simplystocker/Shutterstock Margaret Rayman, University of Surrey and Philip C Calder, University of Southampton If we’re going to rely on COVID-19 vaccines to bring an end to the pandemic, we need to maximise their effects. But one thing that risks undermining their protectiveness is nutritional deficiency, particularly in the elderly. Older people have weaker immune responses and are known to respond …

Alex Plavevski/EPA/AAP Melissa Conley Tyler, University of Melbourne As Australian producers scramble to find markets for goods hit by Chinese import restrictions, it might look as though China is winning the diplomatic war. But the current situation is a diplomacy fail for China as much as for Australia. What products have been banned? In recent months, China has imposed restrictions …

Our research could be important for developing more effective vaccines in the future. Arturs Budkevics/ Shutterstock Louisa James, Queen Mary University of London and Hamish King, Queen Mary University of London We understand much of how the immune system works but, as recent efforts to combat COVID-19 have shown, its sheer complexity means many mysteries still remain. For example, how …