¾«Æ·¹ú²úÒ»Çø¶þÇøÌÒÉ«

News

Coronavirus evolving: How mutations arise and new variants emerge

As it spreads throughout the world, the virus that causes Covid-19 has been changing. Scientists are tracking those changes, hoping to stay one step ahead of worrisome strains.
Diana Kwon Maki Naro
By Diana Kwon and Maki Naro
March 7, 2021

Illustrated by Maki Naro

media_virus-mutation-comic-01-1.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-02-1-1.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-03-1-2.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-03-2-3.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-04-text2.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-05-1-4.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-05-2-5.gif
media_virus-mutation-comic-06-1-text3.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-07-1-6.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-08-1-7.gifmedia_virus-mutation-comic-08-2-8.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-09-1-9.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-09-2-10.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-10-1-11.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-10-2-12.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-11-1-13.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-11-2-14.gif
media_virus-mutation-comic-12-1-14.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-13-1-15.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-13-1-15b.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-14-1-16.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-14-2-17.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-15-1-text4.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-16-1-18.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-16-2-19.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-16-3-20.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-17-1-21.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-17-2-21b.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-18-1-text5.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-19-1-22.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-19-2-23.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-19-3-24.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-20-1-25.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-20-2-26.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-21-1-27.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-21-2-28.png
media_virus-mutation-comic-22-1-29.pngmedia_virus-mutation-comic-22-2-30.png
 

This piece was produced in cooperation with

This article originally appeared in , an independent journalistic endeavor from Annual Reviews.

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.

Learn more
Diana Kwon
Diana Kwon

Diana Kwon is a freelance science journalist based in Berlin, Germany. She primarily covers the life sciences and health, and her work has appeared in Scientific American, The Scientist, Nature, Knowable Magazine and many other publications.

Maki Naro
Maki Naro

Maki Naro  is an award-winning feral cartoonist and science communicator.

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in Science

Science highlights or most popular articles

Early lipid changes drive retinal degeneration in Zellweger spectrum disorder
Journal News

Early lipid changes drive retinal degeneration in Zellweger spectrum disorder

Sept. 16, 2025

Lipid profiling in a rare disease mouse model reveals metabolic shifts and inflammation in the retinal pigment epithelium — offering promising biomarker leads to combat blindness.

How sugars shape Marfan syndrome
Journal News

How sugars shape Marfan syndrome

Sept. 10, 2025

Research from the University of Georgia shows that Marfan syndrome–associated fibrillin-1 mutations disrupt O glycosylation, revealing unexpected changes that may alter the protein's function in the extracellular matrix.

What’s in a diagnosis?
Essay

What’s in a diagnosis?

Sept. 4, 2025

When Jessica Foglio’s son Ben was first diagnosed with cerebral palsy, the label didn’t feel right. Whole exome sequencing revealed a rare disorder called Salla disease. Now Jessica is building community and driving research for answers.

Peer through a window to the future of science
Annual Meeting

Peer through a window to the future of science

Sept. 3, 2025

Aaron Hoskins of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Sandra Gabelli of Merck, co-chairs of the 2026 ASBMB annual meeting, to be held March 7–10, explain how this gathering will inspire new ideas and drive progress in molecular life sciences.

Glow-based assay sheds light on disease-causing mutations
Journal News

Glow-based assay sheds light on disease-causing mutations

Sept. 2, 2025

University of Michigan researchers create a way to screen protein structure changes caused by mutations that may lead to new rare disease therapeutics.

How signals shape DNA via gene regulation
Journal News

How signals shape DNA via gene regulation

Aug. 19, 2025

A new chromatin isolation technique reveals how signaling pathways reshape DNA-bound proteins, offering insight into potential targets for precision therapies. Read more about this recent ¾«Æ·¹ú²úÒ»Çø¶þÇøÌÒÉ« paper.