A dozen stories of note in 2020 Science in and about a most difficult year. Campfires on the Sun New up-close images reveal some remarkable features. Scientists studying the first images returned from a new European Space Agency spacecraft have found a remarkable array of never-before-seen solar features, including a large number of mini-flares they have dubbed “campfires”. Full story. During lockdown we were light on the Earth Scientists record the seismic noise of social distancing. The lack of activity during the COVID-19 lockdown between March and May caused human-linked vibrations in the Earth to drop by up to 50%. It was the longest and most pronounced quiet period of seismic noise in recorded history. Full story.