FEATURES & OPINION ROUND-UP

Top stories from earlier in the week:

• Evidence is building around the risk of COVID-19 to pregnant women. They seem to be at higher risk of hospitalization and severe disease than are women of the same age who are not pregnant. Samples from the placenta, the umbilical cord and blood from mothers and infants indicate that the virus rarely crosses from mother to fetus. But many questions remain. There is a lack of data around the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women because this group generally was not included in early trials. (Nature | 11 min read)
• Mars arrivals and the Etna eruption are among the month’s sharpest science shots, selected by Nature’s photo team. (Nature | Leisurely scroll)