From Nelly to Doug: nicknames emerge for growing list of Covid variants

With no agreed naming system, scientists are devising their own nomenclature to fill the gapCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEach day seemingly unveils a fresh variant of the virus that causes Covid-19. Thesevariants– 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...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Coronavirus Infectious diseases Medical research Microbiology Science World news UK news Source Type: news