Health Long covid: We have ignored post-viral syndromes for too long IN JUNE last year, we first reported in detail on the "strange and debilitating" coronavirus symptoms that were crippling some people's health for months after infection. Long covid , as we now know it, is indeed strange and mysterious in many ways, as we report on page 10. But it isn't surprising. Post-viral syndromes, which … 51¶¯Âþ
Technology Autonomous walking excavator can build walls and dig trenches This walking excavator operates on its own A prototype of an autonomous construction vehicle weighing 12 tonnes has demonstrated that it can operate on very difficult terrain without a human operator. A Swiss-German team has become the first to successfully convert a type of excavator that can "walk" on extendable struts and handle steep slopes … 51¶¯Âþ
Health The gender pain gap has gone on for too long – it's time we closed it IN 1807, a 77-year-old woman from Liverpool, UK, known as J. S, died after years of pain in her uterus . She had consulted several physicians, but none could explain the cause. A postmortem revealed extensive damage in her pelvic and abdominal organs. But the last physician she saw, John Rutter, wasn't convinced that any … 51¶¯Âþ
Humans Magical image of ‘tree island’ shortlisted for major photo prize https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoZpuevT4dg Photographers: Antonio Pérez, Yevhen Samuchenko, Ju Shen Lee, Roberto Buenov THESE captivating photos each tell a powerful story about human influence on the planet. The images are among shortlisted entries for Earth Photo 2021, a global photography and video competition developed by the UK’s Royal Geographical Society and Forestry England. Above is an image … Regulars
Physics The hunt for a primordial force that would revolutionise cosmology Finding magnetic fields dating back to the big bang would transform our understanding of how the universe evolved. Now astronomers think they're on brink of such a breakthrough Features
Life Sweet Tooth Review: An eccentric mix of sci-fi and fantasy Gus (Christian Convery) in Sweet Tooth Watching some of the fear and isolation of another pandemic won’t be for everyone, but Netflix’s Sweet Tooth is a hopeful take on coping with the fall-out of such an event. Sweet Tooth begins 10 years after The Great Crumble. A poorly understood but deadly, rapidly spreading virus has … Culture
Puzzle #119: How many nuts did two families have before a food fight? #119 Nutty neighbours In Pecan Place, the Shells and the Kernels are staging their annual nut-throwing battle. The Shells have a number of Brazil nuts, while the Kernels have a different number of walnuts. Suddenly, the Shells throw a fifth of their Brazil nuts at the Kernels, while the Kernels return one-seventh of their walnuts. … Regulars
Humans Does quantum physics explain why parcel delivery times are so vague? Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Regulars