An unusual experience can teach scientists important lessons.
 | By Alexandra Sifferlin Senior Staff Editor, Opinion |
Throughout the pandemic, there have been unusual cases of Covid-19. There are people who have tested positive for months and others who never got sick despite living with others who did. |
Often when there are illnesses that don't fit what's expected, they are declared "outliers" and ignored. And while that's the right way to think about rare cases if you're the average person, as the science writer Roxanne Khamsi shares in an essay today, these cases can offer important insights for scientists. |
For any disease, rare cases can, in some instances, help inform scientists' understanding of the immune system and even lead to new medicines. As Khamsi writes in her essay, one of the most famous cases is a man named Stephen Crohn who, thanks to a genetic mutation, was resistant to H.I.V. infection. By studying his mutation, researchers were able to develop a drug for the disease. |
Scientists are hopeful that they can gain similar insights from people who have had unusual experiences with Covid-19. Already, researchers have learned that variants of the coronavirus may be more likely to emerge among people with weakened immune systems, who can harbor the virus for long periods of time. Researchers in Brazil are studying the genes of centenarians who have survived Covid-19 to understand what contributes to such immunity against the virus. |
"Each outlier is like a puzzle piece," says Khamsi, "and scientists need to find and connect more than just a few of them to get the big picture." |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
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