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Dengue vaccine poised for roll out
A vaccine against dengue, called Qdenga, will be rolled out across Indonesia next year. Dengue is a mosquito-borne virus that infects millions of people annually and is endemic in more than 100 countries. Qdenga is only the second vaccine for preventing dengue, and it is the first that can be used in people who haven’t been infected with the virus. Some safety concerns linger: some scientists say that more research is needed to rule out the risk of a serious condition called antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), in which vaccination induces antibodies that make a subsequent dengue infection worse. So far, no cases of ADE have been reported in four years of trial data.
Features & opinion
Geneticists advocate for a jailed mother
Kathleen Folbigg has spent 19 years in prison following the deaths of her four infant children. She was convicted of killing them in large part because it was deemed improbable that so many children in one family could die of natural causes. This month, researchers will present evidence suggesting that she should be released, because two of the children inherited a genetic mutation that might be linked to sudden death. The evidence is so complex that the Australian Academy of Science has been called in to act as an adviser. The case reaches beyond one family’s nightmare: it will touch on how science weighs the evidence for genetic causes of disease, and how that fits with the legal system’s concept of reasonable doubt.
The hard work of influencing policy
Evidence and technical expertise are not enough to change decision-makers’ minds. Researchers need a “deep understanding” of how policies are made and to be prepared to invest time and money into working with policymakers to shape policy, writes Dewey Murdick, who trains researchers to be policy analysts.
The sound of science
Soundscapes based on data from the James Webb Space Telescope are captivating and beautiful. New research shows that sonification — when data is rendered as audio — is also useful. As well as making astronomy more accessible to people who are blind or have low vision, it can help scientists to better identify patterns in large astronomical data sets. “The work demonstrates that efforts to boost inclusivity and accessibility can have wider benefits,” argues a Nature editorial, calling for more rigorous evaluation of the technique.
Reference: Nature Astronomy paper