“tornadoes can be extremely unpredicable”

Icy blasts from the north have inspired French artists, writers and scientists

Probably the worst whirlpool in the world

Of the hundreds of thousands of asteroids in our solar system, it is all too feasible that one could strike Earth. If scientists discover this is likely to happen, what are our options for defending ourselves – and who will make the key decisions? Tomas Weber reports

Coming up for air

From dilapidated cottages to the site of a notorious nuclear disaster, what is behind the longing to seek out abandoned places, asks Katie Scott

Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the memory of this tragedy still lingers. But the city’s rise from the waters is a cause for celebration and hope