The UK is the first country in the world to give temporary authorisation to the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency pandemic use.
This is a new kind of vaccine, based on RNA, and the first approved for use in humans. Roger Highfield, Science Director, talks to Dr Berkeley Phillips, UK Medical Director of Pfizer.
Artificial intelligence, AI, has solved one of the ‘grand challenges’ of biology. Roger Highfield, Science Director, talks to John Jumper, head of the DeepMind’s landmark ‘AlphaFold’ project, about what this means for the race to combat COVID-19.
Keeper of Medicine Natasha McEnroe reflects on the addition of the first vial of COVID vaccine from a mass immunisation programme to the Science Museum Group Collection.
Details of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine are published today, showing encouraging efficacy and some puzzling features. Science Director, Roger Highfield, talks to the trial’s Chief Investigator about the vaccine, trial regulation and a surprising bonus result.
Many COVID-19 drugs, vaccines and tests depend on ‘the spike’. Roger Highfield, Science Director, describes why it is now the most important protein on the planet.
Britain is planning the first human ‘challenge studies’, where people are deliberately infected with SARS-CoV-2. Roger Highfield, Science Director, explores the risks and benefits.
Lockdowns and other stringent measures have been introduced in the wake of computer predictions about the pandemic. Roger Highfield, Science Director, looks at one of most advanced COVID-19 models, and results released today from the most sophisticated analysis of how it works.
The UK must prepare now for a potential new wave of coronavirus infections this winter that could be more serious than the first, warned a report in July. Roger Highfield, Science Director, asks one of the authors about the state of current COVID-19 preparations.
A study published today shows why changes in land use could pave the way for future disease outbreaks, reports Science Director Roger Highfield.
While our curators identify items to collect to represent our experience of COVID-19, here are ten remarkable items from past pandemics.
Tomorrow (28th July), Locomotion will be our first of our five museums to open its doors to visitors. Roger Highfield, Science Director, describes the science behind reopening.
Never before have so many of the world’s researchers focused so urgently on a single topic. Roger Highfield, Science Director, discusses how COVID-19 has highlighted the critical role of science in combating disease and how the greatest health challenge of a generation has changed science.