16-02-2021

tuESdAy, FEbRuARy 16, 2021
5
Coronavirus variants
and mutations
JoNAtHAN CoRum
As an infected cell builds new
coronaviruses, it occasionally
makes tiny copying errors
called mutations. Scientists can
track mutations as they are
passed down through a
lineage, which is a branch of
the viral family tree.
A group of coronaviruses
that share the same inherited
set of distinctive mutations is
make vaccines less effective.
This group of coronaviruses
came to light in Britain, where
it was named Variant of
Concern 202012/01. The
variant is also known as
20I/501Y.V1, or simply called
B.1.1.7.
Coronaviruses from the
B.1.1.7 lineage are thought to be
roughly 50 percent more
infectious. After its discovery in
as 20H/501Y.V2, from the
B.1.351 lineage of
coronaviruses, was first
identified in South Africa in
December.
Scientists are concerned
about the variant because
clinical trials of vaccines are
showing that they offer less
protection against B.1.351 than
other variants. People who
recover from other variants
Each coronavirus contains nearly 30,000 letters of RNA.Photo: Collected
called a variant. If enough
December, it quickly emerged may not be able to fend off
mutations accumulate in a
in other countries and surged B.1.351 because their
lineage, the viruses may evolve
at an exponential rate. It is antibodies won't grab the
clear-cut differences in how
doubling in the United States viruses tightly. The F.D.A. is
they function. These lineages
every ten days. Preliminary preparing a plan for updating
come to be known as strains.
evidence suggests that B.1.1.7 is vaccines if the variant surges in
Covid-19 is caused by a
about 35 percent more deadly the United States.
coronavirus strain known as
than other variants. On the A variant known as
SARS-CoV-2.
other hand, vaccines appear to 20J/501Y.V3 is from the P.1
Over the course of the
work well against it.
lineage, an offshoot of the
pandemic, a number of
B.1.1.7 appears to be more larger B.1.1.28 lineage. The
variants of SARS-CoV-2 have
infectious thanks to several variant was first reported in
arisen. Some of them are
mutations in its spike protein, Japan, in four people who
raising worries that they may
which the coronavirus uses to contracted P.1 on a trip to
draw out the pandemic or
attach to cells. A variant known Brazil. The lineage emerged in
GREtCHEN REyNoLdS
We can thank early human
evolution that many of us can
enjoy running as much as we
do. Watch anyone with a
ponytail run, and you can see
their hair repeatedly describe
a figure-eight in the air,
responding to the forces
generated by the running.
But their heads stay still, their
eyes and gaze level.
If it weren't for some
unique evolutionary
advances, our heads would
do the same as that ponytail,
flopping like a swim noodle
when we run, according to a
clever new study of how - and
why - our upper bodies seem
to work the way they do when
we run, but not when we
walk. The study, which
involved treadmills, motion
capture, hand weights and an
eon's worth of back story,
finds that an unusual
coordination between certain
muscles in runners'
shoulders and arms helps to
keep heads stable and
runners upright.
The new findings may
answer lingering questions
about the role of our upper
bodies in running and why
we, unthinkingly, bend and
swing our arms with each
stride. They also add to the
mounting evidence that, long
ago, distance running began
shaping human bodies and
lives in ways that still
reverberate today.
The possibility that we
humans are born to run has
inspired many studies, books,
lectures and debates in recent
years, including the journalist
Christopher McDougall's
2009 best seller, "Born to
Run." The idea is based on
fossil research indicating that
early humans evolved to have
distinctive leg bones and
other characteristics that
would have aided distance
running. The findings suggest
that those of our ancestors
who could run well
dominated in the procuringfood
and procreating
sweepstakes, so that natural
selection started favoring
physical characteristics
associated with running.
Much of this research came
from the mind and laboratory
of Daniel Lieberman, a
professor of human
evolutionary anatomy at
Harvard University and
author of the new book
"Exercised," which delves
into exercise and evolution.
At first, most of his and other
scientists' work related to
evolution and running
centered on lower bodies,
since legs play such an
obvious part in how we get
from one place to another.
But Dr. Lieberman also was
interested in runners' upper
bodies and, especially, their
heads. As a longtime
marathon runner himself, he
knew that a stable head is
critical for successful
running, but not necessarily a
simple thing to achieve.
Running is propulsive. You
push off, rise and then brake
forcefully against the ground
with every stride, placing
forces on your head that
could make it flop
uncontrollably, like that
bobbing ponytail.
How we manage to keep
our heads stable, however,
has not been altogether clear.
Like most cursorial species,
or animals that run, including
dogs and horses, we have a
well-developed nuchal
ligament, a tissue that
connects the skull and neck.
That is not the case in species
that aren't natural runners,
like apes or swine.
When he was a young
scientist, Dr. Lieberman
recalled, he enticed pigs -
who are inelegant runners -
onto treadmills to study their
biomechanics. Their heads
jiggled like bobbleheads
when they were forced to run,
prompting Dr. Lieberman
and his colleagues to
conclude they lacked a nuchal
late 2020 in Manaus, the
largest city in Brazil's Amazon
region. It quickly became the
predominant variant there and
in several other South
American cities.
