Scientists at Boston University have developed a form of coronavirus that killed 80 per cent of the mice they tested it on — reigniting the debate over the use of experimental lab research involving deadly pathogens.
Amid the furore, the university hit back at “false and inaccurate” media coverage that “sensationalised” the research.
It insisted that the experiments did not result in the creation of a more virulent form of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
The researchers were interested in whether the Omicron variant really was less pathogenic than the original form of coronavirus.
Without it we wouldn’t have half the antivirals or vaccines we do have.
Prof Paul Digard,
University of Edinburgh
It was not, the university said, “gain-of-function” research, which are studies in which scientists create a more dangerous form of a pathogen, such as bacteria or viruses, for research purposes.
While Boston University officials criticised the media, the coverage highlighted concerns that date back many years over laboratory research on pathogens.
Prof Paul Digard, chairman of the virology department at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, said it was “absolutely beyond doubt” that studies on genetically modified viruses were “more than justified”.
“Without it, we wouldn’t have half the antivirals or vaccines we do have,” said Prof Digard, whose lab at the university’s Roslin Institute “makes mutant flu viruses routinely”, although these are not necessarily more harmful forms.
“It is vital to make mutant viruses to understand how they work. If you don’t understand them, it is much harder to design an intervention.”
Bird flu experiments
In the US, a funding ban on certain gain-of-function research in place under former president Barack Obama was lifted under his successor Donald Trump.
Undertaken by researchers in the US and the Netherlands, the work involved making the H5N1 bird flu virus more transmissible in mammals, something that could potentially lead to the virus’s spread between people.
Prof Digard, who was not connected to the studies, insisted such research could offer valuable information.
For example, by knowing which mutations make H5N1 more transmissible in mammals, scientists are better able to assess whether bird flu spreading among poultry could subsequently pass from person to person.
Such research is carried out at a high-security level.
“The important thing is that people who do the work think about what they’re doing. Nobody does this just for the sake of it,” he said.
'There have been lab accidents'
Among the academics concerned about some gain-of-function research is Prof Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard University in the US.
In 2018, shortly after the US government's lifting of its moratorium on funding some gain-of-function research, he said that he and others were worried “that human error could lead to the accidental release of a virus that has been enhanced in the lab so that it is more deadly or more contagious than it already is”.
“There have already been accidents involving pathogens,” he said in an interview published by Harvard University.
“For example, in 2014, dozens of workers at a US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention lab were accidentally exposed to anthrax that was improperly handled.
“Another accident like that — if it involved a virus that was both newly created and highly contagious — has the potential to jeopardise [the lives of] millions of people.”
He said questions about what makes flu viruses more transmissible could be answered by experiments that used parts of the virus, rather than the whole live virus, and by comparisons of genetic sequences.
However, Soren Holm, a professor of bioethics at the University of Manchester, said there are “good reasons for performing gain-of-function studies”.
But while there are internationally recognised biosafety levels that labs have to adhere to when handling potentially dangerous material, Prof Holm cautioned that “you can never say” an accident could not happen.
Another concern sometimes expressed about gain-of-function research, he said, was that the knowledge could be misused, such as for terrorist purposes.
“There’s lots of speculation about this but, as far as I know, there has never been any effective bioterrorist attack,” he said.
While the recent Boston University research generated interest in the media, the coverage is dwarfed by the thousands of articles speculating on the possible laboratory origin of Sars-CoV-2.
Speculation centres on whether the virus, which emerged in Wuhan in China late 2019, came from a “wet market” selling wild animals or from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has carried out research on coronaviruses.
A 2015 paper in the journal Nature, written by scientists from the institute, described work to genetically engineer coronaviruses and said: “Our work suggests a potential risk of Sars-CoV re-emergence from viruses currently circulating in bat populations.”
Nature added a note to the paper saying that the article was “being used as the basis for unverified theories that the novel coronavirus causing Covid-19 was engineered” and that there was “no evidence that this is true”.
Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases specialist and professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK, said the true origin of Sars-CoV-2 would “never be proved 100 per cent, either way”.
However, he said the evidence was “very strongly against it being a lab escape”.
“Covid is almost certainly down to the illegal wildlife trade in China and not to a lab leak,” he said.
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Rating: 5/5
The%20specs
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Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
