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Though the COVID-19 pandemic has now been active for a year, not much is known about what happens when people who have already had COVID-19 are infected for a second time. Researchers at the University of Oxford have launched a human challenge trial to look at what kind of immune response can stop people from becoming re-infected.

Researchers at the University of Oxford, alongside international collaborators, have found that there is a significant knowledge gap in the risks posed by climate change to mammals. In their systematic review, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, the scientists identify that there are significant blanks about the risks to mammals in regions most vulnerable to climate change, including boreal and tropic areas.

One in three COVID-19 survivors received a neurological or psychiatric diagnosis within six months of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, an observational study of more than 230,000 patient health records published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal estimates. The study looked at 14 neurological and mental health disorders.

Antibiotic resistance is a huge challenge facing society globally, posing a threat not only to human health but in areas such as food security and the economy. The more we know about the mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance, the better we can respond to these threats.

Many wildlife species are threatened by shrinking habitat. But according to new research published today, the potential range of African elephants could be more than five times larger than its current extent. Because of human pressure over the last two millenia, African elephants have suffered dramatic population declines, and their range has shrunk to just 17 percent of what it could be, say researchers - including members of Oxford University's Department of Zoology - behind the new study in Current Biology .

A team of scientists, including those based at the University of Oxford as part of the Faraday Institution CATMAT project, researching next-generation cathode materials have made a significant breakthrough in understanding oxygen-redox processes involved in lithium-rich cathode materials. The paper proposes strategies that offer potential routes to increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries.

The new easy-to-produce test detects coronavirus spike-protein binding antibodies in people who have tested positive for COVID-19. An international research team led by Oxford University scientists has developed a portable test for antibodies that fight the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The test, which spots the presence of virus-fighting antibodies rather than a coronavirus infection, can be adapted to work on blood from a finger prick - making it quick and easy to use.

New research from the 's Department of Zoology has used innovative technology to study causes of declines in puffin populations in the northeast Atlantic, and found that a lack of prey near some major breeding colonies is driving puffin chicks to starve, ultimately leading to population declines. Puffin populations, especially in the northeast Atlantic, have been in decline for decades.

Regular meat consumption is associated with a range of diseases that researchers had not previously considered, according to a large, population-level study conducted by a team at the University of Oxford. The results associate regular meat intake with a higher risk of various diseases, including heart disease, pneumonia and diabetes, but a lower risk of iron-deficiency anaemia.

Research led by Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox in the University of Oxford's Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, with collaborators across the UK, found that there are several health and personal factors which, when combined, could mean someone is at a higher risk from COVID-19. These include characteristics like age, ethnicity and BMI, as well as certain medical conditions and treatments.

The Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) has demonstrated that an anti-inflammatory treatment, tocilizumab, reduces the risk of death when given to hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19. The study also showed that tocilizumab shortens the time until patients are successfully discharged from hospital and reduces the need for a mechanical ventilator.

Researchers in Oxford have developed a machine learning algorithm that could significantly improve clinicians' ability to identify hospitalised patients whose condition is deteriorating to the extent that they need intensive care. The HAVEN system (Hospital-wide Alerting Via Electronic Noticeboard) was developed as part of a collaboration between the University of Oxford's Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, with support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.

Early treatment with a medication commonly used to treat asthma appears to significantly reduce the need for urgent care and hospitalisation in people with COVID-19, researchers at the have found. The STOIC study found that inhaled budesonide given to patients with COVID-19 within seven days of the onset of symptoms also reduced recovery time.

A new study led by the University of Oxford on over 90,000 participants shows that there is no upper threshold to the benefits of exercise in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease - 'every move counts towards better cardiovascular health.' Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, claiming around 17.9 million lives each year.

The new, Oxford-developed method for subtyping ovarian cancer has been validated in a recent collaboration between the University of Oxford and Imperial College London. Dubbed the 'Oxford Classic', researchers have demonstrated that it enables the accurate prediction of patient disease outcome, as well as the development of new targeted cancer therapies.

Prof. Stephen Baxter is a world-leading expert on Domesday Book. His research has formed the basis of radio and television documentaries, including on the Domesday survey (BBC2) . He is Clarendon Professor of Medieval History and Barron Fellow in Medieval History at St Peter's College, Oxford ( stephen.baxter@spc.ox.ac.uk ) This new interpretation of Domesday is advanced by Stephen Baxter, 'How and Why was Domesday Made'', English Historical Review , Volume 135, Issue 576 ( published online 22 December, 2020 and freely accessible ).

New study shows targeting arterial stiffening earlier in a person's lifespan could provide cognitive benefits in older age and may help to delay the onset of dementia. Researchers at the University of Oxford and University College London investigated 542 older adults who received two measurements of aortic stiffness, at 64 years old and 68 years old.

Using the highest resolution satellite imagery currently available - Worldview 3 - from Maxar Technologies and deep learning, (TensorFlow API, Google Brain) researchers at the University of Oxford Wildlife Conservation Research Unit and Machine Learning Research Group have detected elephants from space with comparable accuracy to human detection capabilities.

Data from the National COVID-19 Infection Survey, done in partnership between the University of Oxford, the Office of National Statistics, Public Health England, University of Manchester and the Wellcome Trust, has revealed detailed characteristics of England's coronavirus pandemic, including which factors have contributed most to case numbers over different phases and the prevalence of asymptomatic infections.

By testing approximately 1,000 blood donation samples each month in in the Brazilian cities of São Paulo and Manaus, an international team of researchers have shown that, while both cities have experienced large epidemics with high mortality, as much as three-quarters of the population in Manaus was infected between March and October, and a third of the population in São Paulo.