COVID-19

Working (a synchrotron) from home

During the pandemic researchers have been operating the Diamond Light Source synchrotron remotely, running crucial COVID-related experiments from the comfort of their own homes. The concept is likely to become the norm post-pandemic, says structural biologist and director of life science at Diamond Professor Sir David Stuart.

“We mustn’t spend a long time with a lot of virus circulating among a partially vaccinated population”

The pandemic is entering a ‘danger period’ where increasing immunity – but not total –could encourage the spread of variants that can reinfect people or evade vaccines, Emma Hodcroft tells The Biologist

‘I’m ridiculously positive about the media’s coverage of COVID-19’

Scientific reporting has come a long way since the days of 'frankenfoods' and vaccine scare stories, says Fiona Fox OBE Hon FRSB

 

Lessons from animal coronaviruses

Successful vaccines have been developed for many coronaviruses that affect pets and livestock. Dr Michael James Francis explores lessons these provide in developing a COVID-19 vaccine

"There'll be PhDs written on the psychology and politics of this topic"

A lack of research and old medical dogma have caused deadly delays in public health bodies accepting that airborne transmission of COVID-19 was happening, says aerosols expert Professor Lidia Morawska

Coping with COVID

Laura Bellingan explores responses to an RSB survey that found three-quarters of UK researchers have had to abandon or suspend research due to COVID-19

“If this doesn’t work, I’m not sure anything will”

Professor Sarah Gilbert on the science behind one of the world’s most advanced COVID-19 vaccine trials, and what still needs to be done to prove it is safe and effective

'We don't have to demonstrate we can do it anymore, we need to demonstrate how well we can do it'

Professor Andrew Singer says surveillance of wastewater will be a 'game-changer' for monitoring COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks

“There were at least three papers in 2019 that said coronaviruses might be a real problem in south China”

Professor Kate Jones says a woeful lack of communication between public health bodies and ecologists is failing to prevent spillover of animal diseases into human populations

"All I'm presenting is a range of possibilities"

Theoretical epidemiologist Professor Sunetra Gupta  discusses alternative models of how and when COVID-19 might have spread through the UK

Scientists of the world unite!

Since the pandemic began Tom Ireland has been talking to bioscientists from around the world who have sprung into action to help to understand, track and treat COVID-19

“Everyone leaves their ego at the door and is so upbeat, even at 4am"

Adrienne Adele Cox tells The Biologist about volunteering at one of the UK's three new mega-labs, set up to scale up COVID-19 testing.

"Everyone is running themselves ragged”

The University of Arizona’s Michael D L Johnson is using his knowledge of metal compounds to explore potential therapeutics for COVID-19.

Why an oral vaccine could be key to fighting COVID-19

Dr Elliot Bland is helping develop a potential vaccine stable enough to post to millions of citizens as a capsule, rather than one requiring healthcare professionals and needles.