Health Beware those who promise you that the pandemic will be over soon AS THE coronavirus began spreading through Europe in the spring, many scientists warned that worse could come in winter. Now, it seems they were right. The continent's wave of second lockdowns (see "Europe's second wave of coronavirus is starting to eclipse the first" ) has brought gloom, anger, fear and, in some countries, protests. In … 51¶¯Âþ
Life Viruses have been shown to produce their own energy for the first time An illustration of a mimivirus, which consists of outer hairs and DNA enclosed in protein A few giant viruses appear to generate their own energy, which viruses aren’t supposed to be able to do. The finding will fuel an already fierce debate about whether giant viruses really are viruses, and if they are alive or … 51¶¯Âþ
Space Why the vast emptiness of space isn't really that empty after all Space-time may seem empty, but the expanse between stars is filled with more interesting stuff than you may think, writes Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 51¶¯Âþ
Life Spectacular red palm weevil scoops top award in bug photography prize This red palm weevil looks like it is ready for a boxing match. The close-up shot won Mofeed Abu Shalwa Luminar Bug Photographer of the Year 2020 Regulars
Technology Deep-sea mining is making the seabed the hottest real estate on Earth As the race to extract valuable minerals from the deep ocean ramps up, how can we also protect unique marine ecosystems? Features
Earth British Museum exhibition shows how Arctic culture is under threat A woman views the work Kaktovik, Alaska, US by Brian Adams, featuring at the Arctic: Culture and Climate exhibition at the British Museum An animated globe on the wall shows a lovely, generous white snow cap over the North Pole and the Arctic in 1979 that shrinks, then shrinks and shrinks again until by 2100 … Culture
Humans The weirdest food pairings that work according to science From chocolate and strawberries to bacon and eggs, how well do we really understand the complex chemistry of food pairing, asks Sam Wong Regulars
61 weird and wonderful ways to measure a building with a smartphone Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Regulars