The JN.1 variant has become dominant in Australia and around the world, causing large waves of infections. Here’s what we know about it so far – and why it’s so important.
The satellite virus MiniFlayer (purple) infects cells by attaching itself to the neck of its helper virus, MindFlayer (gray).
Tagide deCarvalho
Ivan Erill, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Researchers discovered a satellite virus latching onto the neck of another virus called MindFlayer. Studying the viral arms race between similar viruses could lead to new ways to fight infections.
Maybe the first life on Earth was part of an ‘RNA world.’
Artur Plawgo/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
Fossil evidence of how the earliest life on Earth came to be is hard to come by. But scientists have come up with a few theories based on the microbes, viruses and prions existing today.
Broad protection from a universal flu vaccine could replace seasonal flu shots.
Flavio Coelho/Moment via Getty Images
Annual flu vaccines are in a constant race against a rapidly mutating virus that may one day cause the next pandemic. A one-time vaccine protecting against all variants could give humanity a leg up.
Bits of viral genes incorporated into human DNA have been linked to cancer, ALS and schizophrenia. But many of these genes may not be harmful, and could even protect against infectious disease.
The new BA.5 subvariant has caused a sharp rise in cases and hospitalizations throughout much of the United States.
Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Our best chance of limiting the emergence of new recombinant COVID variants is to limit the spread of infections, using public health measures to slow and suppress the virus.
The omicron variant possesses numerous mutations in the spike protein, the knob-like protrusions (in red) that allow the virus to invade other cells.
Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
It’s too early to say whether the newly identified omicron variant is going to overtake delta. But particular mutations in the new strain have researchers deeply concerned.
Most children today receive the chickenpox vaccine as a routine part of childhood immunizations.
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Chickenpox has largely disappeared from the public’s memory thanks to a highly effective vaccine. But the virus’s clever life cycle allows it to reappear in later adulthood in the form of shingles.
The huge number of active coronavirus infections offers plenty of opportunity for mutations to occur and new variants to arise.
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When the coronavirus copies itself, there is a chance its RNA will mutate. But new variants must jump from one host to another, and the more infections there are, the better chance this will happen.
Evolution explains why the Delta variant spreads faster than the original Wuhan strain. It explains what we might see with future variants. And it suggests how we might step up public health measures.
Data from the UK, where the Delta variant is dominant, suggest many people with COVID-19 are experiencing cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose and a sore throat.
Sustained surveillance for disease outbreaks at global hot spots may be the key to preventing the next pandemic.
MR.Cole_Photographer/Getty Images
A more coordinated effort by scientists, stakeholders and community members will be required to stop the next deadly virus that’s already circulating in our midst.
Could SARS-CoV-2 evolve to dodge the vaccine?
Jose A. Bernat Bacete/Moment collection/Getty Images
As viruses are transmitted from person to person they are constantly mutating and replicating. Could the SARS-CoV-2 virus evolve to evade the new vaccines that have just been developed?
Today smallpox can only be found in deep freeze inside a few highly secured laboratories, like this one at the CDC in 1980.
CDC
The smallpox virus appears to have been with humanity for millennia before a global vaccination drive wiped it out. Current genome research suggests how smallpox spread and where it came from.
The US and its allies are demanding answers over how COVID-19 became a pandemic. But instead of pointing fingers at China, the inquiry should focus on scientific clues to help us thwart future disasters.
The steady rate of genetic changes lets researchers recreate how a virus has travelled.
nextstrain.org
Bert Ely, University of South Carolina e Taylor Carter, University of South Carolina
Every time the virus copies itself it makes mistakes, creating a trail that researchers can use to build a family tree with information about where it’s traveled, and when.
A four-year-old female Malayan tiger has tested positive for COVID-19, with six other tigers and lions showing symptoms. It’s the first known case of a ‘wild’ animal catching the disease.
Associate Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Affiliate Associate Professor of Genome Sciences and Microbiology, University of Washington
Professor of Bioethics & Medicine, Sydney Health Ethics, Haematologist/BMT Physician, Royal North Shore Hospital and Director, Praxis Australia, University of Sydney