P.1 is a close relative of the
B.1.351 lineage, and it has some
of the same mutations on the
coronavirus spike protein. It
may be able to overcome the
immunity developed after
infection by other variants. The
D614G mutation emerged in
eastern China early in the
pandemic and then quickly
spread around the world,
displacing other coronaviruses
that did not have the mutation.
The D614G mutation is
thought to make the
coronavirus more infectious,
but it does not appear to make
the disease more severe or help
the virus escape vaccines. The
E484K mutation arose
independently in multiple
lineages, including B.1.351 and
P.1. Scientists are also
concerned that the mutation
was recently found in some
samples from the B.1.1.7
lineage from Britain.
The mutation occurs near
the top of the coronavirus
spike, where it alters the shape
of the protein. This change may
help the spikes evade some
types of coronavirus
antibodies. The mutation
appears in several lineages,
and was first observed in
Denmark in March. It's
possible that the L452R
mutation gives the coronavirus
an advantage at spreading over
other variants, but the results
of experiments that will
demonstrate that have yet to
come.
A variant discovered in
California, called CAL.20C,
surged in late 2020. The
variant spans the B.1.427
and B.1.429 lineages, and
carries the L452R mutation
listed above. But it's not yet
clear whether it is more
infectious.
Running is a total body affair
we can thank our heads and shoulders that we evolved to run as well
as we do.
Photo: Getty Images
ligament, a finding borne out
by anatomical studies.
But we humans also have
the challenge of being
upright, on two legs.
Presumably to balance
ourselves while running, we
began, at some point, to
swing our arms. Dr.
Lieberman guessed that the
arm swing helped to stabilize
our heads. But, if so, there
would have to be
coordination between the
muscles in our forearms and
shoulders, he thought, even
though these muscles do not
physically connect. They
would need to fire together
and with comparable force
during running, if they were
to be successful in stabilizing
our heads. He was uncertain
about how to test that theory,
though, until his colleague
Andrew Yegian, a college
fellow in the department of
human evolutionary biology
at Harvard, suggested
weighting runners' arms and
heads. Add mass there, he
said, watch how the muscles
respond, and you would be
able to tell if the arms and
shoulders were working
together to steady the head or
not.
So, for the new study,
which was published last
month in the American
Journal of Physical
Anthropology, Dr.
Lieberman, Dr. Yegian and
their colleagues fitted 13 men
and women with sensors on
their upper bodies that track
muscle activity and asked
them to, first, walk and then
run on a treadmill while the
researchers filmed them with
motion-capture technology.
Then the scientists handed
the volunteers light hand
weights and asked them to
run again. Finally, they
strapped weighted masks to
the volunteers' faces and had
them run once more, before
comparing how everyone's
muscles had responded to
each of these interventions.
Connecting with others on social media has helped ease the fear and loneliness of pandemic
living.
Photo: Collected
The pandemic induced depression and anxiety
StEvEN PEtRow
Depression crept up on me over the
summer and into the fall, so slowly that I
wasn't aware of the change in my wellbeing
- until suddenly I was. For most of
that time I chose to tough it out, largely
keeping quiet about my downward
trajectory. I knew I wasn't alone. A few
months into the pandemic, the Centers
for Disease and Control and Prevention
warned that mental health diagnoses -
anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide -
were on the rise. By year's end, a
government survey found that the
nation's mood had continued to darken.
Still, many people I know continue to
say they are "fine" - or defiantly "fine,
fine, fine," as one friend answered when I
checked in with him. To be honest, "fine"
had been my go-to response when
someone asked how I was doing, even as
depression and what I often call its first
cousin, anxiety, set in. Years ago, a
psychotherapist helped wean me off
"fine" as an answer to the question, "How
are you?" He explained, "Fine is neither
an emotion or a feeling," urging me
toward greater self-awareness and a
more honest response like "happy" or
"content," or "angry" or "sad."
Apparently, I had forgotten that lesson.
In the run-up to Election Day my
outlook had dimmed sufficiently that I
could see the depth of this darkness. For
instance, every time my friend Amy
phoned I realized I was taking a nap,
preparing to take one, or just finishing
one. That's long been one of my telltale
signs that all's not well. "Maybe I can
sleep through the rest of the pandemic," I
said to her one day, joking but not joking.
About that time, a fellow writer asked
on Facebook how people were faring,
after admitting she found herself
struggling. A deluge of posts expressing
worry and sadness and loneliness
resulted. That outpouring of emotion
told me many of us had been hiding our
true feelings; it also indicated the
Use perfume with a conscience
SALI HuGHES
There are interesting
developments around
sustainability in perfumery
and it's high time. For years,
I've felt a free pass is given to
perfume, as though lavish
single-use bottles and
excessive outer packaging
are an implicit right of the
luxury perfumer. But with
privilege should come
greater responsibility and an
obligation to innovate. Some
notable houses, from Tom
Ford and Chanel, to
Penhaligon's and Guerlain,
are stepping up with
refillable and recyclable
bottles, and, in Guerlain's
case, meticulous practices in
ingredient provenance.
