Instant Genius Podcast: COVID in waste, with Dave O’Connor and Marc Johnson

How do viruses mutate? Are there rogue forms of coronavirus still out there? How can we track viruses down? We spoke to virologists Dave O’Connor and Marc Johnson to find out.

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Jason Goodyer

Published: October 28, 2022 at 9:27 am

Instant Genius is a bite-sized masterclass in podcast form. In this week's episode, we talk to virologists Dave O’Connor and Marc Johnson from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

For the past year, they have been hunting down a heavily mutated strain of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – searching through everything from sewage water to dog poo at the university's O'Connor Laboratory.

In this episode of Instant Genius, they explain how viruses mutate, how there may be rogue forms of coronavirus still out there and how we can track viruses down.

FindInstant Genius on your preferred podcast platform here: instantgenius.podlink.to/Podcast

Jason Goodyer

Commissioning editor, BBC Science Focus

Jason is the commissioning editor for BBC Science Focus. He holds an MSc in physics and was named Section Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors in 2019. He has been reporting on science and technology for more than a decade. During this time, he's walked the tunnels of the Large Hadron Collider, watched Stephen Hawking deliver his Reith Lecture on Black Holes and reported on everything from simulation universes to dancing cockatoos. He looks after the magazine’s and website’s news sections and makes regular appearances on the Instant Genius Podcast.
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