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Future is Bright: Upcoming Actor Mthobisi Nyuswa known as Mzolozeli,from Illovu township, also appeared on Generations The Legacy

By: illovuonline news team
20-04-2020
Image: illovuonline news

The future is bright on Mthobisi Nyuswa known as Mzolozeli. As he is climbing to the top of Acting industry with his brilliant acting comedy skills. illovuonline news team had an interview with Mzolozeli.

Q 1. Tell us about yourself: Where you from? Why you Into acting? When did you first perform? Why are you interested in this career?

A . My name is Mthobisi Nyuswa but my followers know me as Mzolozeli .Acting to me is like God given talent. I am from KZN at Ilovu Township but now I am based in Johannesburg at Spruitview. I started acting in Bafololo Comedy Series which was nominated into numeracy Awards last year 2019. I like this career because it is where i can express myself freely with no difficulties. Acting is my life.

Q 2. Tell us about your education: Have you done related courses for acting or attended acting workshops?

A . No I’ve never attended any course related to acting,I only attended acting workshops. To me, acting is the talent that grew up with me.

Q 3. Why would you think you’re fit to be an actor? And how would you describe your acting style?

A . My style of acting is different because,I’m a Comedian , to make people laugh is my calling. I can change anything into a joke easily bt I make sure that in any joke that i make there will be a lesson at the end to be taught.

Q 4 . What are your goals as an actor? How do you see yourself progress in this field?

A . I see myself as one of the best Comedians in Mzansi. I would love to act in the best Movies and being recognised in the whole world as the best comedian.

Q 5. If you weren’t acting,what would you have been doing?

A . Beside acting,I would be doing community related jobs or working for any NGO doing awareness because most of our youth in these days there are into drugs, they don’t even bother about developing their talents.

Q 6. How do you communicate with people? Are you patient? Are you friendly? How open are you to clients’ requirements?

A . I am friendly and easily approachable person and I respect my fans alot because there is no Mzolozeli without them.

Q 7 . Which actor do you admire the most and Why?

A . I admire Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (Mr Bean) because he can make you laugh without even talking. I always look up to him, his creativity and hardwork makes me look up to him.

Q 8. What can you say to upcoming actors or kids who are still in School,who want to pursue their acting career?

A . My advise to upcoming actors,you have to work hard and do more research about what is happening around the world and respect your talent. Be willing to learn new things than definitely you will grow into anything that you are doing.

Q 9. Do you have any limitations? Would you act any kind of role and wear any kind of clothing at all?

A . I can act any role and wear any kind of clothes because I respect any role that i am given into that project.

Q 10. State your availability: would you travel? Work full-time, part time? Any hours?

10. For now I am busy with acting because I’m still build my name in the industry. I don’t choose any project because I love and devoted my life into acting. I can go anywhere if it is acting , I am available anytime.

∆- Share your experience on getting to be on Generations The Legacy.

I gained confidence and to be organised. The well known actors also advised us alot about acting. Last but not least the importance of listening to Directors and respect them because they know what the viewers want. Also respect the character that you are given during that time.

You can follow Mzolozeli:

Fb: Mzolozeli Emini
Instagram: Mzolozele Emini

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KZN man from Illovu township arrested for selling counterfeit alcohol

By: illovuonline news team
20-04-2020
Image: Source

A 50-year old KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) man has been arrested for allegedly manufacturing and selling counterfeit alcohol and breaking lockdown regulations.

The suspect who cannot be named until he appears in court, has been charged with Contravening Disaster Management Act, manufacturing and selling counterfeit alcohol and selling counterfeit liquor during lockdown.

KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube, said the suspect was caught red handed refilling Smirnoff 1818 bottles during a police operation.

“During this period, we have joined forces with law enforcement agencies and industry role players to clamp down on those flouting the regulations and any law of the country,” Dube-Ncube said.

“Critically, we wish to commend law enforcement officers who arrested a suspect involved in the manufacturing, distribution and selling of counterfeit liquor at Illovu Township, South of Durban.”

The police recovered 196 empty bottles of 750ml Smirnoff 1818, 100 litres of ethanol and a bag full of Smirnoff 1818 closures.

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Gay Lasizwe who enjoyed unprotected sex with a woman and got her pregnant dumps actor Cedric Fourie

By: illovuonline news team
20-04-2020
Image: Lasizwe/IG

Youtube content creator and media personality Lasizwe has elbowed his BFF and Skeem Saam actor Cedric Fourie out of his reality show.