The eco-conscious bottle
for Acqua di Parma's newest
launch, Colonia Futura, was
two years in planning. Made
from partly recycled glass
and topped with a recycled
and recyclable plastic cap,
the entire bottle is divisible
for straightforward sorting
into recycling. It's also
labelled with scrap dust
from marble quarries before
being packed in FSCcertified
cardboard. But the
smell, of course, is
paramount. Made from
more than 99% natural
ingredients, the perfume has
the brand's signature
freshness - grassy, vibrant,
importance of someone going first, as if
to break the ice by admitting, "I'm not
OK."
Soon after, I raised my hand by posting
on my Facebook feed, "Yes, this is a hard
time for me." I provided some additional
detail, like the fact that a topsy-turvy
stomach had whipped me into such an
anxious state I'd become convinced I had
pancreatic cancer instead of a simple
bellyache. What turned out to be merely
a pulled calf muscle started off - in my
mind - as a Covid-induced blood clot
about to break free.
Fear had become my constant
companion. Even though I'd gone public
about my struggles with depression
before, I still worried about talking
openly about my state of mind, largely
because of the stigma surrounding
mental health issues. I reached out to
David Cates, a clinical psychologist and
behavioral health consultant to the
University of Nebraska Medical Center's
Biocontainment Unit and National
Quarantine Center. He explained what I
already knew but had sidestepped.
"Acknowledging that something is wrong
is the first step to addressing a problem,"
he said. "It allows us to begin problemsolving.
When someone else
acknowledges their difficulties, whether
one-on-one or in a public forum, it can
make it easier for us to acknowledge our
own."
That Facebook post of mine - the one
where I raised my hand - helped me
tremendously. And apparently many
others. More than 200 friends responded
with their own painful confessions.
"Anxiety, depression and loneliness x
100," wrote one, who added, "body aches
which at 3 a.m., betwixt and between
anxiety nightmares - become sure signs
of debilitating disease eating away my
insides." Another posted, "In my mind
I've had five major diseases yet all my
labs are fine."
Friends posted about insomnia,
nausea, lack of focus, eye tics, agita,
Perfume houses have an obligation to innovate and some are stepping
up.
Photo: Alex Lake
but smart and expensivesmelling
with a price tag to
match (£73.80 for 50ml).
It's gender-neutral, but I
suspect the fanbase will
skew towards masculine (it's
a little Chanel Pour
Monsieur, to my nose, which
is never bad).
More my poison is
Ormonde Jayne's Tolu, a
warm, resinous fragrance
that I already loved but, now
it's refillable, I can do so with
a clear conscience. The
brand's Forever Bottles (instore
and just launched
online) aren't cheap (£110
for 50ml), but one gets a
beautiful glass atomiser in a
choice of seven striking
colours (I went for gold),
topped with a weighty metal
lid engraved with the
recipient's name, filled with
any of Ormonde Jayne's
exceptionally fine signature
fragrances for men and
women. I love the smooth
mellowness of Tolu, but
Ormonde Woman is another
oft-worn favourite.
Whichever you choose
(samples are available from
the website), it's an
exceptional gift and when
empty, can be refilled for
20% off the original price.
anxiety, relationship issues and being
"angry, cranky and crazy." Almost as
quickly as one friend would acknowledge
a condition, someone else would
volunteer: "me too."
My admission had the intended
consequence: It created an opening for
others. "You've put words to what I think
is a collective sentiment," posted a
neighbor whom I see often, but who had
never before discussed any of these
feelings with me. "Everyone seems to feel
disconnected from others, irritable and
frightened," a colleague wrote, helping to
make universal our ongoing challenges.
Since then I've posted regularly: "It's
Friday check-in time. How are you all
doing this week?" Friends and followers
have continued to acknowledge their
trials and tribulations as well as their
successes and triumphs. I also scheduled
a virtual appointment with my primary
care physician, who told me to take an
antacid for my stomach upset, which has
helped.
Now, in the depths of winter, more
people I know are acknowledging their
mental health issues in public. "I must
admit I am feeling a little despairing this
morning," wrote one woman I know,
adding, "I am sure I am not the only one.
If you are, too, you are not alone." Her
friends quickly followed up. "The weight
is heavy today. Thanks for connecting."
And another: "I see you. Sitting silently
beside you."
So many of us think we are the "only
one." That we're by ourselves, invisible. I
find it comforting that many of my
friends are finding connection with each
other through social media. "I feel
terrible and feel terrible for everyone
posting here, but there is some
consolation in seeing that we're not
alone," posted a friend.
To see each other, we need to make
ourselves visible. To help each other, we
need to acknowledge we need a hand,
too. I'm trying.
Less ornate, but
refreshingly practical, are Jo
Loves' new, improved,
reusable Fragrance
Paintbrushes. Think a clicky
pen - a bit like a concealer
wand - dispensing fine,
lasting fragrance in a clear
gel, directly on to the skin.
The initial outlay is £40 (a
complete pen and spare
cartridge), with a pack of 3 x
7ml refills costing £35. My
favourite is Green Orange &
Coriander, bright and
springy, but with a slightly
steamy, spa-like quality, that
smells - dare I say it? -
optimistic.