Essay | The viral universe

Viruses have big impacts on ecology and evolution as well as human health

They are ubiquitous, diverse and very powerful

I
The outsiders inside

This article appeared in the Essay section of the print edition under the headline “The outsiders inside”

The aliens among us: How viruses shape the world

From the August 22nd 2020 edition

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A regular man looks as a devil through a red lens, symbolizing a specific political perspective.

When politics is about hating the other side, democracy suffers

Our study of worldwide data shows where negative partisanship is on the rise, and why

Illustration with concentric circles transitioning from yellow in the center to red at the edges.

Solar power is going to be huge

An energy source that gets cheaper and cheaper is a wonderful thing


How AI could change computing, culture and the course of history

Expect changes in the way people access knowledge, relate to knowledge and think about themselves


The Alaskan wilderness reveals the past and the future

The oil flows more slowly, the climate changes more quickly

How a free and open Hong Kong became a police state

It was a long time in the planning

The South Asian monsoon, past, present and future

A story of famines and trade, science and cupidity