The Download: tracing a mysterious covid strain, and fighting dengue with drones

Historians have started using machine learning to examine historical documents, including astronomical tables like those produced in Venice and other early modern cities. Proponents claim that the application of modern computer science to the past helps draw connections across a broader swath of the historical record than would otherwise be possible, correcting distortions that come from analyzing history one document at a time. But it introduces distortions of its own, including the risk that machine learning will slip bias or outright falsifications into the historical record. The way sea sponges pump water is really quite amazing. I never thought I'd be transfixed by a bed making competition, but here we are.