A single amino acid change in a protein (TKTL1) may have given modern humans an advantage over their older contemporaries, such as Neanderthals, by allowing greater neocortical neuronal formation, according to research published in Science.

Last week saw the conclusion of the XL Annual Meeting of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology under the theme: "Challenges of the 21st Century: Environment, Climate Change and Social Inequalities". Climate change is the most important environmental challenge with an impact on public health facing society today. It is also a social challenge, as it further accentuates inequalities and inequities in health.

Psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, worry, perceived stress and loneliness, prior to covid-19 infection was associated with an increased risk of persistent covid, according to research published in JAMA Psychiatry.

A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has found a link between the practice of physical exercise and a lower risk of developing breast cancer in any of its types. The authors claim that there is very strong evidence that the association is causal.

At Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) press conference ahead of their Champions League opener, Kylian Mbappé and Christophe Galtier (PSG player and coach) were asked about the team's recent trip by plane to Nantes and why they didn't travel by train, when the distance is 341 kilometres and the train takes less than two hours. Both laughed at the question and Galtier replied, ironically, that next time they were considering doing it in a "sailing carriage".

The so-called Oceans Treaty, promoted by the UN, has had to be stopped, not concluded, due to the impossibility of reaching an agreement. After a process of more than 16 years, only half a session separates us from the word failure. Let us hope that the resumption of the last session, possibly in the spring of 2023, will offer us the agreement we all wish for.

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.