Each time questions have been asked, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has answered them. This week we’ve seen new US trial results bring further good news, writes Michael Head. Again, the vaccine has been shown to be safe, and working well in older people. Except that, for this vaccine, which has been under the media spotlight like no other before it, things are never simple. No sooner had these results been released than it emerged they might be based on out-of-date data. Now there’s another question to be answered. All this amid an ongoing struggle to boost vaccine confidence in many parts of the world.

Speaking of coming up with answers, the standard model of particle physics has withstood every test thrown at it since it was assembled in the 1970s. However, experiments at Cern have potentially uncovered an anomaly the model can’t explain. This could be evidence of a new force in nature that’s yet to be properly discovered.

Meanwhile, a team at Lund University in Sweden has found a way of smuggling tiny nanodiamonds inside cells, which can be used to label and observe parts of the cells interior and assist with research into conditions such as cancer.

Rob Reddick

Commissioning Editor, COVID-19

Here we go again! ap-travel / Alamy Stock Photo

Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine’s rollercoaster ride continues, but latest results again suggest it is safe and effective

Michael Head, University of Southampton

These results can help allay previous concerns in Europe about a lack of trial data for older people.

Particle collisions are starting to reveal unexpected results. vchal/Shutterstock

Evidence of brand new physics at Cern? Why we’re cautiously optimistic about our new findings

Harry Cliff, University of Cambridge; Konstantinos Alexandros Petridis, University of Bristol; Paula Alvarez Cartelle, University of Cambridge

If the finding really is the result of new fundamental particles then it will finally be the breakthrough that physicists have been yearning for for decades.

SciePro/Shutterstock

We’ve smuggled tiny diamonds into cells, where they could shine light on the development of cancer

Elke Hebisch, Lund University

Nanodiamonds aren't just cellular bling: they could be used to better understand the development of cancer in our cells.

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