Some truths on coronavirus: if you are not a virologist, why not just shut up and listen for a change?

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One of our self appointed tasks at LSS is to stand back and bring you ideas from people who are far more intelligent than ourselves. And not to get in the way!

Here are two pieces from Nature updates. One counsels that the whole corona trope is now so big, so complicated and so emotional that no one can understand it in its entirety. Especially conspiracy theorists and those grinding out hidden agendas, who have never seen a virology lab in their lives.

The coronavirus pandemic is “a problem that is now too big for any one person to fully comprehend”, argues science journalist Ed Yong in a long read about the factors in play. We struggle to master knowledge that is new to many of us: the definition of a ‘coronavirus’. The characteristics of this specific one, SARS-CoV-2, and the disease it causes, COVID-19. What the research on treatment and vaccines really means, and which experts and self-appointed experts we can trust. And how we can parse misinformation, shifting public-health advice and the uncertainty inherent in a fast-moving scientific landscape. The Atlantic | 26 min read

The second traces the history of the virus

Some of the history of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is recorded in its mutations. In this infographic-packed feature, follow the journey of the virus’s progress from Wuhan, China, to everywhere by tracing tiny variations in its RNA.The New York Times | 7 min read

So for all those who assert that that there isn’t a virus, and it started in China/the USA/Russia/Droitwich, why not just take a rest from spouting your own uninformed opinions, and look at some evidence from someone intelligent? Like, just for a change?

Nature Briefing <briefing@nature.com>

#sars-cov-2 #coronavirus #covid19 #wuhan #Nature #Atlantic #NewYorkTimes