Conclusions about coronavirus mutations 'are overblown,' scientist says

Coronavirus research.
(Image credit: ADEK BERRY/AFP via Getty Images)

Scientists are probably exhausted from having to explain that new studies on the coronavirus are far from a sure thing, but, thankfully, they keep setting the record straight anyway.

The latest study to cause a stir came from from a team at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The Los Angeles Times published a report on the paper, which concluded that the COVID-19 coronavirus mutated into a more transmissible (albeit, not necessarily more dangerous) form that is more prevalent in hot spots. The research team, led by Bette Kober, is well-regarded and many of colleagues consider the theory plausible, The Atlantic reports, but that doesn't mean it's likely.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.