ASBMB Home
Search
Join ASBMB
ASBMB Today Science Coronavirus evolving: How mutations arise and new variants emerge
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 the Nib

This article originally appeared in Knowable Magazine, 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.

Related articles

A Nobel for biochemistry underlying COVID-19 vaccines
Marissa Locke Rottinghaus
Innovative approach opens the door to COVID nanobody therapies
Joshua A. Krisch
Gain-of-function research: All in the eye of the beholder
Charles Schmidt
How to choose a booster shot
Tina Hesman Saey, Science News
Biotechnology greed is prolonging the pandemic. It’s inexcusable.
Jag Bhalla
An infectious disease expert explains new federal rules on ‘mix-and-match’ vaccine booster shots
Glenn J. Rapsinski

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

Show more Science
Meet Donita Brady
Interview

Meet Donita Brady

May 8, 2025

Donita Brady is an associate professor of cancer biology and an associate editor of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, who studies metalloallostery in cancer.

Read More
Glyco get-together exploring health and disease
Interview

Glyco get-together exploring health and disease

May 7, 2025

Meet the co-chairs of the 2025 ASBMB meeting on O-GlcNAcylation to be held July 10–13, 2025, in Durham, North Carolina. Learn about the latest in the field and meet families affected by diseases associated with this pathway.

Read More
Targeting toxins to treat whooping cough
Journal News

Targeting toxins to treat whooping cough

May 1, 2025

Scientists find that liver protein inhibits of pertussis toxin, offering a potential new treatment for bacterial respiratory disease. Read more about this recent study from the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Read More
Elusive zebrafish enzyme in lipid secretion
Journal News

Elusive zebrafish enzyme in lipid secretion

May 1, 2025

Scientists discover that triacylglycerol synthesis enzyme drives lipoproteins secretion rather than lipid droplet storage. Read more about this recent study from the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Read More
Scientists identify pan-cancer biomarkers
Journal News

Scientists identify pan-cancer biomarkers

April 30, 2025

Researchers analyze protein and RNA data across 13 cancer types to find similarities that could improve cancer staging, prognosis and treatment strategies. Read about this recent article published in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.

Read More
New mass spectrometry tool accurately identifies bacteria
Journal News

New mass spectrometry tool accurately identifies bacteria

April 30, 2025

Scientists develop a software tool to categorize microbe species and antibiotic resistance markers to aid clinical and environmental research. Read about this recent article published in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.

Read More