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.
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Articles on Viruses
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Aerosols are the tiny particles of liquid and material that float around in our environment. When they come from an infected person, they may be a significant source of coronavirus transmission.
While a few are killers, viruses are actually important to human health and incredibly useful in medicine.
Office buildings have been left mostly empty for weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic, leaving standing water in pipes where harmful organisms can grow. What happens when those buildings reopen?
We must figure out how to scale the lockdown up and down as needed – possibly several times. We might need to locally switch areas on and off – not the whole country – to deal with isolated outbreaks.
The conspiracy theory that Covid-19 was created in a laboratory has been widely reported, yet there is no evidence to support it. Why such theories thrive can easily be explained, however.
The variation captured in these genomes, when compared to genomes sampled elsewhere, provides a fingerprint that might be associated with a particular virus and a particular cluster of transmission.
Both cats and dogs can become infected with the coronavirus. The chances of them getting sick or passing it on to you or another animal are extremely low.
Winter is flu season – could it be coronavirus season as well? The research is mixed, but other factors besides temperature and humidity have more to do with the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
Only a tiny number of viruses are able to make the jump from animals to humans.
Some of the false claims about coronavirus may be harmless. But others can be potentially dangerous.
I’m here to say: make sure you read beyond the headlines.
Cellphone data can show who coronavirus patients interacted with, which can help isolate infected people before they feel ill. But how digital contact tracing is implemented matters.
Far from alarmist, images of the coronavirus seem to communicate patience and trust in science – both of which will be needed in the coming weeks and months.
Many governments and health organisations have been reviewing their advice on face masks – here’s why.
Using antibodies to trap the virus could create near-instant pregnancy test-style kits.
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.
U.S. health officials flipped their advice and now recommend everyone wear cloth masks in public to reduce the spread of coronavirus to others. Some cities have fines for going without masks.
The new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, spreads faster than the H1N1 influenza virus and is much deadlier. SARS-CoV-2 is particularly skilled at keeping cells from calling out for help.
Exponential growth, such as in a viral epidemic, starts deceptively slowly, then quickly balloons. A mathematician explains the importance of early action and the costs of delay.
Top contributors
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Lecturer in Virology, Queen's University Belfast
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Professor Emerita of Biology, Indiana University
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Research Scientist and Principal Investigator at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan
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Adjunct Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland
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Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology, University of Leicester
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Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Associate Director of Microbiology, University of California, San Diego
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Regents' Professor & Chair, Medical Laboratory Science, Texas State University
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Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, University of Sussex
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Professor of Medicine and Vice President, Research, McMaster University
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Professor, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney
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Director, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital and Consultant Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
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Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia
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Professor of Medicine, University of East Anglia
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Virologist, The University of Queensland
