False statements — about Covid-19 and so much else — spread like a virus online. Scientists should study them like one.

When polymers prove resistant to recycling, new chemical techniques can do the job of breaking them down for reuse

Modern industry has made great strides in turning trash into tomorrow’s new products, but the process is still a long way from perfect. New technologies can help. Plus, updates on chemical recycling, design for recycling and dirty recycling.

Once thought to merely coordinate movement, this region of the brain is proving to exert greater influence on cognition, emotion and other functions

Funerals, burials and other ways of communally commemorating those who have died have always been part of human history. The need for social distancing has upended these psychologically important rituals and fostered creative alternatives.

A “scarlet E” can be the catalyst for a chain reaction of calamities, and Covid-19 piles on

Epidemics of forest-felling diseases are on the rise thanks to globetrotting pathogens that slip through even the best defenses. To prevent further losses, scientists are turning to high-tech surveillance and detection, even canine noses.

The controversial technology of reflecting sunlight away from the planet could help blunt the worst impacts of climate change

Some linger in the body for a lifetime. The one causing Covid-19 probably isn’t one of them, but it and others can create mischief long after the immune system appears to have banished them.

Researchers and companies are harnessing computers to identify the emotions behind our written words. While sentiment analysis is far from perfect, it manages to distill meaning from huge amounts of data — and could one day even monitor mental health.