How virus detectives trace the origins of an outbreak – and why it's so tricky

Bat hosts, lab leaks – tracing SARS-CoV-2 to its origins involves more than just tracking down patient zero.

Marilyn J. Roossinck, Professor of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, Penn State • conversation
June 7, 2021 • ~11 min

How do pandemics end? History suggests diseases fade but are almost never truly gone

As ready as you are to be done with COVID-19, it's not going anywhere soon. A historian of disease describes how once a pathogen emerges, it's usually here to stay.

Nükhet Varlik, Associate Professor of History, University of South Carolina • conversation
Oct. 14, 2020 • ~9 min

A few superspreaders transmit the majority of coronavirus cases

Epidemiological data suggests that 80% of COVID-19 cases can be traced to just 20% of those infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Elizabeth McGraw, Professor of Entomology and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University • conversation
June 5, 2020 • ~8 min

Coronavirus vaccine: reasons to be optimistic

We don't have vaccines for the Sars, Mers or the common cold. But that doesn't mean scientists won't crack it this time.

Zania Stamataki, Senior Lecturer in Viral Immunology, University of Birmingham • conversation
May 13, 2020 • ~7 min

Coronaviruses – a brief history

Ever heard of 229E, OC43, NL63 and HKU1?

Lindsay Broadbent, Research Fellow, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast • conversation
April 15, 2020 • ~5 min

A coronavirus vaccine that wouldn't require a shot

University of Pittsburgh researchers are developing a vaccine patch for COVID-19 that is as easy to apply as a Band-Aid.

Louis Falo, Professor of Dermatology, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
April 8, 2020 • ~5 min

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