A vast store of DNA is being used to study why the severity of symptoms for coronavirus varies so much. UK Biobank - which contains samples from 500,000 volunteers, as well as detailed information about their health - is now adding Covid-19 data.It is hoped genetic differences could explain why some people with no underlying health conditions can develop severe illness.More than 15,000 scientists from around the world have access to UK Biobank.Prof Rory Collins, principal investigator of the project, said it would be “a goldmine for researchers”.“We could go very quickly into getting some...…A vast store of DNA is being used to study why the severity of symptoms for coronavirus varies so much. UK Biobank - which contains samples from 500,000 volunteers, as well as detailed information about their health - is now adding Covid-19 data.It is hoped genetic differences could explain why some people with no underlying health conditions can develop severe illness.More than 15,000 scientists from around the world have access to UK Biobank.Prof Rory Collins, principal investigator of the project, said it would be “a goldmine for researchers”.“We could go very quickly into getting some...WW…

The most extensive study to date on neonicotinoid pesticides concludes that they harm both honeybees and wild bees.Researchers said that exposure to the chemicals left honeybee hives less likely to survive over winter, while bumblebees and solitary bees produced fewer queens.The study spanned 2,000 hectares across the UK, Germany and Hungary and was set up to establish the "real-world" impacts of the pesticides.The results .Neonicotinoids were placed under a temporary ban in Europe in 2013 after concerns about their impact on bees. The European Commission told the BBC that it intends to put...…The most extensive study to date on neonicotinoid pesticides concludes that they harm both honeybees and wild bees.Researchers said that exposure to the chemicals left honeybee hives less likely to survive over winter, while bumblebees and solitary bees produced fewer queens.The study spanned 2,000 hectares across the UK, Germany and Hungary and was set up to establish the "real-world" impacts of the pesticides.The results .Neonicotinoids were placed under a temporary ban in Europe in 2013 after concerns about their impact on bees. The European Commission told the BBC that it intends to put...WW…

The UK is gearing up to use the blood of coronavirus survivors to treat hospital patients ill with the disease. NHS Blood and Transplant is asking some people who recovered from Covid-19 to donate blood so they can potentially assess the therapy in trials.The hope is that the antibodies they have built up will help to clear the virus in others.The US has already started a major project to study this, involving more than 1,500 hospitals. When a person has Covid-19, their immune system responds by creating antibodies, which attack the virus.Over time these build up and can be found in the...…The UK is gearing up to use the blood of coronavirus survivors to treat hospital patients ill with the disease. NHS Blood and Transplant is asking some people who recovered from Covid-19 to donate blood so they can potentially assess the therapy in trials.The hope is that the antibodies they have built up will help to clear the virus in others.The US has already started a major project to study this, involving more than 1,500 hospitals. When a person has Covid-19, their immune system responds by creating antibodies, which attack the virus.Over time these build up and can be found in the...WW…

The Amazon basin could suffer significant and irreversible damage if an extensive dam building programme goes ahead, scientists say. Currently, 428 hydroelectric dams are planned, with 140 already built or under construction. Researchers warn that this could affect the dynamics of the complex river system and put thousands of unique species at risk. The study is ."The world is going to lose the most diverse wetland on the planet," said lead author Prof Edgargo Latrubesse, from the . The Amazon basin covers more than 6.1 million sq km, and is the largest and most complex river system on the...…The Amazon basin could suffer significant and irreversible damage if an extensive dam building programme goes ahead, scientists say. Currently, 428 hydroelectric dams are planned, with 140 already built or under construction. Researchers warn that this could affect the dynamics of the complex river system and put thousands of unique species at risk. The study is ."The world is going to lose the most diverse wetland on the planet," said lead author Prof Edgargo Latrubesse, from the . The Amazon basin covers more than 6.1 million sq km, and is the largest and most complex river system on the...WW…

Scientists from UK Biobank have embarked on a major study to determine Covid-19's long-term health impacts.UK Biobank is a biomedical database with medical images, genetic data and health information on 500,000 people.About 1,500 people who have had Covid will be scanned again to check how organs are affected by infection.Its chief scientist, Prof Naomi Allen, said it was the only study able to compare patient data before and after they have had Covid.Prof Allen added: "We knew at the beginning of the pandemic that Covid-19 was largely a respiratory illness. And now what we also know is...…Scientists from UK Biobank have embarked on a major study to determine Covid-19's long-term health impacts.UK Biobank is a biomedical database with medical images, genetic data and health information on 500,000 people.About 1,500 people who have had Covid will be scanned again to check how organs are affected by infection.Its chief scientist, Prof Naomi Allen, said it was the only study able to compare patient data before and after they have had Covid.Prof Allen added: "We knew at the beginning of the pandemic that Covid-19 was largely a respiratory illness. And now what we also know is...WW…

Why some people with coronavirus have no symptoms and others get extremely ill is one of the pandemic's biggest puzzles. of more than 2,200 intensive care patients has identified specific genes that may hold the answer.They make some people more susceptible to severe Covid-19 symptoms.The findings shed light on where the immune system goes wrong, which could help identify new treatments. These will continue to be needed even though vaccines are being developed, says Dr Kenneth Baillie, a consultant in medicine at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, who led the ."Vaccines should drastically...…Why some people with coronavirus have no symptoms and others get extremely ill is one of the pandemic's biggest puzzles. of more than 2,200 intensive care patients has identified specific genes that may hold the answer.They make some people more susceptible to severe Covid-19 symptoms.The findings shed light on where the immune system goes wrong, which could help identify new treatments. These will continue to be needed even though vaccines are being developed, says Dr Kenneth Baillie, a consultant in medicine at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, who led the ."Vaccines should drastically...WW…

A new antibody treatment is to be trialled on Covid-19 patients in UK hospitals.Monoclonal antibodies, which are potent, laboratory-made antibodies, will be given to about 2,000 people to see if they are effective against coronavirus.It forms part of the UK Recovery Trial, which found that a cheap steroid called dexamethasone could save lives.The first patients will be given the new drugs in the coming weeks. Prof Martin Landray from the University of Oxford, who is co-leading the Recovery Trial, said: “This is the first type of treatment that's targeted for this specific virus. “There are...…A new antibody treatment is to be trialled on Covid-19 patients in UK hospitals.Monoclonal antibodies, which are potent, laboratory-made antibodies, will be given to about 2,000 people to see if they are effective against coronavirus.It forms part of the UK Recovery Trial, which found that a cheap steroid called dexamethasone could save lives.The first patients will be given the new drugs in the coming weeks. Prof Martin Landray from the University of Oxford, who is co-leading the Recovery Trial, said: “This is the first type of treatment that's targeted for this specific virus. “There are...WW…