The Highly Infectious Variants Behind the Summer Covid Wave

PLUS: Anthony Fauci Worries About the Next Pandemic—But Worries More About Democracy, and more.

View in browser  |  Your newsletter preferences 07.31.24 Your weekly roundup of the best stories on health care, the climate crisis, new scientific discoveries, and more. For all our science coverage, visit WIRED Science. INFECTIOUS DISEASE | 2-MINUTE READ  The Highly Infectious FLiRT Variants Behind the Summer Covid Wave By Ritsuko Kawai The latest dominant Covid variants have stronger infectiousness than their predecessors and the ability to evade vaccine-induced antibodies. Q+A | 10-MINUTE READ  Anthony Fauci Worries About the Next Pandemic—But Worries More About Democracy By Steven Levy Anthony Fauci, the former public health lead, opens up on serving under Trump, what dangers America faces right now, and what keeps him up at night. PUBLIC HEALTH | 4-MINUTE READ  The Bird Flu Threat Keeps Growing By Emily Mullin Human cases keep ticking up, are very likely to be underreported, and offer the virus the opportunity to learn how to spread from person to person. DEEP BREATH | 2-MINUTE READ  The Mysterious Discovery of 'Dark Oxygen' on the Ocean Floor By Mara Magistroni Researchers believe they have discovered oxygen being produced 4,000 meters below the sea surface, and think polymetallic nodules—the sought-after bounty of deep-sea miners—could be the source. ATTRACTIVE PROPOSITION | 6-MINUTE READ  Uncovering Magnetism's Mysterious Role in the Galaxy By Jay Bennett Susan Clark is helping to unravel the mysterious workings of the Milky Way's magnetic field, a critical missing piece of the galactic puzzle. LET IT BURN | 6-MINUTE READ  Project 2025 Wants to Propel America Into Environmental Catastrophe By Zoya Teirstein Tracking emissions, managing pollutants, responding to natural disasters—even accurately predicting the weather—would all be trampled in a wave of privatization, deregulation, and unfettered fossil-fuel exploitation. ADVERTISEMENT More from WIRED Science The Purple Track at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games Has a Secret Ingredient Recycled shells of mollusks native to the Mediterranean Sea were used to manufacture the synthetic floor of the athletics track, as part of the Games' commitment to sustainability. Dengue Fever Threatens to Gate-Crash the 2024 Summer Olympics Measles, bedbugs, and dengue have all been cited as concerns for tourists and athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, with the tropical virus in particular forcing authorities into action. No, You Can't Have a Solar-Powered Passenger Plane Guilt-free air travel is a beautiful dream, but there's simply no way to get enough solar energy to keep a cabin full of people in the air. Polluted Lakes Are Being Cleansed Using Floating Wetlands Made of Trash Platforms combining plants and recycled garbage could offer a cut-price solution for reviving polluted bodies of water. Trending on WIRED THE BIG STORY | 23-MINUTE READ How Soon Might the Atlantic Ocean Break? Two Sibling Scientists Found an Answer—and Shook the World By Sandra Upson The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is like a huge heat pump, taking water from the tropics to the north, warming areas in Europe. But as climate change accelerates, AMOC is becoming less stable. It might even be headed to a shutdown. GET WIRED The future is happening fast. Stay ahead of it with WIRED. Get full tech coverage with a subscription to WIRED for just $30 $5. Plus free stickers! Subscribe Now. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for reading. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here. Plus, browse more newsletters from WIRED. You're receiving this email because you signed up for the Science newsletter from WIRED.   Manage your preferences  |   View our Privacy Policy  |  Unsubscribe   Have questions or comments? Send us a message. Need help? Contact us.   Copyright © Condé Nast 2024. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.