The extraordinary vaccination of more than four billion people, and the lack of access for many others, were major forces this year - while Omicron's arrival complicated things further.

A look back at 2021 through the Sustainable Development Goals.

The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a significant blow to EU R&D investment growth, according to data published in the 2021 edition of European Commission's industrial R&D scoreboard.

These are some of the fun science stories from this year.

A report shows that a $50 trillion redistribution of income to benefit the richest has made America less healthy, resilient, and secure.

For 75 days straight, Costa Rica ran on 100% renewable electricity.

Ancient Greeks have been credited with the invention of trigonometry, but a mathematician reveals Babylonians used it about a thousand years earlier.

In December 2019 the WHO was told of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. These charts show how Covid-19 has spread across the world since then

The island nation struggles to keep the lights on but has inoculated 90% of its population with home-developed vaccines

Africa urgently needs to guarantee its own health security.

B.1.640.2 was discovered in a traveler returning from Cameroon and has a high number of mutations. And a first "flurona" case has been confirmed in Israel.

Countries and universities are once again engaged in a war for talent over researchers, entrepreneurs and students as the world emerges in fits and starts from a pandemic-induced slowdown in international migration.

A new COVID-19 vaccine, developed by researchers from the Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, is being offered patent-free to vaccine manufacturers across the world.

With the COVID-19 crisis still underway and a climate crisis looming, an international group of senior researchers is pushing the world's biggest economies to reform the way they manage collaboration on emerging technologies. In coming years, argues a group participant, David Delpy, professor of medical photonics at University College London, the world risks conflict over who controls and benefits from a range of emerging technologies from climate control to 6G wireless networks.

Horizon Europe Missions will reach full steam this year. The €1.9 billion two-year plan for the missions saw the light of day last autumn, with the European Commission launching the first calls in the last weeks of 2021.

Theranos case highlights the importance of peer review for biotech entrepreneurs, scientists say.

What are the main six debates to watch this year in European research policy?

Adopting behaviors of people who buck trends could boost public health and sustainability. In any large dataset involving the choices people make, a handful of people will succeed when most others like them fail. Zooming in on those outliers and mapping out how they made their choices could give those failing in similar circumstances a leg up.

Tulsa massacre analysis and a genetically modified mosquito release are two important updates to 2021 stories.

A set of workshops are designed to inspire more girls and young women to learn technical skills.