Elon Musk says SpaceX’s Starlink asked to block Russian news sources by some governments

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Saturday that his company won’t block access to Russian media sources on its Starlink internet system despite requests from some governments.  “Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources,” Musk wrote on Twitter Saturday (March 5). “We will not do so unless at gunpoint.”  … Read more

Covid-19 news: Arthritis drug shows promise to treat severe cases

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu, Layal Liverpool, Carissa Wong, Alex Wilkins and Alexandra Thompson Baricitinib Felipe caparros cruz/Alamy Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 4 March Immune-suppressing treatment reduces deaths even in people already taking existing covid-19 medicines Another treatment … Read more

Covid-19 news: WHO reports 25 per cent rise in depression and anxiety

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu, Layal Liverpool, Carissa Wong, Alex Wilkins and Alexandra Thompson A woman waters plants in her house Samuel de Roman/Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 3 March Pandemic linked to increase in depression and … Read more

News at a glance: Relaxed U.S. mask guidance, kids’ COVID-19 vaccine, and Facebook’s ‘F’ on climate misinformation | Science

COVID-19 CDC relaxes guidance on wearing masks in public The often-acrimonious U.S. debate over wearing masks entered a new phase last week when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) loosened its guidance and suggested about 70% of the population could jettison them. The turnabout comes as the Omicron wave ebbs and scientists consider … Read more

A Cat in Pennsylvania Caught The Delta Variant. But It’s Not All Bad News

SARS-CoV-2 is not picky about its host. Since the virus first started spreading among humans, it has jumped from our species to pets, livestock, and even wild animals. Cats appear to be particularly susceptible to contracting COVID, although they often don’t show symptoms, and it’s unlikely that they can pass the virus back to us. Even … Read more

Covid-19 news: Worldwide IVF and fertility treatments delays revealed

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu, Layal Liverpool, Carissa Wong and Alex Wilkins In vitro fertilisation Mike Kiev/Alamy Latest coronavirus news as of 11am on 2 March A study of 43 countries suggests the coronavirus pandemic has substantially pushed back fertility treatments, … Read more

Covid-19 news: Pfizer/BioNTech jab may be less effective in under 12s

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu, Layal Liverpool, Carissa Wong and Alex Wilkins A child receives a dose of Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 1 March Study suggests that protection from two doses of … Read more

Covid-19 news: Omicron immune response protects against BA.2 variant

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu, Layal Liverpool, Carissa Wong and Alex Wilkins Covid-19 seen under the microscope Shutterstock / Naeblys Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 28 February Data suggests that people who’ve had the BA.1 omicron variant are protected … Read more

Covid-19 news: 5.2 million children have lost a relative or caregiver

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu, Layal Liverpool, Carissa Wong and Alex Wilkins White flags that are part of artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg’s temporary art installation, “In America: Remember” Brynn Anderson/AP/Shutterstock Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 25 February Around 3.3 … Read more

News at a glance: African vaccine factories, centipede-inspired robots, and Antarctic pollution | Science

COVID-19 Africa builds mRNA vaccine capacity The drive to help African countries produce vaccines with messenger RNA (mRNA) technology got big boosts last week from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the company BioNTech. The success of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines made by the Pfizer-BioNTech collaboration and Moderna led to intense global demand, but African countries … Read more