When covid-19 becomes a chronic illness
Aug 22nd 2020Editor’s note: Some of our covid-19 coverage is free for readers of The Economist Today, our daily newsletter….
Quantum mechanics is immune to the butterfly effect
Aug 15th 2020IN RAY BRADBURY’s science-fiction story “A Sound of Thunder”, a character time-travels far into the past and…
An arms race is brewing in orbit
Aug 15th 2020KOSMOS 2542, a Russian satellite that was launched in November, was “like Russian nesting dolls”, said General…
Why locusts swarm
Aug 15th 2020IN SOME PARTS of the world, covid-19 is not the only plague that 2020 has brought. In parts of Asia and east Africa,…
What killed the woolly rhino?
Aug 15th 2020FROM THE moa in New Zealand to the dodo in Mauritius, the arrival of humans has often spelled extinction for tasty…
An exception to the rule that there are no marine insects
Aug 8th 2020INSECTS DOMINATE dry land. About 1m species have been described, more than twice as many as all other multicellular…
A new AI language model generates poetry and prose
Aug 8th 2020The SEC said, “Musk,/your tweets are a blight./They really could cost you your job,/if you don’t stop/all this…
An indoor barbecue to prevent pollution problems
Aug 8th 2020AS THEY REOPEN after lockdown, many restaurants are firing up their barbecues. Diners appreciate food grilled over…
Covid-19 testing labs are being overwhelmed
Aug 8th 2020SINCE THE beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, many places have struggled with overwhelmed laboratories and a shortage…