In March, as the staggering scope of the coronavirus pandemic started to become clear, officials around the world began enlisting the public to join in the fight. Hospitals asked local companies to donate face masks. Researchers called on people who had recovered from COVID-19 to donate their blood plasma. And in Israel, the defence ministry […]
Scientific American October 2020 Letters to the editor from the June 2020 issue of Scientific American CALCULATING CATASTROPHE “What Should Carbon Cost?” by Gilbert E. Metcalf, is unsuccessful in answering the question of how to calculate the most appropriate carbon tax rate. The uncertainties are too great. And probable impacts of climate change are beyond […]
President Donald Trump went directly to the public and announced via Twitter early on Oct. 2 that “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” The president’s straightforward announcement was unlike many presidents in the past. My research has focused […]
[Sloth sounds] Somewhere in this forest you hear, there are sloths. Those sloths live in Brazill’s Atlantic Forest. If you’re a tourist, watching sloths isn’t that exciting. But if you’re a scientist—well, it’s also not that exciting. But there’s a big upside: “So, they’re actually a great study animal for the wild, because you can […]
With the president and first lady’s stunning diagnoses of COVID-19, the couple will receive exemplary care. They will have all the support they need to—we hope—emerge fully recovered from this potentially lethal virus. That’s as it should be. But the tens of millions of Americans who could receive similar diagnoses will be continue to be […]
President Donald Trump has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. First Lady Melania Trump, senior adviser to the president Hope Hicks, at least a couple of prominent Republican officials and others have also received positive results. The president had recently attended a fundraiser with hundreds of people at the Trump National Golf […]
The items below are highlights from the free newsletter, “Smart, useful, science stuff about COVID-19.” To receive newsletter issues daily in your inbox, sign up here. Please consider a monthly contribution to support this newsletter. At Science magazine, Jon Cohen reports on progress made by two companies that are developing treatments called monoclonal antibodies for […]
Small island nations are in a bind. Under assault from climate change, they need to spend big to protect their communities from rising seas and dangerous storms. But a major source of income—international tourism—has dried up due to the coronavirus pandemic. So now they’re pleading with world leaders for help and relief. “As small island […]
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have both tested positive for SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—and are isolating themselves, the president announced in a tweet early Friday morning. The news came in the midst of a pandemic that has killed more than 207,000 people in the U.S., and just weeks before the presidential […]
President Donald Trump’s announcement that he’s tested positive for COVID-19 is especially concerning because of his age. At 74 years old, Trump is solidly within an age group that’s been hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic. People of all ages can get sick from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. But the severity of the […]