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How Science Beat the Virus
Article

How Science Beat the Virus

And what it lost in the process

The Atlantic, 2020


Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Scientific
  • Applicable
  • Eye Opening

Recommendation

As of late 2019, hardly any scientists studied COVID-19. Research had not isolated the disease or the coronavirus that causes it. By March 2020, COVID-19 had transformed into a full-blown pandemic afflicting close to a million people worldwide, and the world’s scientists reacted. In one of the great gear shifts in modern science history, the world’s scientists dropped everything and focused on COVID-19. In a way that resembles efforts on the Manhattan Project and the Apollo program, the coronavirus pandemic harnessed the world’s scientific energy and skill. Ed Yong, writing for The Atlantic, offers insight, reach and vision for scientists, doctors and public health professionals.

Take-Aways

  • The COVID-19 pandemic spurred the largest scientific turnaround in history.
  • Scientific efforts produced diagnostic tests and vaccine development at breakneck speed.
  • The rapid scientific pivot lead to flawed research and political failures.

About the Author

Ed Yong is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covers science.