If you have ever uttered the words, “Science is so confusing” or “I’m just not good at science”, or maybe “ I just don’t have time to try to figure out what that scientist is talking about”, then this blog is for you. My name is Will Rhodes and I am a scientist. Currently working on my graduate degree in Biology, I’ve been fascinated by science most of my life and have been explaining it to my family for years. I recognize that scientific concepts aren’t always intuitive or easy to figure out with quick soundbites. Our human senses which help us understand our world don’t always give us a complete picture. It is hard for someone who doesn’t study diseases to fully grasp the workings of particles that are invisible to the naked eye. It is near impossible to conceive of quantum mechanics if you’ve never studied much more than college Physics. We scientists understand our fields of study better than most. However, we haven’t always done the best job of communicating our discoveries and findings in ways that nonscientists can fully understand or apply to our lives. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of misinformation regarding science and the scientific effort.
My goal is to provide factual, straightforward explanations for science that is relevant to our daily lives. I will only use trusted sources of information that has a track record of thorough vetting. I will be honest. This blog is designed to help young and old who want to be well versed in today’s scientific events.
At the end of most blogs I will try to answer a popular question or concern. Feel free to ask me questions for future blogs.
Of course the biggest scientific event affecting our lives right now is the Coronavirus pandemic. So let’s kick off with an explanation of this virus.
What is COVID-19
COVID-19 stands for COronaVIrus Disease - 2019 and is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, which is one member of the broader clade of coronaviruses. It is essentially one species in the group coronavirus. SARS and MERS were also coronavirus species, as are some viruses which cause the common cold. Coronaviruses generally infect the upper respiratory tract and affect mammals and birds.
The name coronavirus is derived from the shape of the virus which has distinctive spiky proteins on the surface which are used to latch on to cells and trick them into absorbing the virus. When viewed under an electron microscope, these proteins resemble a wreath or halo around the virus, similar to the corona of a star. Both are named for the latin word corona, meaning crowned or wreathed.
Did You Know....
Corona Beer and Corona Virus are linked...etymologically. The latin word corona evolved into the Spanish word for crown, which is the origin of the names for both corona beer and corona virus.
How is Coronavirus Spread
SARS-CoV-2 spreads through the air via aerosol droplets. Whenever we cough, sneeze, speak, or even exhale, we spew tiny droplets of fluid from our throat and lungs into the air. If these droplets are small enough (less than 5 micrometers), they will float in the air for a little while and travel up to a meter (3 feet) away from the person before drying out. If a person coughs or sneezes, this range can become as high as two meters (6 feet). This is why social distancing is so important; these droplets can’t reach anyone else if no one comes within a meter of each other. Many diseases can live in and be spread by these droplets, such as flu, the common cold, and other coronaviruses.
However, a disease being carried by respiratory droplets is not the same as being airborne. Because these droplets are so small, their water evaporates very quickly, leaving behind a dry remnant of whatever proteins, bacteria, and viruses were within the droplet. Any droplets which don’t hit the ground first will turn into these dry particles, which can drift in the air indefinitely. Most germs can’t survive too long without water, so they would ‘die’ within these dry particles and would normally pose no threat to a person. But some pathogens can adapt to survive for some time in a dry particle and can thus move much further away from the original source. If a dry particle containing one of these dry-adapted diseases lands on a person’s face, hands, or a commonly touched surface, these pathogens can wind up inside the body where they can begin an infection.
How far one of these particles can travel by air and how long a virus can remain viable within a particle depends on several factors, such as humidity, temperature, wind speed, and ventilation. Scientists are still trying to figure out whether or not SARS-CoV-2 can survive in dry particles, but there is evidence to suggest that it can. Viral RNA has been found in the air of several hospitals and there have been numerous anecdotal cases of people catching COVID-19 after being in the same restaurant as an infected person. The international scientific community is currently looking closely at airborne spread. Over 230 scientists recently submitted a letter to the World Health Organization requesting further study and revised preventative measures regarding this type of spread.
Now, it should be noted that the science suggests that one is far more likely to catch COVID-19 from droplets than they are from dry particles, so social distancing will still offer significant protection even if the virus is airborne. That said, social distancing won’t be foolproof if the virus is airborne, so it's even more important to wear a mask and limit your interactions with large groups of people.
A Popular Question
I’ve often heard people say out of frustration that “No one knows what’s going on with this virus” or “How can we trust what the scientists are saying because they keep changing what they’re saying”. Coronavirus research is historic in the fact that so many scientists from around the world are focused on this one problem. The pace at which epidemiologists, biologists, aerosol chemists, infectious disease doctors, clinicians and public health officials are working to learn about this novel virus is unprecedented in our human history. Right now, it’s important to remember how unprecedented this pandemic is and that COVID-19 is a brand new disease. All of the work that scientists are doing right now is to gather information about this disease because we do not know enough about it. While these are the best equipped people to understand what we should do, best equipped doesn’t necessarily mean completely well equipped right now. Science is all about discovery, so scientists are used to working with incomplete information. But when so many lives are on the line, it’s understandable to be scared of this lack of clarity. But we can only act on what we know today, because we know more today than we did yesterday. And while we will know more tomorrow, we can’t wait until we know more to act. We must act in the present. So we must trust the people who know the most about this virus, do our best to understand their recommendations in good faith, and remember it’s okay to be afraid for a while, but know we will overcome this.
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