A study published in PNAS analyses changes in happiness in ten European countries, including Spain, from the 1980s to 2018, and relates them to the generosity of their welfare programmes.

Regulatory agencies in the US and Europe - the FDA and the EMA - have licensed vaccination against Omicron focusing on different variants and sub-variants. Different procedures and studies in humans and animals have informed the agencies' decisions. Experts hope that these new doses will provide sufficient protection this autumn and winter to mitigate the impact of the next wave.

Scientists have analysed data on 7.1 million common DNA variants (alterations in the standard sequence) in people with and without Alzheimer's disease. The results, published in PLOS Genetics, have helped them to develop a method that can predict the risk of suffering from this neurodegenerative disease, depending on the DNA variants that a person has and before presenting symptoms.

To estimate the effectiveness of two or three doses of vaccines against covid-19 infection and hospitalisation, researchers in Denmark conducted a study of all previously uninfected Danish residents aged 12 years and older. The conclusion of the research, which is published in PLOS Medicine, is that a third dose provided greater protection against infection and hospitalisation with omicron than two vaccines.

Researchers have tested a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) therapy in mouse models and in males (in a pilot clinical trial) with Down's syndrome. The results, published in the journal Science, suggest improved cognitive function.

This summer's monsoon rains in Pakistan are ten times heavier than usual and have already affected more than 33 million people. Some six and a half million are in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 400,000 refugees. Pakistan's prime minister has called them "the worst in the country's history".

A study published in the BMJ has found a link between overall ultra-processed food consumption and an increased risk of colorectal cancer in men. The association has not been seen in women.

In the coming days, our children and young people will return to their schools. In addition to their education, schools offer the possibility to improve and maintain their health also through healthy and sustainable nutrition. This is one of the current challenges in Europe; a much more complex challenge than it may seem.  

Using data from the UK Biobank, where black tea consumption is common, researchers have examined whether its intake is associated with a lower risk of mortality. Participants who reported drinking two or more cups a day had a 9-13% lower mortality risk compared to non-tea drinkers. The results are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

A return to coal in Spain is not feasible in the short term, as many of the old thermal power plants have been dismantled. In the long term, the future of electricity production lies in renewable technologies, not only because of their environmental implications, but also because of energy independence with respect to third countries. In the short term, it is essential to continue using conventional technologies.