Lasizwe has axed Fourie from the new season of his popular reality show, Fake it till you make it, which airs on MTV Base. In an interview with Sunday World, Lasizwe, whose real name is Thulasizwe Dambuza, confirmed he had kicked Fourie to the curb because his show had shifted focus and that he had secured the signature of his sister, Shantel Mchunu, to be part of it.

“I have made a change to the cast. Made one change. Cedric isn’t part of the season and I have included my sister Shantel,” he said.

When asked if this had affected his bromance with Fourie, Lasizwe giggled and declined to comment.

He also said the production for the show’s new season, which will show him as a father and an adopted son, was near completion.

Lasizwe also said he had initially planned to complete shooting by the end of this month but was disturbed by the outbreak of Covid-19.

He said shooting would commence as soon as the lockther down was lifted. “The show isn’t complete, there are still some parts of reality that need to be shot. We are still half a season away if I am not mistaken. When the lockdown is done we are going to shoot like crazy, just to play catch up,” he said.

In a promo video seen by the publication, Lasizwe introduces his “daughter” and sister in the show.

Lasizwe, who is actress Khanyi Mbau’s brother, declined to comment on whether he was really the biological father of the child, but explained that this was a role he was willing to take on wholeheartedly.

“The idea about fatherhood wasn’t my plan but it was just the result of circumstance and the situation that I got myself into.

I just had to kinda face the situation head-on,” he said.

“You will get to see this season grow. You will get to understand why I made the decision that I made because it had to be done.

“But I don’t want to jump into a lot of details because you will see the complexity around it when you watch the show. If I decide to spill the beans of what is going on, then I would be giving you the whole plot,” he said.

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Rihanna chooses 20-year-old African beauty to model Fenty collection

By: illovuonline news team
20-04-2020
Image: Awuoi Gugei/IG

The faux leather capsule collection is being modelled by the 20-year-old who lives with her grandmother and three sisters in the Kakuma refugee camp –

Awuoi Mach Gugei shared photos of herself rocking Rihanna’s collection and even tagged her – The model travels the world to model but her home is in Kenya where she lives with her grandmother and sisters, who she aims to support through education with her earnings.

US singer, Rihanna, has chosen Kenyan-based Sudanese model, Awuoi Mach Gugei to model the latest collection from her history-making label, Fenty. The faux leather capsule collection is being modelled by the 20-year-old who lives with her grandmother and three sisters in the Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya.

In an Instagram post, the beauty queen shared photos of herself rocking Rihanna’s collection and even tagged her. “Latest faux leather collection out @fenty @badgalriri #rihannafenty #fenty,” captioned Awuoi.

The model travels the world to model but and uses her earnings to support her grandmother and to see her sisters through education. The capsule collection comprises of luxury faux leather items, including a corset dress and skirt, buttoned shirts and In a statement from Rihanna’s brand, their design team is on the lookout for new materials.

“Our design team is constantly on the lookout for innovative new materials and ways to create, from travelling to Japan to research the art of denim to sourcing the finest faux leather,” read the statement. The singer joins a long list of stars who have used vegan materials in fashion collections among them Serena Williams.

Her animal-friendly collection has been praised by animal rights organisation PETA. Recently the celebrated singer is said to have bought her father a ventilator after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Rihanna is reported to have bought a ventilator and shipped it to the Caribbean where the dad resides.

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Have They Found The New Earth? This New Planet Has The Right Conditions to Hold Water

By: Illovuonline news team
20-04-2020
Image: NASA

This newly revealed world is only 1.06 times larger than our own planet. Also, the amount of starlight it receives from its host star is 75 per cent of the amount of light Earth receives from our Sun — meaning the exoplanet’s temperature may be similar to our planet’s, as well.

Using re-analysed data from NASAs Kepler space telescope, a team of scientists has discovered an Earth-size exoplanet orbiting in its star’s habitable zone, the area around a star where a rocky planet could support liquid water. Out of all the exoplanets found by Kepler, this distant world — located 300 light-years from Earth — is most similar to Earth in size and estimated temperature, according to a study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Scientists discovered this planet, called Kepler-1649c, when looking through old observations from Kepler, which the agency retired in 2018. While previous searches with a computer algorithm misidentified it, researchers reviewing Kepler data took a second look at the signature and recognised it as a planet.

