Following an infection with the coronavirus Covid-19, the journalist Paola Totaro lost her sense of taste and smell for over a year. This traumatic event stimulated her to embark on a thorough investigation into the perception of smell that involved an assiduous study of research papers and interviews with experts.
People move. And a climate catastrophe is on its way. So much we know. For the last 30 years, science knew that we were in big trouble, but politicians failed to act and media diminished or denied the problem. At the same time, the very same media and politicians reinforced the impression that migration posed a problem.
Best known for medical imaging, ultrasound is finding application in other areas of research – from boosting chemical reactions to characterising material properties. Lou Reade reports
Climate scientists warn there will be at least one big volcanic eruption before the end of the century – with potentially dramatic consequences. So how well prepared are we? Asks Katrina Megget
High-entropy materials are poised to transform everything from metallic alloys to catalysts to battery materials. But only if scientists can harness their inherent disorder, reports Jon Evans
Analytical chemistry tools are helping to unravel one of the most remarkable feats of recent human evolution, Maria Burke reports – the development of lactose tolerance, which allows people to digest lactose, the main sugar in milk.
New targets for therapies for the common condition of dry eye disease may be in sight, researchers report. The team of US researchers found that, in mice with dry eye disease, the cornea activated expression of the gene SPARC.
Scientists have identified a sensor for controlling CO2 uptake by plants – a discovery that could help to engineer crops for better productivity or drought tolerance.
A new project has been launched in Eastern Africa to enhance diagnosis and treatment of leishmaniasis, a vector-borne disease transmitted by sandflies and caused by protozoa.