Evolution
Chances of Finding COVID-Causing Virus Ancestor ‘Almost Nil,’ Virologists Say
A genome analysis finds SARS-CoV-2 and bat coronaviruses shared an ancestor just a few years ago, but extensive recombination has muddied the picture
Stories by Smriti Mallapaty
Space Exploration
China’s Space Station Is Almost Complete—How Will Scientists Use It?
China’s Tiangong orbital outpost will host more than 1,000 experiments, some of which will augment results from the International Space Station
Planetary Science
China’s Mars Rover Finds Hints of Catastrophic Floods
Radar images from the Zhurong rover reveal clues to the history of a largely unexplored region
Climate Change
Why Are Pakistan’s Floods So Extreme This Year?
One third of the country is underwater following an intense heat wave and a long monsoon that has dumped a record amount of rain
Epidemiology
COVID Variants Found in Sewage Weeks before Showing Up in Tests
A technique that detects coronavirus strains circulating in a community could become an early-warning system
Animals
A Person Got COVID from a Cat in First Confirmed Case
Scientists in Thailand have established that a tabby passed SARS-CoV-2 to a veterinary surgeon—although such cases of cat-to-human transmission are probably rare
Planetary Science
China’s First Moon Rocks Ignite Research Bonanza
Samples collected by Chang’e-5 are revealing exciting insights into the moon’s evolution
Epidemiology
How Sneezing Hamsters Sparked a COVID Outbreak in Hong Kong
Hamsters are only the second species known to have spread SARS-CoV-2 to humans
Epidemiology
Closest Known Relatives of Virus Behind COVID-19 Found in Laos
Studies of bats in China and Laos show southeast Asia is a hotspot for potentially dangerous viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2
Climate Change
Australian Bush Fires Belched Out Immense Quantity of Carbon
The 2019–20 wildfires generated 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide—but a lot of that might have been mopped up by phytoplankton in the ocean
Medicine
Why Kids Beat Back COVID Better Than Adults
Innate immunity might be the key to why children have fared better with the virus. But the Delta variant poses fresh unknowns
Ethics
Afghanistan’s Terrified Scientists Fear Persecution
Reprisals may come for their field of study, their ethnicity or involvement in international collaborations
Space Exploration
China’s Space Station Is Preparing to Host 1,000 Science Experiments
The spaceborne studies will cover diverse topics, from dark matter and gravitational waves to the growth of cancer and pathogenic bacteria
Public Health
The COVID Lab-Leak Hypothesis: What Scientists Do and Do Not Know
An examination of the arguments that SARS-CoV-2 escaped from a lab in China and the science behind them
Public Health
India’s Massive COVID Surge Puzzles Scientists
The virus is spreading faster than ever before in the country despite previous high infection rates in megacities, which should have conferred some protection
Public Health
What’s Next in the Search for COVID’s Origins
A World Health Organization report makes a reasonable start, scientists say, but there are many questions yet to be answered
Space & Physics
Asteroid Dust Recovered from Japan’s Daring Hayabusa2 Mission
Scientists hope the dark grains from asteroid Ryugu will improve their understanding of the solar system’s formation
Space & Physics
China Set to Retrieve First Moon Rocks in 40 Years
Chang’e-5 has just one lunar day to collect material from a previously unexplored region of the moon’s near side
Public Health
Why COVID Outbreaks Could Worsen This Winter
It’s too soon to say whether COVID is seasonal like the flu—but where clusters aren’t under control, infections will continue to swell
Medicine
Coronavirus Vaccine U.K. Trial Restarts, but Scientists Question Lack of Transparency
U.K. trials of the Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine have resumed after a brief pause, yet key details of the events have not been released
