Wildfires continue to burn in the western U.S., with one so powerful that the National Weather Service issued what’s believed to be the first fire tornado warming. Two California scholars explain how wildfires can create their own dangerous weather.

Also in this week’s science and research news: what you need to know about convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19 and a study on how children returning to school can affect the spread of the coronavirus.

Martin La Monica

Deputy Editor

Extreme wildfires can fuel tornadoes, creating erratic and dangerous conditions for firefighters. David McNew/Getty Images

Extreme wildfires can create their own dangerous weather, including fire tornadoes – here’s how

Charles Jones, University of California, Santa Barbara; Leila Carvalho, University of California, Santa Barbara

Persistent heat waves and dry lightning are part of the problem. For firefighters, the erratic behavior gets dangerous quickly.

A nurse holds plasma donated by a man who recovered from COVID-19. Guillermo Legaria /Getty Images South America

I’m a lung doctor testing the blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors as a treatment for the sick – a century-old idea that could be a fast track to treatment

Jeffrey M. Sturek, University of Virginia

In the blood of COVID-19 survivors are antibodies that can defeat SARS-CoV-2. Researchers are testing whether these antibodies can be collected and injected into others to save them from the virus.

Is it possible to get COVID-19 twice? May James/AFP via Getty Images

A man was reinfected with coronavirus after recovery – what does this mean for immunity?

Megan Culler Freeman, University of Pittsburgh

Reports describe a Hong Kong man who was reinfected with the coronavirus after returning from Europe. Does that mean he wasn't immune after the first infection?

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