Could supersonic air travel make a comeback?
Boom Supersonic’s demonstrator jet exceeds Mach 1
THE LAST commercial supersonic flight was BA002, from New York to London, on October 24th 2003. Blake Scholl, boss of Boom Supersonic, in Denver, hopes people will not have to wait another two decades for the next. Boom’s putative Concorde replacement, Overture, which is intended to carry 64-80 passengers (Concorde carried 100), has not yet been built. But on January 28th XB-1, a one-third-scale demonstrator that the firm is using to test its airframe technology, broke the sound barrier for the first time.
Should you worry about microplastics?
Little is known about the effects on humans—but limiting exposure to them seems prudent
Wasps stole genes from viruses
That probably assisted their evolutionary diversification
America’s departure from the WHO would harm everyone
Whether it is a negotiating ploy remains to be seen
Genetic engineering could help rid Australia of toxic cane toads
It is better than freezing them to death
High-tech antidotes for snake bites
Genetic engineering and AI are powering the search for antivenins
Can you breathe stress away?
It won’t hurt to try. But scientists are only beginning to understand the links between the breath and the mind