1.617.2 and B.1.617.3), harbouring diverse Spike mutations in the N-terminal domain (NTD) and the receptor binding domain (RBD) which may increase their immune evasion potential. B.1.617.2, also termed variant Delta, is believed to spread faster than other variants. Here, we isolated an infectious Delta strain from a traveller returning from India. We examined its sensitivity to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and to antibodies present in sera from COVID-19 convalescent individuals or vaccine recipients, in comparison to other viral strains. Variant Delta was resistant to neutralization by some anti-NTD and anti-RBD mAbs including Bamlanivimab, which were impaired in binding to the Spike. Sera from convalescent patients collected up to 12 months post symptoms were 4 fold less potent against variant Delta, relative to variant Alpha (B.1.1.7). Sera from individuals having received one dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines barely inhibited variant Delta. Administration of two doses generated a neutralizing response in 95% of individuals, with titers 3 to 5 fold lower against Delta than Alpha. Thus, variant Delta spread is associated with an escape to antibodies targeting non-RBD and RBD Spike epitopes.