This newly revealed world is only 1.06 times larger than our own planet. Also, the amount of starlight it receives from its host star is 75 per cent of the amount of light Earth receives from our Sun — meaning the exoplanet’s temperature may be similar to our planet’s, as well. But unlike Earth, it orbits a red dwarf. This type of star is known for stellar flare-ups that may make a planet’s environment challenging for any potential life. “This intriguing, distant world gives us even greater hope that a second Earth lies among the stars, waiting to be found,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “The data gathered by missions like Kepler and our Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will continue to yield amazing discoveries as the science community refines its abilities to look for promising planets year after year.”

There is still much that is unknown about Kepler-1649c, including its atmosphere, which could affect the planet’s temperature. Current calculations of the planet’s size have significant margins of error, as do all values in astronomy when studying objects so far away. Rocky planets orbiting red dwarfs are of particular astrobiological interest. However, astrobiologists will need much more information about this planet in order to gage whether it is promising for life as we know it. But based on what is known, Kepler-1649c is especially intriguing for scientists looking for worlds with potentially habitable conditions.

There are other exoplanets estimated to be closer to Earth in size, such as TRAPPIST-1f and, by some calculations, Teegarden c. Others may be closer to Earth in temperature, such as TRAPPIST-1d and TOI 700d. But there is no other exoplanet that is considered to be closer to Earth in both of these values that also lies in the habitable zone of its system. Kepler-1649c orbits its small red dwarf star so closely that a year on Kepler-1649c is equivalent to only 19.5 Earth days. “Out of all the mislabeled planets we’ve recovered, this one’s particularly exciting — not just because it’s in the habitable zone and Earth-size, but because of how it might interact with this neighbouring planet,” said Andrew Vanderburg, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin and first author on the paper. “If we hadn’t looked over the algorithm’s work by hand, we would have missed it,” Vanderburg said.

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People have been awakened’: seeking Covid-19 answers in Wuhan

By: illovuonline news team
20-04-2020
Image: Guardian/site

Residents are looking for an explanation from the government about its handling of coronavirus

In early January, Hu Aizhen, 65, heard that a new coronavirus had emerged in her home city, Wuhan. She was not worried – officials said it was not contagious – so she went about her days as usual and prepared for the lunar new year at the end of the month.

Just before the city was put under lockdown, Hu developed pneumonia symptoms. After days of waiting and searching for a hospital, she was tested for the virus. Her result was negative, but tests at the time were known to be inaccurate and she showed obvious signs of the virus. Nevertheless, she was refused treatment by six hospitals.

Hu, who had always been healthy, stayed at home for 10 days, unable to drink or eat, while her health deteriorated. When she took a further turn for the worse, her son tried to get her to a hospital in another district but police stopped them. Under lockdown orders they could not cross into another district. Her son, desperate, shouted at the traffic officers: “Are you not people?”

When Hu was finally admitted to a hospital on 8 February, she was struggling to breathe. The doctor ordered another test, but it was too late. She regained consciousness briefly, asking her son to pour her some water. Then she died.

Hu’s son is now suing the Wuhan municipal government for allegedly concealing the seriousness of the virus, among other complaints, according to court documents prepared by Funeng, a public welfare NGO based in Changsha. Hu’s son is among a small but significant group of residents seeking answers, compensation or simply an apology from officials who took weeks to notify the public of the threat from a virus that went on to claim the lives of at least 4,000 people in China, according to government figures, most of them in Wuhan.

Other cases include a civil servant suing the Hubei provincial government, a mother petitioning for officials to be punished after watching her 24-year-old daughter die of the virus, and a son who rushed his quickly fading mother to a hospital in the suburbs of Wuhan where he was able to get her admitted to intensive care. When he went to pick up supplies for her, he received a phone call from the hospital. His mother had died.

“None of this would have happened if they had told us. So many people would not have had to die,” said a relative involved in one of the lawsuits. Another said: “I want an answer. I want those responsible to be punished under the law.”

Zhang Hai’s father, Zhang Lifa, who died on 1 February from coronavirus in Wuhan, aged 76.

As the outbreak spread in China, with thousands of confirmed cases a day at its peak, public anger reached levels not seen in decades, posing a serious threat to the ruling Chinese communist party. When the whistleblower doctor Li Wenliangdied from the virus in February, censors could not keep up with the flood of outrage online. It was a moment some compared to the outpouring over the death of Hu Yaobang that precipitated the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

A little more than two months on, the resentment is much less visible. Accounts like Hu Aizhen’s have been replaced by positive stories of the country coming together to defeat the virus, sending needed supplies to the rest of the world and fighting malicious attacks from the US and other countries blaming Beijing for the outbreak.

