A tiny genetic alteration may have let vertebrates leave the sea
Feb 6th 2021ABOUT 370m years ago, in the latter part of the Devonian period, the ancestor of all land vertebrates stepped out…
More covid-19 vaccines pass clinical trials
But variants of the virus will make vaccinating the world trickier than expectedJan 29th 2021THE STORY of the past year has been…
Pets may soon be fed laboratory-grown meat
Jan 30th 2021PET OWNERS, at least in the West, are more likely than other people to be vegetarians or vegans. That puts many of…
Using television screens as loudspeakers
Jan 30th 2021ALTHOUGH PICTURE quality has improved greatly with the development of flat-screen televisions (see article), sound…
The promise and perils of vaccine passports
Jan 26th 2021THE RACE to vaccinate against covid-19 is on. More than 50 countries have given more than 68m jabs. That is not much…
Television-makers are pitting rival technologies against each other
Jan 25th 2021OVER THE decades since its invention, the goggle box has been transformed almost beyond recognition. What was once…
Irradiating small animals used as fish food makes them bigger
Jan 23rd 2021THE WORLD’S fisheries are overexploited. One way to relieve pressure on them is to increase the yield of fish farms….
China’s jabs may have an important role
Jan 23rd 2021IN MEDICAL SCIENCE, fortune rarely favours endeavours that begin by skirting phase-three trials—those that test…
How to separate oxygen from air using magnets
Jan 23rd 2021OXYGEN IS VITAL. Literally so for breathing, and thus for many hospital patients. And metaphorically for industries…