COP14 on wetlands begins; draft resolution for international mangrove centre in China on agenda

Experts in India have expressed surprise at China, a temperate country, offering to host an international mangrove centre 

What is the new theory of COVID-19 originating from raccoon dogs at the wet market in Wuhan?

Analysis of genetic data from in and around Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market shows that raccoon dogs, which were being sold illegally at the market,…

Two years on: India’s index COVID-19 patient describes her ordeal

On January 30, 2020, India reported its first case of COVID-19; the patient was a Thrissur resident studying medicine at Wuhan University. Here …

COVID-19 cut China's carbon dioxide emissions by a quarter: Report

COVID-19 may have shaved off more than 100 tonnes of CO2 in the early February 2020

How China is controlling the COVID origins narrative — silencing critics and locking up dissenters

Part of controlling the narrative has entailed the detention of many citizen journalists who sounded the alarm about the virus in its early days, …

Could forest loss have triggered the COVID-19 pandemic?

Scientific evidence shows that the felling of tropical forests creates ideal conditions for the spread of diseases

Coronavirus mutated, new strain more aggressive: Research

Though older, less aggressive ‘S type’ strain seems to be more frequent now than ‘L type’

China’s ‘surveillance creep’: How big data COVID-19 monitoring could be used to control people post-pandemic

A more robust system was constructed to collect and monitor big data related to pandemic control

The great coronavirus drug hunt

A patent filed by Institute of Virology in Wuhan on cocktail of remdesivir and chloroquine raises some prickly questions 

COVID-19: NASA maps show decline in pollution amid slowdown

Reduction in NO2 pollution was first seen near Wuhan, but eventually spread across the country, according to scientists

COVID-19 did originate in Wuhan’s Huanan seafood market: Studies

Understanding the origin of what led to such a scale of devastation is critical in preventing future pandemics

COVID-19: WHO has only $1.2 mln to fight outbreak

More international economic groups confirmed initial assessments that  China's economy is going to dip because of the COVID-19 outbreak  

‘COVID-19 could have started 3-4 months before December in China’

Down To Earth speaks to Maureen Miller, infectious disease epidemiologist and medical anthropologist about the possible origins of the novel …

At least 59 labs handle the deadliest pathogens; only a quarter score high on safety

Most labs are significantly smaller, with half of 44 labs where data is available being less than half the size of a professional basketball court&…

WHO report on origin of novel coronavirus: Here’s what happens next

The key focus of next stage of investigations is looking at what happened before people realised there was a clinical problem in December 2019, …

COVID origins debate: What to make of new findings linking the virus to raccoon dogs

The latest data supports the link of COVID-19 origins to Wuhan’s animal trade, it is unlikely to provide irrefutable evidence

COP14: Information on 75% of wetlands included in the list of Ramsar Sites is outdated

Information on 1,826 of 2,349 Ramsar Sites worldwide is outdated or missing

We want to know where COVID came from. But it’s too soon to expect miracles

If we keep looking, we may eventually find all the missing pieces we need to close the case on where SARS-CoV-2 came from

Coronavirus outbreak still containable, says WHO; health agencies disagree

91,308 cases reported globally; 76 countries affected 

Devil in the details: Focus on US energy department’s ‘low confidence’ in COVID lab-leak theory is must

A low confidence level generally indicates that the information used in the analysis is scant, questionable, fragmented, or that solid analytical …

WHO team’s quest to trace COVID-19’s origins in China draws a blank

It, however, concluded that SARS-CoV-2 could not have leaked from a research lab

COVID-19: Omicron's stealthy behaviour behind reinfections in people with immunity, says new study

People infected with initial strains had less sustained antibody response to omicron, scientists find

Outbreaks like coronavirus start in and spread from the edges of cities

The new coronavirus crossed the animal-human divide at a market in Wuhan, one of the largest Chinese cities and a major transportation node

Why investigating the origin of COVID-19 is important — and tricky

Experts, including WHO, have argued insufficient data from China hampers our understanding of the disease   

Book Digest: Dispatches from 40 forgotten civilisations, Wuhan under lockdown and more

From stories of wildlife in unforeseen form to rise of environmental illnesses, DTE tracks new, contemporary books on environment and …