Why it matters that health agencies finally said the coronavirus is airborne
This year, health experts around the world revised their views about how the coronavirus spreads. Aerosol scientists, virologists and other researchers had determined in...
Tina Hesman Saey
How a warming climate may make winter tornadoes stronger
NEW ORLEANS — Warmer winters could make twisters more powerful. Though tornadoes can occur in any season, the United States logs the greatest number...
Why the coronavirus’s delta variant dominated 2021
2021 was a year of coronavirus variants. Alpha and beta kicked off the year, and several worrisome variants later, omicron is closing it out....
Venezuela violated a jurist’s right to be tried by an independent tribunal and his right to the presumption of innocence, the UN Human Rights Committee said on...
Compared to the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was “undoubtedly worse” for the Americas, where infections and deaths tripled, the top UN...
South Sudan: ‘Headwinds’ warning from UN mission chief over peace accord
The UN Special Representative in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, issued a warning to the Security Council on Wednesday that new “headwinds” could threaten the country’s fragile peace accord, following years of brutal civil conflict. Read the full story, “South Sudan: ‘Headwinds’ warning...
Reprisals against human rights defenders were in the spotlight on Wednesday as UN independent experts documented instances of abuse in Indonesia and Pakistan. Read the full story, “Rights defenders under attack in Asia –...
The Parker Solar Probe is the first spacecraft to visit the sun’s atmosphere
For the first time, a spacecraft has made contact with the sun. During a recent flyby, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe entered the sun’s atmosphere....
Neandertals were the first hominids to turn forest into grassland 125,000 years ago
Neandertals took Stone Age landscaping to a previously unrecognized level. Around 125,000 years ago, these close human relatives transformed a largely forested area bordering...
The Age of Discontent: What Drives the Rising Wave of World Protests?
NEW YORK, Dec 15 (IPS) – In recent years, the world has been shaken by protests. From the Arab Spring to the social uprisings...
Why the UN General Assembly still matters 
UN Crime Congress: Technology is transforming crime – and the response to it 
Surviving the summer 
Women and girls pay high price in DR Congo Ebola outbreak