Could New COVID Variants Undermine Vaccines? Labs Scramble to Find Out
Researchers race to determine why variants identified in Britain and South Africa spread so quickly and whether they’ll compromise vaccines
Stories by Ewen Callaway
DeepMind’s AI Makes Gigantic Leap in Solving Protein Structures
Google’s deep-learning program for determining the 3-D shapes of proteins stands to transform biology, scientists say
COVID Vaccine Excitement Builds as Moderna Reports Positive Result
Preliminary data show that the immunization is 94 percent effective and seems to prevent severe infections
Human Challenge Trials Will Deliberately Infect Dozens in the U.K.
Proponents of the trials say they can be run safely and help to identify effective vaccines, but others have questioned their value
Russia’s Fast-Track Coronavirus Vaccine Draws Outrage over Safety
The immunization could be dangerous because it hasn’t been tested in large trials, researchers say
Coronavirus Vaccine Trials Have Delivered Their First Results—but Their Promise Is Still Unclear
Scientists urge caution over hints of success emerging from small human and animal studies
Hundreds of People Volunteer to Be Infected with Coronavirus
Support grows for a controversial ‘human challenge’ vaccine study—but no trial is yet planned
Coronavirus Vaccines: Five Key Questions as Trials Begin
Some experts warn that accelerated testing will involve risky trade-offs
Some Scientists Skeptical about Snakes Spreading New Virus in China
A genetic analysis suggests a reptilian reservoir, but researchers doubt the coronavirus could have originated in animals other than birds or mammals
Supercomputer Scours Fossil Record for Earth’s Hidden Extinctions
Paleontologists have charted 300 million years of Earth’s history in breathtaking detail
C-Section Babies Are Missing Key Microbes
A U.K. study provides the best evidence yet that the way infants are born can alter their microbiome—but the health effects are unclear
Immune-Cell Pioneers Win Prestigious Lasker Medical Award
The prizes honored the discoverers of B and T cells, the inventors of a breast cancer treatment, and a vaccination NGO
Gene Editing Transforms Gel into Shape-Shifting Smart Material
The CRISPR technique can trigger the new material to release drugs or pick up biological signals
Controversial CRISPR “Gene Drives” Tested in Mammals for the First Time
Experiments in mice suggest the technology has a long way to go before being used for pest control in the wild
Geneticists Unravel Secrets of Super-Invasive Crayfish
DNA analysis suggests the self-cloning species is a genetic hybrid that emerged in an aquarium in the 1990s
Synthetic Species Designed to Shun Sex with Wild Organisms
Engineered organisms that cannot breed with wild counterparts could prevent transgenic plants from spreading genes
Rhino Poachers Prosecuted Using DNA Database
Genetic information about African rhinos is leading to stiffer convictions
“Alien” DNA Makes Proteins in Living Cells for The First Time
Expanded genetic alphabet could allow for the production of new protein-based drugs
Improved Diagnostics Fail to Halt the Rise of Tuberculosis
TB remains a big killer despite the development of a better test for detecting the disease
Doubts Raised about Gene-Editing Study in Human Embryos
Alternative explanations challenge whether CRISPR–Cas9 technique actually fixed a genetic mutation as claimed
