With no agreed naming system, scientists are devising their own nomenclature to fill the gap

Look closely enough, and each day seemingly unveils a fresh variant of the dreaded virus that causes Covid-19. These variants may be worthy of concern or simply stoke scientific curiosity, but they carry some industrial-strength technical names such as B117 or B1351.

And as the list grows bulkier, even the scientists need some respite – so some have developed nicknames such as Nelly or designated a bird species to refer to particular mutations or variants.

Continue reading…

You May Also Like

Tory co-chair and Mr Fix-it Ben Elliot who is caught in donors’ club row

The well-connected nephew of the Duchess of Cornwall is accused of blurring…

Don’t be fooled: Germany’s U-turn on sending tanks to Ukraine is a reluctant one | Jan-Philipp Hein

The invasion of Ukraine has shaken Germany out of its decades-long commitment…

Couples who meet via dating apps keener to settle down, study suggests

Research finds those who couple up after swiping right have stronger long-term…