6,446 articles from FEBRUARY 2021

Letters: Sir Arnold Wolfendale obituary

Sir Arnold Wolfendale wrote an article on John Harrison and the invention of his maritime clock (2008) for The Historian, the members’ journal of the Historical Association. On making his acquaintance, I discovered that, along with being a physics professor and astronomer royal, he attended the lectures and other activities of the Historical Association branch in Durham.Trevor JamesIn 2000...

20 million people in UK have had first dose of coronavirus vaccine

Health secretary hails latest inoculation figures as ‘magnificent achievement for the country’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMore than 20 million Britons have received their first coronavirus vaccine dose, the UK government has said.In a video uploaded to his Twitter profile, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said it was a “magnificent achievement for the...

Green pass: how are Covid vaccine passports working for Israel?

As hotels and gyms reopen in Israel, governments elsewhere are considering a similar certificate scheme – raising ethical concernsFour key questions on a Covid certification scheme in EnglandCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAs the UK and other governments consider whether to give Covid-vaccinated people certificates that allow entry to bars, hotels, and swimming...

'The Earth could hear itself think': how birdsong became the sound of lockdown

When the pandemic hit, the song of birds offered joy and hope. The author of a new book recalls that glittering spring and explains the science behind bird calls and how to identify themIt’s six in the morning and still dark, 24 March 2020. I wake early and, knowing the children will soon be up, decide to steal half an hour’s solitude in the park. From the dense latticework of trees and shrubs...

I have tested positive for Covid – and I feel really guilty

At first I felt relieved that my symptoms aren’t too grim. Then I felt bad about my relief, as if I’d failed a basic solidarity dutyIt started with a text that was doing the rounds from Lambeth council’s director of public health: the South African variant of Covid had been discovered in a tiny box of postcodes that included our house, and we were all encouraged to get tested. I forwarded it...