Britain has long been a leader in genome-sequencing
The pandemic has increased its prowess
IN A VIAL of liquid the size of a fingernail sit 384 genomes. A few days ago, each was inside the membrane of a coronavirus, somewhere in a nasal passage in England. The vial’s contents are placed in a printer-sized box packed with lasers and microscopic glass tubes. In the next 24 hours it will tear them into their component molecules, then reassemble them in such a way as to record their original order. That order is the blueprint that determines the virus’s structure—and whether it will co-exist peacefully with humanity, or cause havoc.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Silver linings playbook”
Britain January 29th 2022
- Boris Johnson, the prime minister who can’t say no
- The Bank of England is determined to prevent a wage-price spiral
- Little sign of compromise over the Northern Ireland protocol
- Britain has long been a leader in genome-sequencing
- Brexit and covid-19 have produced a bigger civil service
- Britain’s newly listed tech firms are taking a beating
- After more than two decades, Britain is finally rid of termites
- Boris Johnson is making boring politics look attractive
From the January 29th 2022 edition
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