A new personalised vaccine given in combination with a drug has stopped skin cancer returning in patients during a trial, representing a potentially watershed moment in cancer treatment. Scientists used mRNA technology, which was used for some Covid-19 vaccines.

But that technology – and vaccines more generally – have become increasingly controversial in the United States since the Covid-19 pandemic. The Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, is a vaccine sceptic.

In August 2025 cancelled $500m (£376m) in funding for mRNA vaccine research. The move impacted 22 projects being led by major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, for vaccines against bird flu and other viruses, according to Kennedy’s department.

We speak to Tom Whipple, host of the BBC’s Inside Science programme, about the science of this new vaccine. And we ask how funding cuts for vaccine research could impact health outcomes not just for Americans, but for the world.

0:00 How does the new mRNA skin cancer vaccine work?
2:56 How effective is the new cancer vaccine?
5:06 How do mRNA vaccines work?
6:51 How was mRNA technology developed?
10:26 How did Covid change mRNA vaccines?
12:01 Why is RFK Jr cutting mRNA funding?
15:19 Are mRNA vaccines safe?
18:48 Why is the FDA approving an mRNA flu vaccine?
21:00 What does the future of mRNA research look like?

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A Chinese humanoid robot has run 100 metres in 9.39 seconds in a preliminary heat at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, surpassing the men’s world record time held by Jamaican sprinting great Usain Bolt.

Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, won its heat at the opening of the games’ second edition. The robot overtook ⁠smartphone maker Honor’s Lightning near the finish after falling behind early in the race. Lightning finished in 9.47 seconds, also faster than the 9.58-second record Bolt set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

The results marked a remarkable improvement from last year’s inaugural games, when Tiangong Ultra won the 100 metres in 21.50 seconds. Tiangong also won the world’s first humanoid robot half-marathon, held in Beijing last year.

The 100 metres is among 51 events at the games, which include football, dancing and contests to complete industrial tasks.

China is promoting humanoid robots as a strategic emerging industry, with policymakers and companies betting that advances in AI and hardware will accelerate their use in manufacturing, logistics and consumer applications.

Investor enthusiasm for the sector was underscored recently when shares in Unitree, China’s best-known humanoid robot maker, jumped more than five fold in its Shanghai trading debut, giving the company a market value of about $50 billion.

This year’s ⁠games have drawn 2,056 robots from 666 teams across 16 countries and six continents, up from 280 teams at the inaugural event.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Laura Bicker in Beijing.

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Every year, new reports warn that our roads are getting worse and potholes are becoming more common. Experts say the cost of …

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Artificial intelligence was the technology lots of people wanted to talk about at the Dentistry Show in Birmingham, UK.

From 3D printing to digital scanners and AI receptionists, there are many ways in which technology is helping dentists’ workflow.

We tried some of the tech on display.

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There was a time when sleeping was simple – but now, it’s a bit more complicated.

Sleep has rules – there’s the right bedtime, the right temperature, and the right amount of deep sleep.

It’s not just something we do, it’s something we measure.

But is all this number punching actually helping us rest?

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