Millions of people in the UK had their Christmas plans abruptly cancelled when Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new set of coronavirus restrictions for the country. Health Secretary Matt Hancock later said the spread of coronavirus was “out of control”. London and parts of the south-east have been placed into Tier 4 regulations, which prohibit people from leaving their homes for non-essential purposes including Christmas gatherings. In the rest of the country, multi-household “bubbles” will now only be able to gather on Christmas Day itself.

The new rules are a response to a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, which has been recently identified by researchers and is thought to be driving increased rates of transmission in parts of the UK. Usually such mutations are nothing to worry about, but as genomics researcher Lucy van Dorp explains in a Q&A, this new variant has a number of features that could raise concern and warrant further study. Where do these mutations come from, and what does it mean for a vaccine? Van Dorp has investigated tens of thousands of coronavirus genomes so far this year to answer these questions and more. We’ll have more coverage of this new development in the days to come.

Johnson’s press conference alongside his chief scientific advisors was accompanied by the standard set of baffling graphs the British public have become so used to after many long months of this pandemic. How could they lift their data visualisation game? As it turns out, they could learn a lot from children. Comparing graphs drawn by kids with those created by government bodies and media organisations, a group of researchers has made a list of dos and don'ts when it comes to making your data understood.

And if you’re reconsidering your Christmas plans, why not make the meal a little more environmentally friendly? Here are some tips.

Megan Clement

Commissioning Editor, COVID-19

Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock

Coronavirus new variant – genomics researcher answers key questions

Lucy van Dorp, UCL

All your questions about the new coronavirus variant, answered by a microbial genomics researcher.

Kids know… PathomP

What children can teach governments about making graphs

Craig Anderson, University of Glasgow; Emily Granger, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; Lucy Teece, University of Leicester; Maria Dunbar, University of Zürich

There have been some shockingly bad graphs circulating during the pandemic.

Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

How to cook Christmas dinner in the most environmentally friendly way possible

Ximena Schmidt, Brunel University London; Christian Reynolds, City, University of London; Sarah Bridle, University of Manchester

The most eco-friendly way to cook your meals revealed.

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