Two weeks ago, scientists in Botswana and South Africa raised the alarm about a new coronavirus variant with 32 mutations in the spike protein – the part of the virus that antibodies target. On Friday, the World Health Organization declared the new variant, named omicron, a variant of concern – one of just five variants to have achieved this dubious status.

Omicron appears to be spreading rapidly in Gauteng province in South Africa, and has been recorded in at least 13 other countries (a figure that will probably be wrong by the time this newsletter goes out). However, data on this new variant is scant. Ed Feil, professor of microbial evolution at the University of Bath, tries to shed some light on why the WHO acted even though it is “too early to say exactly what we are dealing with”. The world will be holding its breath for the next few weeks as the data trickles in.

Meanwhile, scientists are exploring all avenues to find cures and prophylaxes for the coronavirus, the latest being an experimental chewing gum that aims to trap the virus before it gets into the lungs. Also, find out how (and why) birdsong soundscapes are getting quieter.

Clint Witchalls

Health + Medicine Editor (UK edition)

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. FABRICE COFFRINI / POOL

Omicron: why the WHO designated it a variant of concern

Ed Feil, University of Bath

Not much data, but lessons have been learned from the slow response to delta.

Milles Studio/Shutterstock

Could a chewing gum really reduce the spread of COVID-19? Maybe – but here’s what we need to know first

Grace C Roberts, University of Leeds

US researchers have designed a special chewing gum to target SARS-CoV-2. But at this stage, it’s only been tested in a lab – not on real people.

As bird populations decline globally, the soundscapes of our natural world become less diverse. Simonas Minkevicius

We reconstructed birdsong soundscapes from over 200,000 places: and they’re getting quieter

Simon Butler, University of East Anglia; Catriona Morrison, University of East Anglia

Research from across Europe and the US shows that as biodiversity declines, the natural world falls more silent.

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  • Curious Kids: who invented video games?

    Noah Wardrip-Fruin, University of California, Santa Cruz

    Video games are everywhere. So who was the first person to come up with the idea of playing a game on a computer screen?

 

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