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Elsewhere on New Scientist

The population question • Those who advocate limiting population must be clear how they intend to do it

New Scientist

A new covid-19 approach • In contrast to his predecessor, US president-elect Joe Biden will use a science-based strategy to tackle the pandemic, says Adam Vaughan

How exciting is the Pfizer vaccine? • The company says its vaccine is 90 per cent effective. What does this really mean and what do we still need to know? Graham Lawton reports

Mink could be just the start • The fact that the coronavirus can spread back and forth between humans and animals is bad news for all involved, reports Graham Lawton

Mammals at risk • Almost 60 species of mammal have so far been found to be susceptible, or probably/possibly susceptible, to SARS-CoV-2, while others probably aren’t at risk. These include:

How humans and bats transmit to each other

European weather services in email storm

The Milky Way could be home to 5 billion planets like Earth

Which animals evolved first? • DNA suggests comb jellies were the first distinct animal group to appear on Earth

Space mystery solved • Strange blasts of radio waves have been spotted all over the cosmos. Now we have finally tracked one to its source, reports Leah Crane

Iceberg on collision course • Huge iceberg may hit a South Atlantic island and harm wildlife

Most whales may have ingested plastic

Creature resembling a giant paper clip lived 200 years

Add some potassium for better batteries

Robot controlled with plain language

Really brief

Ancient burial hints at modern bias

Wallabies spotted in the UK on nearly 100 occasions

Europa may have an eerie green glow

Irrational restrictions • Care home rules to prevent the spread of coronavirus are too strict and not based on science. This could cost lives, says June Andrews

No planet B • Back behind the wheel I ditched my car months ago in an effort to be greener, but it has been much harder than I expected and I’m reluctantly driving again, writes Graham Lawton

Your letters

Treetop herons

Hunting for fossils • Ammonite diligently shows the hard work involved in palaeontology, but its portrayal of Mary Anning isn’t all it could be, says Francesca Steele

Hearts of darkness • An undercover probe into white supremacy is troubling reading, finds Donna Lu

Don’t miss

The sci-fi column • Flipping the narrative Whatever you are expected to do, don’t. That’s a key theme in Escape Pod, a major new anthology featuring such luminaries as N. K. Jemisin, Ken Liu, Kameron Hurley and Cory Doctorow, says Sally Adee

The great population debate • Is the coronavirus pandemic just the latest indication that there are too many of us on the planet? Richard Webb investigates

Greetings! • Evolution holds the key to why social distancing is so difficult, finds David Robson

A very brief history of greetings

Mystery of the shifting sands • We are closer than ever to solving the riddle of why sand dunes exist. David Adam investigates

Space dunes

See new suns being born • In November, you should be able to use your eyes to spot a place where stars are still forming, says Abigail Beall

Puzzles

Almost the last word

Tom...