“People are easily led by propaganda,” said Shi, a human rights activist based in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. “As the epidemic situation has improved and the propaganda machine works, there has been a reversal. Now people are saying the strong leadership of the party is a good thing.”

As Wuhan and the rest of the country slowly return to normal, authorities are carefully monitoring those who might harbour resentment. Zhang Hai, 50, whose father died from the virus in February, was part of a WeChat group of more than 100 people who lost relatives to the virus.

In late March they were told they could retrieve their loved ones’ remains from funeral homes. No more than five could go together at one time, and they had to be accompanied by a local government representative. Zhang refused to go. Later, the group’s host was called in by the police and the WeChat group was deleted.

“Now everyone is trying to be very careful,” said Zhang, who is calling for the government to issue an apology. “I know a lot of families who are incredibly angry.”

Tan Jun, a civil servant in Yichang in Hubei province, filed a complaint this month accusing the Hubei provincial government of concealing the outbreak, according to copies of the lawsuit posted online. Tan confirmed the lawsuit but declined to be interviewed. Other residents in Wuhan who spoke to the Guardian said they had been intimidated by local police and forced to promise not to speak out.

“People must take responsibility. As a resident of Hubei, I believe it is necessary to stand up and call on the Hubei government to take responsibility,” Tan said, according to an article posted on several WeChat accounts that has now been deleted.

While authorities in Beijing have punished local officials by replacing them – what observers say is an age-old tactic for deflecting blame from the central government – residents say this is not enough.

“That is not accountability. That is switching hats,” said Wu, 49, who says she contracted the virus in January but was not officially diagnosed until March. In hospital she watched people around her die, including a woman in the next bed. Recently she learned that a classmate of hers who got sick around the same time had passed away.

“When I was laying in bed thinking I might soon die, I thought: how did this happen?” said Wu, who is suing her hospital for not confirming her as a coronavirus patient when she was released. “Regular people have limited access to real information. We rely on the government. We believe what the government says.”

Dissent has spread in other ways. Dozens of shop owners at a shopping mall in Wuhan demonstrated this month, demanding rent reductions after months of not being able to open their stores. In Yingcheng, a city west of Wuhan, residents put under lockdown protested against the high prices for food imposed by community management. One of the protesters, Zeng Chunzhi, has reportedly been detained.

“People have been awakened. That’s for sure,” said Xie Yanyi, a rights lawyer based in Beijing. Xie has filed a request for information from the government, including the origins of the virus and reasons for the delay in informing the public of the outbreak. “It may not be many people, but history shows that it is the few who change society and who change history,” Xie said.

In Wuhan, most residents are relieved that the worst of the epidemic appears to be over as they watch other countries struggle to contain it. Employees wait in lines outside of office buildings to have their throats swabbed, to make sure they do not have the virus before going back to work.

On the riverbank in Hankou district, a couple kiss in front of what has become a nightly light show of skyscrapers lit up with congratulatory messages. Many residents say they appreciate what their country has done for them.

The chance that cases such as Hu’s will be accepted and go to court are not high, according to Yan Zhanqing, a co-founder of Funeng. More likely, those involved will be intimidated or harassed. But in some cases, especially determined plaintiffs can get compensation, which is one form of apology.

“These cases apply pressure on the government and help more people understand their rights and the government’s responsibility,” Yan said. “This is also a way of documenting history, letting more people know the truth, and not just the government’s version of what happened in Wuhan.”

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By: illovuonline news team

20-04-2020

Image:WHO/site

Coronavirus: WHO says Africa could soon be the hotspot for the virus

The World Health Organization has cautioned that the African continent could become the epicentre of coronavirus – This is due to the sharp rise in Covid-19 confirmed cases in the past week.

The WHO highlighted that the continent does not have enough ventilators to deal with such a pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has cautioned that the African continent could become the next epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak. According to the Organization, this is due to the sharp rise in Covid-19 confirmed cases in the past week.

In a BBC report, the WHO highlighted that the continent does not have enough ventilators to deal with a pandemic as grave and complicated as the novel virus.

The African director of the WHO, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said the organization had witnessed the virus spreading from capital cities to “the hinterlands” in South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Ghana.

She said they were focusing on prevention rather than treating the virus because African countries don’t have the capacity to treat many coronavirus patients.

