Nature highlights three key infographics from the week in science and research.
will determine what the end of the pandemic will look like. An early variant, now known as Alpha, spread at least 50% faster than earlier circulating lineages. Along with two other variants — Beta and Gamma — it spread around the world. The Delta variant was identified in India in the spring of 2021. Once it arrived in the United Kingdom, Delta spread quickly and was found to be about 60% more transmissible than Alpha.
Although Brazil has the largest amount of fresh water in the world, much of the nation now faces drought. Between March and May this year, dry weather in the south-central region led to a 267-cubic-kilometre shortage of water held in rivers, lakes, soil and aquifers, compared with the seasonal average for the past 20 years. Many major reservoirs have reached less than 20% capacity. Farming and energy generation have been hit. Since July, coffee prices have risen by 30%.