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Mandatory Credit: Photo by JEROME FAVRE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (13641875g) Mainland Chinese students hold sheets of blank paper during a vigil for the victims of China's zero-COVID policy and the victims of the Urumqi fire at the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong, China, 29 November 2022. Protests against China's strict COVID-19 restrictions have erupted in various cities including Beijing and Shanghai, triggered by a tower fire that killed 10 people in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi. University students hold a vigil for the victims of China's zero-COVID policy, Hong Kong - 29 Nov 2022

China's failure to vaccinate makes giving up on zero covid a huge risk

1 December 2022

Widespread protests against China's zero-covid policy have led the country to ease some restrictions, but its failure to vaccinate older people means this could lead to millions of deaths


A recreation of a Neanderthal man

Antibiotics encoded in Neanderthal DNA could help us fight infections

1 December 2022

A search of the ancient DNA of Neanderthals and Denisovans has revealed coding for extinct bacteria-killing proteins that we could revive to fight infections


Human sperm

Sperm-blocking vaginal gel could be a reliable contraceptive method

30 November 2022

A gel that has prevented almost all of 1 billion sperm getting past the cervix in sheep could become an alternative to hormonal birth control methods but without the side effects


Alzheimer's may be caused by the accumulation of protein plaques and tangles in the brain

Alzheimer's drug lecanemab slows cognitive decline but concerns linger

30 November 2022

The drug lecanemab slowed the rate of cognitive decline among people with early Alzheimer's disease by 27 per cent, compared with placebo infusions, but some question if its potential safety concerns outweigh any benefits


Illustration of Yersinia pestis bacteria

An mRNA vaccine protects mice against deadly plague bacteria

30 November 2022

The bacterium Yersinia pestis causes frequent outbreaks that kill people, but a new vaccine based on cutting edge technology has shown promise in a mouse study


A species of the Trypanosoma brucei parasite, which can cause sleeping sickness, in blood

Drug clears sleeping sickness parasite from the body in clinical trial

29 November 2022

In a small trial, an experimental medicine was 100 per cent effective at ridding the parasite that causes sleeping sickness from the bodies of people with an early to intermediate infection


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