The pandemic is transforming the rental economy

PLUS: the best theraguns, the first-ever vaccine, and black hole paradoxes. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 06.08.20   BENEFITS Covid-19 Opens the Door for Gig Workers to Win Sick Pay BY AARIAN MARSHALL Uber, Lyft, and others have agreed to pay people who've missed work because of the virus. Seattle is on the cusp of making it law in that city.   BACKCHANNEL Who Discovered the First Vaccine? BY CODY CASSIDY As the world scrambles to develop an inoculation against Covid-19, it's worth understanding the early, extraordinary history of the technique.   GOING TO EXTREMES Black Hole Paradoxes Reveal a Link Between Energy and Entropy BY NATALIE WOLCHOVER What happens to a black hole as it decays? Investigating the possibilities has led researchers in recent years to major clues about quantum gravity.   PIVOT The Pandemic Is Transforming the Rental Economy BY KATE KNIBBS The spread of Covid-19 has made people think twice about what they rent. But this hasn't destroyed the rental marketplace—just changed it.   DIGITAL DIVIDE When Health Care Moves Online, Many Patients Are Left Behind BY MARION RENAULT Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, more doctors are turning to telemedicine. That's a problem for tens of millions on the wrong side of the digital divide.   AGUADA FENIX Archaeologists Discover the Largest, Oldest Maya Monument Yet BY KIONA N. SMITH, ARS TECHNICA The structure, believed to have served as a ceremonial center 3,000 years ago, was discovered in Tabasco, Mexico.   MUSCLED OUT The Best Theragun Devices to Buy (and Which to Avoid) BY MEDEA GIORDANO Therabody's percussive therapy devices help soothe achy muscles. Here's our guide to their lineup.   REMOTE CONTROL The Remarkable Stuff Scientists Get Done as They Work From Home BY CHRIS WRIGHT Researchers who usually rely on labs or command centers have been forced to work from laptops and closets—even as they control spacecraft millions of miles away.   PRODUCT REVIEW The Xperia 1 II Is Sony's First Great Phone in Years BY JULIAN CHOKKATTU Sony finally found the formula for making an excellent phone. Too bad it's $1,200.     This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or Manage your newsletter subscriptions