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The covid-19 pandemic has reignited questions about population size

The covid-19 pandemic has reignited questions about population size

11 November 2020

A pandemic assisted by our incursions into nature has given questions about human population size a renewed focus, but advocates for limiting population also have questions to answer


Here’s why it is so hellishly hard to give up your car to go green

Here’s why it is so hellishly hard to give up your car to go green

11 November 2020

I got rid of my car months ago in an effort to be kinder to the environment, but it has been much harder than I expected and I’m reluctantly driving again, writes Graham Lawton


Animals infected with covid-19 could undo efforts to stop the pandemic

Animals infected with covid-19 could undo efforts to stop the pandemic

11 November 2020

Mink are the latest animal to be infected with covid-19, risking the prospect of a dangerous mutation that could pass back to humans. While the threat is small, there are many reasons that animals catching the coronavirus is bad news


Pfizer covid-19 vaccine: Is it the breakthrough we've been hoping for?

Pfizer covid-19 vaccine: Is it the breakthrough we've been hoping for?

9 November 2020

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech say their coronavirus vaccine is 90 per cent effective in phase III trials. How excited should we be about the news, and what questions remain unanswered?


Jupiter’s moon Europa has ice that may glow green in the dark

Jupiter’s moon Europa has ice that may glow green in the dark

9 November 2020

Jupiter’s icy moon Europa may glow in the dark, which could help NASA’s Europa Clipper mission determine whether the moon’s seas have the ingredients for life


Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS

What a Biden presidency means for covid-19, climate change and tech

9 November 2020

US president-elect Joe Biden has said he will “listen to science” as he promised to take new stances on tackling covid-19, climate change and other key issues


Sperm whales

Most whales and sea turtles seem to have plastic in their bodies

9 November 2020

An analysis of 112 studies from the past ten years suggests that 55 per cent of sea turtles and 80 per cent of whales have microplastics in their bodies


Umbrella and rain binary code. Data protection and security and privacy concept

European weather services hit by storm of malicious email attacks

6 November 2020

Weather services across Europe have been caught in a storm of malicious email attacks in the past week, forcing groups to upgrade security measures and creating challenges for staff


comb jelly

We may finally have figured out which group of animals evolved first

6 November 2020

Biologists have argued for more than 10 years over which animal group is the oldest, but a new analysis points the finger at the jellyfish-like ctenophores


Robots can now understand what you are saying to follow commands

Robots can now understand what you are saying to follow commands

6 November 2020

When controlling a robot, sometimes you have to speak or type like one – but an AI has learned to translate natural human language into robot commands


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