How the coronavirus escapes an evolutionary trade-off that helps keep other pathogens in check
- Written by Athena Aktipis, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University
An artistic rendering of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19 illness.Getty Images / s-cphotoViruses walk a fine line between severity and transmissibility. If they are too virulent, they kill or incapacitate their hosts; this limits their ability to infect new hosts. Conversely, viruses that cause little harm may not be generating...