Evaluating COVID Risk on Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Trouble viewing? View in your browser. View all Scientific American publications.

    

November 19, 2020

Dear Reader, Although no mode of public transportation is completely safe during the pandemic, there are some concrete ways to reduce risk. Our lead story features a guide to help you assess your safety on an airplane, train, bus or shared car. We also have a story that explains how a COVID vaccine could be widely distributed. Next, scientists are mourning the loss of one of astronomy's most renowned telescopes. The 305-meter-wide radio telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico is permanently closing. And lastly, new research suggests that winter drownings increase with rising winter temperatures. The warmer the air, the more likely it is that someone will fall through an unstable sheet of ice.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Public Health Evaluating COVID Risk on Planes, Trains and Automobiles Stay safer on different forms of transportation By Sophie Bushwick,Tanya Lewis,Amanda Montañez

Space Legendary Arecibo Telescope Will Close Forever, And Scientists Are Reeling New satellite image reveals the damage that shut down the facility, ending an era in astronomical observation By Alexandra Witze,Nature magazine

Medicine The COVID Cold Chain: How a Vaccine Will Get to You A vaccine logistics expert explains how millions of frozen vials will be widely distributed By Mark Fischetti

Medicine Your Tears Might Save Your Life Someday They could ultimately be used to find diseases the way blood tests do now—but cheaper and more easily By Anis Barmada

Behavior & Society Information Overload Helps Fake News Spread, and Social Media Knows It Understanding how algorithm manipulators exploit our cognitive vulnerabilities empowers us to fight back By Filippo Menczer,Thomas Hills

Climate Ice Drownings Expected to Rise as Winters Warm Rising temperatures could put cold-climate pastimes like skating on thin ice—literally By Chelsea Harvey,E&E News

Public Health Fast Coronavirus Tests: What They Can and Can't Do Rapid antigen tests are designed to tell in a few minutes whether someone is infectious. Will they be game changers? By Giorgia Guglielmi,Nature magazine

Engineering New Space Weather Network Extends over Africa Sensors will monitor solar emissions that threaten GPS and radio signals By Sarah Wild

Medicine The Antibiotic Gamble Paratek Pharmaceuticals made a life-saving drug and got it approved. So why is the company's long-term survival still in question? By Maryn McKenna,Nature magazine

Engineering We Sometimes Missed the Boat--and Bridge Einstein wrote for this publication, as did some non-Einsteins By Steve Mirsky

FROM THE STORE Scientific American Print & Full Archive For $99 per year, your Print & Full Archive subscription includes 12 print and digital issues with full digital archive access back to 1845 and Android and iOS app access.

ADVERTISEMENT

LATEST ISSUES

Questions?   Comments?

Download the Scientific American App

To view this email as a web page, go here. You received this email because you opted-in to receive email from Scientific American. To ensure delivery please add news@email.scientificamerican.com to your address book. Unsubscribe     Manage Email Preferences     Privacy Policy     Contact Us