Research published in the Journal of Risk and Financial Management shows that crises do more than cause financial market volatility and falling share prices – they lead to markets becoming far more interconnected.

The study examined the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, FTSE 100 and DAX during the Global Financial Crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Rather than study correlation (market A causes a movement in market B), the research used a technique derived from chaos theory, known as convergent cross-mapping, to look at whether the dynamics of one market contained recoverable information about another.

The most striking results came from the Covid-19 pandemic, where the average coupling measure increased by 16% from pre-crisis to crisis period.

Human neural stem cells that help form the brain and spinal cord are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, including Omicron variants BA.1 and BA.2, according to new research from the University of California, Riverside. The findings raise concerns about the potential effects of maternal COVID-19 infection on early nervous system development and underscore the importance of monitoring children exposed to the virus before birth.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many households wiped down groceries with disinfectant before putting them away. Hand sanitizer was in short supply. With little information on how the virus spread – people became more cautious of germs from other people. A new University of California San Diego study suggests that humans may not be alone in changing behavior after experiencing a disease threat.

Raman barcode technology now identifies SARS-CoV-2 strains by seeing the RNA beyond its genetic letters. By distinguishing 20 viral strains at the molecular level, this spectroscopic strategy marks a major step toward rapid screening of emerging variants. By transforming unique structural fingerprints into barcodes, it accurately captures subtle details of the viral backbone and secondary structures. This framework offers highly efficient diagnostic monitoring tools without requiring standard time-consuming genetic nucleotide sequencing procedures.

A world-first study by Australian researchers compared three mRNA-LNP vaccine platforms in human blood samples, generating findings that could revolutionise cancer treatment and vaccine design.

A study published in Nature Communications involving the Sant Pau Research Institute uses spatial transcriptomics to reconstruct the distribution and interactions of 45 cell types in the lungs of patients who died from COVID-19. The researchers identify a progressive loss of cells essential for gas exchange and vascular function, alongside a major expansion of peribronchial fibroblasts and changes in the immune response. The study places the TGF-β/SMAD3 pathway at the center of fibrosis-related mechanisms and identifies several components of this network that could be investigated as future therapeutic targets.

A research team from the School of Public Health at the LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has discovered that emerging Omicron sublineages of SARS-CoV-2 use distinct biological strategies to spread and cause disease. Specifically, the XBB.1.5 and EG.5.1 variants are better adapted for respiratory spread and may pose a heightened risk of severe respiratory disease, while BA.2.86 and JN.1 tend to replicate more effectively in the intestines, potentially opening alternative transmission routes. This research highlights the importance of ongoing monitoring and functional characterisation of emerging strains to support public health planning and preparedness for future outbreaks. The findings were published in Nature Communications.