AS COVID-19 continues to spread its tentacles across the globe, some scientists are theorising that the virus, also dubbed as SARS-CoV-2, is mutating. Understanding these mutations, which are essentially small genetic changes or “errors” in the entire genome of a virus made up of 30,000 letters, is significant for the development and evaluation of new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines.
According to a study from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico (that has not yet been peer-reviewed), there exists a potentially more transmissible or contagious strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus due to a mutation to the spike protein (S protein)—that mediates virus entry into host cells—called D614G. As per the study, the mutation Spike D614G is of urgent concern. It began spreading in Europe in early February. When introduced to new regions, it rapidly became the dominant form. Although the observed diversity among the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic sequences is low, its rapid global spread provides the virus with ample opportunity for natural selection to act upon rare but favourable mutations.
Spike protein is the main target of antibodies, and many vaccines are developed based on it. Mutations in virus may hamper the protection induced by a vaccine based on one variant of the spike protein.
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Denne historien er fra May 31, 2020-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
