This year’s Nobel prize in physiology and medicine was yesterday awarded to three researchers for their work on identifying a special type of immune cell that stops the body from turning against itself. For decades, immunologists weren’t sure why some immune cells functioned as expected and others attacked the body’s own tissues. When this happens, it can lead to autoimmune disorders — such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis.

But research from the latest Nobel laureates, Shimon Sakaguchi, Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell, has been integral in showing how T cells act as immune “referees”, regulating the body’s inflammatory response and keeping it in check. Their work has since been key in advancing discoveries in inflammatory diseases, preventing organ transplant rejection and developing cancer treatments.

It's two years since Hamas launched its attack on Israel, which then responded with its devastating invasion of Gaza. Professor of international relations Simon Mabon considers how the events on and since October 7 have reshaped the entire Middle East.

Plus, why the BBC’s poetic shipping forecast still has us in a trance, 100 years after it began broadcasting on the corporation’s national radio service.