Should the public wear masks to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2?
Apr 11th 2020THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) says don’t bother. The British government agrees. America’s Centres for Disease…
How important is “silent spreading” in the covid-19 epidemic?
Apr 11th 2020FEW STORIES are as prominent in the study of infectious diseases as that of Mary Mallon, a cook to wealthy families,…
Can mobile networks handle becoming stay-at-home networks?
Apr 4th 2020AS COUNTRIES ACROSS the rich world placed themselves under restriction over the course of March, journalists there…
Formula 1 comes up with a breathing machine for covid-19 patients
Apr 4th 2020THE SEVEN Formula 1 teams in Britain have high-tech engineering centres stuffed with the latest production equipment….
An antibody test for the novel coronavirus will soon be available
Apr 1st 2020Editor’s note: The Economist is making some of its most important coverage of the covid-19 pandemic freely available…
Airborne particles may be assisting the spread of SARS-CoV-2
Mar 26th 2020POLLUTION AND disease have long been associated in people’s minds. The very word “malaria”, for example, means…
Taking people’s temperatures can help fight the coronavirus
Mar 26th 2020STICKING A THERMOMETER into an armpit, mouth, ear or other body cavity is the most accurate way to take someone’s…
The epidemic provides a chance to do good by the climate
Mar 26th 2020IN VENICE, WATER in the canals is running clear, offering glimpses of fish swimming against the current. As human…
Another ancient bird skull is another bit of avian history
Mar 21st 2020FOSSIL BY FOSSIL, the story of the birds becomes clearer. It is now well established that modern birds, the Neornithes,…