“We want to minimise the proportion of people who get to the point of needing critical care in an ICU, because we know that these types of facilities are not adequate by any means in the majority of African countries,” Dr Matshidiso Moeti said.

She added that she was most worried about the issue of ventilators since they are the biggest challenge that the countries are facing.

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*Current Status of Cases of COVID-19 in South Africa*

By: illovuonline news team
20-04-2020
Image: DOH

Total cases: 3 158
124 New cases
903 Full recoveries (Confirmed Negative)
54 Deaths

The breakdown per province of total infections is as follows:

GAUTENG 1148
WESTERN CAPE 868
KWAZULU – NATAL 617
EASTERN CAPE 293
FREE STATE 100
LIMPOPO 27
MPUMALANGA 23
NORTH WEST 24
NORTHERN CAPE 16
UNALLOCATED 42

We convey our condolence to the families and also appreciate the committed health workers who were treating these patients.”

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How the coronavirus outbreak in India was blamed on Muslims

By: illovuonline news team
20-04-2020
Image: CF

The COVID-19 pandemic has been turned into yet another Islamophobic conspiracy theory.

The outbreak of COVID-19 in India has presented yet another opportunity to launch a fresh attack on the Muslim community. Physical, verbal and psychological warfare is being waged against Muslims, pushing further their ostracisation in Indian society.

Violent attacks on Muslims perceived to be carriers of the virus have been reported from different parts of the country. There have been reports of meetings in gated communities discussing the prohibition on Muslims being allowed in. Elsewhere, gangs of youth have been manning the entry points of villages to prevent the entry of Muslims. Muslim vendors have also been asked to stop selling on the streets.

There has been a sudden surge in Islamophobic hashtags and posts on different social media platforms accusing Muslims of purposefully spreading the virus. A new term, “corona jihad”, has been coined to describe this conspiracy. Videos showing Muslims spitting on vegetables and fruit, licking plates and smearing surfaces with their saliva are being circulated widely.

It all started when news spread that people who had attended a large gathering of Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary movement, at its premises in New Delhi had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. People travelled from outside India to attend this event and it is suspected that they may have introduced the virus into the congregation.

The Tablighi Jamaat was blamed for organising this event in the middle of March, ignoring the threat of the spread of the virus. Very soon, reports started pouring in from different parts of India suggesting that the largest number of positive cases could be traced back to the event.

This became a justification for the government to create a separate column of Tablighi Jamaat-related cases in its daily briefings. It has created an impression that the Muslim movement is the main culprit. Since it is difficult for many to differentiate between Tablighis and other Muslims, all Muslims are now seen as potential carriers of this virus and are therefore shunned and hated.

But some have questioned the methodology of COVID-19 testing and reporting. According to Saugato Datta, a behavioural and developmental economist, highlighting the large proportion of overall positive cases that are linked to the New Delhi event is misleading, given that the authorities did not aggressively trace and test people from other gatherings like it.

“This is basically sampling bias: Since people from this one cluster have been tested at very high rates, and overall testing is low, it is hardly surprising that a large proportion of overall positives is attributed to this cluster,” Datta said.

As some have pointed out, the Tablighi Jamaat event was only one of the many congregations, religious and non-religious, which happened in mid-March. At that time, the government of India tried to downplay the gravity of the situation, allowing the parliament to function and letting nearly 1.5 million people enter the country without proper screening between January and March. The Tablighi Jamaat guests were a tiny fraction of this number.

Despite this, Indian media launched a high-decibel campaign about the matter. One newspaper went as far as publishing a cartoon depicting the coronavirus as a terrorist in Muslim attire.

Similarly, social media has been abuzz with posts about what many consider to be a Muslim conspiracy. A tweet which had about 2,000 retweets before it was removed for violating Twitter’s rules, featured a cartoon of a caricatured Muslim man labelled “corona Jihad” trying to push a Hindu off a cliff.

These sentiments have been fuelled by official channels as well. Officers from the Border Security forces have claimed that there is a plot for people from a particular community (read Muslim) to infiltrate the porous borders of India through Nepal with the aim of spreading the infection here.

Even the government of India is adding to this campaign in a very subtle manner. It recently sent a memo to the government of West Bengal state expressing concern that it was failing to implement the lockdown strictly in certain areas. It mentioned seven localities in the state, of which six are distinctly Muslim dominated.

Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, reacted very strongly to the directive and asked the central government not to use this crisis to further its communal agenda.

