CORONAVIRUS | The thousands of tiny fluid droplets that we spray during normal conversation are a potentially significant way the new coronavirus spreads from person to person, according to a report on Wednesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

Using laser light scattering, researchers studied the small droplets that linger in the air after exiting the mouth. Based on earlier research into levels of the virus in oral fluid, they estimate that one minute of speaking loudly could generate more than 1,000 virus-containing droplets that would remain airborne for at least eight minutes...