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SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, has turned the world upside down and it is difficult to predict how the virus will continue to evolve. Long term, the best solution would be to develop a universal vaccine – one that would help protect against all current variants of the coronavirus and any others that arise in the future. That is the view of Lara Marks and Ankur Mutreja, the authors of our latest Insights long read, who spoke
to the key players at the forefront of designing a pan-coronavirus jab.
Given the difficulties scientists have already encountered in creating a universal flu vaccine, this may seem like a tall order. But a number of scientists believe it is possible, based on how rapid the development of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines was. “Without it,” Marks and Mutreja write, “the world runs the risk of recurrent pandemics”. They find out about some encouraging candidates on the horizon – and suggest it may even be possible that one could be developed for use in humans within 12 months.
Due to take her place in the French Panthéon – reserved for the greatest of France’s national heroes – Clare Church profiles Josephine Baker: artist, activist, and resistance fighter. And Claire Higgins looks to other examples of refugee evacuations for how further Afghan nationals could leave Afghanistan after the US deadline ends today.
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Paul Keaveny
Commissioning Editor
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Vladyslav Yushynov / Alamy Stock Photo
Lara Marks, University of Cambridge; Ankur Mutreja, University of Cambridge
A universal vaccine has been described as the ‘holy grail’ – but how close are we to getting one?
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PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy
Clare Church, Aberystwyth University
Baker will be the sixth woman, first entertainer and first Black woman to enter after a successful petition from her family and fans.
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Jose Luis Magana/AP
Claire Higgins, UNSW
An ‘orderly departure program’ similar to the one set up after the Vietnam War could offer a vital pathway out of Afghanistan for refugees over the next several years.
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Politics + Society
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Jenevieve Mannell, UCL
Researchers have interviewed hundreds of Afghan women about violence and mental health.
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Scott Lucas, University of Birmingham
Various armed groups operating in Afghanistan will contest Taliban hegemony.
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Farah Hussain, Queen Mary University of London
Debates about Kashmir and party policy mask a deeper problem of complacency and disconnect.
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Health
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Ana Valdes, University of Nottingham; Benjamin Ollivere, University of Nottingham; Jonathan Ball, University of Nottingham
People who had previously caught the coronavirus, which is similar to having an additional vaccine dose, had more neutralising antibodies against COVID variants after being vaccinated.
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Paul O'Shea, Lund University; Sebastian Maslow, Sendai Shirayuri Women’s College
As well as spreading the virus, the event eroded public confidence in the government’s handling of the crisis, undermining future containment efforts.
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Jacqueline Boyd, Nottingham Trent University
Many of the advice given to humans works for dogs, too.
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Environment + Energy
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Giovanna Michelon, University of Bristol; Christian Leuz, University of Chicago; Pietro Bonetti, IESE Business School (Universidad de Navarra)
New research shows how fracking could pose a threat to surface water quality, with consequences for human and environmental health.
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Katie Parsons, University of Hull; Florence Halstead, University of Hull; Lisa Jones, University of Hull
In a region threatened by coastal erosion, a group of school students learned how they could explore change using visual stories and poems.
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Arts + Culture
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Jim Cherrington, Sheffield Hallam University
Electric bikes allow riders to go much further and faster in the countryside – and this has led to a lot of concern from mountain bikers.
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Business + Economy
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Keith Parry, Bournemouth University; Matthew Smith, University of Winchester
Clubs should not ignore the human side of buying and selling players.
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Featured events
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University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, AB24 3FX, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Aberdeen
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King's College, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, AB24 3FX, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Aberdeen
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Floor 12 (West), Muirhead Tower, University of Birmingham , Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Birmingham
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Online, Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Southampton
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