Ian Sample: How a handful of scientists developed Oxford vaccine at breakneck speed

At the heart of Oxford’s effort to produce a Covid vaccine are half a dozen scientists who between them brought decades of experience to the challenge of designing, developing, manufacturing and trialing a safe vaccine at breakneck speed. Prof Sarah Gilbert, the Kettering-born project leader, arrived at Oxford in 1994 to work with Prof Adrian Hill, a senior member… Read More Ian Sample: How a handful of scientists developed Oxford vaccine at breakneck speed

Book review: How Did Josef Mengele Become the Evil Doctor of Auschwitz?

If anyone embodies the archetype of the evil that was Auschwitz, it is surely Josef Mengele. Dubbed by the inmates and survivors of the camp the “Angel of Death,” the immaculate doctor – with a slight flick of the finger – would casually select those permitted to live and work and those destined to die… Read More Book review: How Did Josef Mengele Become the Evil Doctor of Auschwitz?

Covid immune response faster and stronger post-infection, scientists say

Scientists have found the strongest evidence yet that people who recover from Covid may mount a much faster and more effective defence against the infection if they encounter the virus again. Researchers at Rockefeller University in New York found that the immune system not only remembered the virus but improved the quality of protective antibodies… Read More Covid immune response faster and stronger post-infection, scientists say