Why the Coronavirus Has Been So Successful
A look at the origins, composition and behaviour of the new coronavirus itself, in a piece that results in what its author Ed Yong calls “a rough preliminary portrait of SARS-CoV-2”.
Snow Science Against the Avalanche
An insight into specialist avalanche mitigation teams and the challenges they face working with a natural material that is “light and fluffy and soft and downy, and it’s everybody’s favorite thing in the world” but also “one of the most destructive forces in nature”.
The Secret History of a Cold War Mastermind
A great story about a master player in the “murky intersection of spycraft, politics, and war” during the Cold War, and whether his biggest operation was a “monkey wrench or a major event?”
Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve”
A data story modelling the potential impact of different responses to infectious diseases, using a fictitious disease ‘simulitis’ for illustrative purposes.
The Drone Boat of ‘Shipwreck Alley’
A self-driving boat is helping with the discovery and exploration of shipwrecks.
Was the Millennium Dome really so bad? The inside story of a (not so) total disaster
The inside story of an often reviled, yet somehow enduring British infrastructure project – the Millennium Dome.
Planet Plastic
“Since 1950, the world has created 6.3 trillion kilograms of plastic waste — and 91 percent has never been recycled even once” This is one of many damning statistics quoted in this expose on the plastics industry.
How do we know her?
Hillary Mantel displays her trademark historical insight, deftness of touch, and ability to create a sense of immediacy in this review of a 2017 book about the wealthy and influential 16th century noblewoman Margaret Pole.