The excitement and enthusiasm with which this anti-Muslim campaign has been taken up is a deeply worrying phenomenon.

It adds to already existing conspiracy theories about Muslims waiting in the wings, reproducing at a frantic pace to outnumber Hindus and “pollute” the Hindu land. Since the community was already seen as plotting to inflict damage on “Mother India”, it was easy to “establish” that Muslims would seek to infect Hindus with coronavirus to destroy them.

This campaign has not only fed existing anti-Muslim sentiments but it has also slowed down the momentum gained by a protest movement, which had been demonstrating against the increasingly precarious situation of the community. For months before the outbreak, Muslims and their allies across India had been protesting against the new citizenship law and other executive exercises like the National Register of Citizens and National Population Register, which were seen as discriminatory against the community.

While undermining political efforts to end government-sponsored discrimination, the outbreak and its accompanying anti-Muslim drive may lead to even further ostracisation of the community.

Muslims are hardly present in the formal sector of the economy and their number is insignificant in the state services. The largest working population of Muslims is in the informal sector. This campaign is pushing to make them “untouchable” for non-Muslims, which would certainly push them out of a variety of economic activities.

Muslims have been disenfranchised politically, now this campaign can break them economically and make their survival impossible.

It is disheartening to see the world watching silently this continuous persecution of the largest religious minority in India. It would go down as yet another dark chapter in the making of a new kind of apartheid against Muslims in the biggest democracy in the world.

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https://youtu.be/OdKGYUk-5Cs

A Sobering Astronomical Reminder from COVID-19

We should be grateful for the conditions that allow us to exist at all, for they won’t last forever

By: illovuonline news team
19-04-2020
Image: online

Mother Nature has its nuanced way of educating us. Following a century of scientific and technological advances that triggered unprecedented economic growth, our civilization perceived its superiority over nature as undisputed.

Like corrections to irrationally exuberant stock markets, however, COVID-19 is a correction to human hubris. Nature is teaching all humans, rich and poor, to be humble. Although we thought we can manipulate nature at our will, here comes a primitive coronavirus with negligible information content relative to our brain, threatening to kill us and wreck our economy, causing as much damage from the side effects triggered by our societal reaction to it as from its direct medical impact.

Personally, I practiced social distancing long before it became trendy. In my mind, it was evident before the appearance of COVID-19 that we are fundamentally “monads” as envisioned by the philosopher Gottfried Leibniz, despite illusive notions of empowerment that stem from groupthink. Social distancing benefits free thinking. Isaac Newton did his best scientific work while staying home with his parents at Woolsthorpe during the Great Plague of London in 1665–66, when Cambridge University closed down. Over a year of independent work, he developed calculus, optics and realized the nature of gravity.

But there is another lesson to be learned. A few years earlier, Newton wrote a document that, among other things, listed the sins he’d committed “Before Whitsunday 1662.” Number 13 on the list: “Threatening my father and mother Smith to burne them and the house over them.”As a student of history, I am doing my best to be nice to my daughters during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Beyond existential lessons, however, COVID-19 has sparked international scientific collaborations demonstrating that science has no borders when it comes to promoting a better common future for our civilization. Just as the novel coronavirus can infect everyone, a successful vaccine can benefit everyone. Scientific triumphs are for all of us to share. Science is not a zero-sum, but rather an infinite-sum, game. Here’s hoping that in the wake of COVID-19, international scientific collaborations will lead to more goodwill among nations and better political collaboration across the globe in our future.

The most fundamental lesson is simple. We must treasure all the good that nature gives us rather than take it for granted, because it can easily disappear. Over the next century, trillions of dollars could be lost not just from pandemics like COVID-19 but also from major solar flares or asteroid impacts. We’d better prepare protections for those before they hit us.

On longer timescales, even bigger catastrophes might occur, such as explosions of nearby stars or a brightening of the sun that will boil off our oceans less than a billion years from now.

As I told students over Zoom in my freshman seminar at Harvard last week, life as we know it is merely an afterthought in the global scheme of the cosmos. The universe started off consisting mainly of hydrogen and helium. Heavy elements like carbon and oxygen, which enable the chemistry of life, are the “ashes” from nuclear burning in the hot cores of stars. Our transient existence has lasted for less than 10 one-billionths of cosmic history so far on a tiny rock we call Earth, surrounded by a vast lifeless space. We should be thankful for the fortuitous circumstances that allow us to exist, because they will surely go away one day, with or without COVID-19.

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