CovMT: An Interactive SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Tracker

Image credit: “COVID-19 Outbreak World Map per Capita” by Raphaël Dunant is under a CC BY 4.0 license. The article we’re demystifying today can be found here if you’d like to follow along. It’s rare that sequels are an improvement on the original. Thor gave rise to Thor: The Dark World, Call of Duty descended … Continue reading CovMT: An Interactive SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Tracker

The UK Variant: What We Know and What We Don’t

This sidebar was fact-checked by Manolya Sag. Viruses, with their large numbers and fast replication time, are always evolving. For the RNA virus SARS-CoV-2, mutations are constantly occurring during its replication. In fact, it has been estimated by the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium that approximately 4000 mutations have arisen in the virus’ spike protein alone. … Continue reading The UK Variant: What We Know and What We Don’t

Hide-and-seek: how SARS-CoV-2 hides from our immune system

The hidden war between viruses and host cells has influenced the evolution of all life on earth. For millions of years, viruses have acquired and refined weapons to undermine cell defenses and redirect cellular processes to the task of viral replication. Surviving cells created defenses to stave off initial attacks and “remember” attacks, so more … Continue reading Hide-and-seek: how SARS-CoV-2 hides from our immune system

Q-Z of Research: Science to English Dictionary, Part 3

This is the fourth instalment of our Science to English dictionary. Our first instalment can be found here, the second instalment can be found here and the third instalment can be found here. R Randomized For this definition, let’s look at the simplest possible set up. Imagine you are doing an experiment on whether wearing … Continue reading Q-Z of Research: Science to English Dictionary, Part 3