My Twitter ramblings yesterday have crystallized into a short piece on #covid19 mutations: nytimes.com/2020/05/06/hea…
Likewise, @edyong209 is on it theatlantic.com/health/archive…
@edyong209 A few key tips for reporting on mutation preprints...
@edyong209 1. Mutations happen. Especially in viruses.
2. If you don’t know about genetic drift, get to know it. Evolution is not just natural selection.
3. When it comes to changes in mutation frequency, genetic drift is typically the null hypothesis.
4. If you’re wondering what a null hypothesis is, get to know it. It’s how science works. (This is different from evidence in law, so don’t think that circumstantial evidence is going to cut it.)
5. Preprints are not peer-reviewed. So run your own peer review.
6. “Strain” refers to a lineage of viruses that has acquired mutations that create a distinct change in how it causes disease or is recognized by the immune system (its phenotype). A mutation in a lineage does not a strain make. Right now, there is but one strain of covid19
7. It takes a lot of work to detect natural selection on viruses in real time—but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. [ok, that’s it, I think.]
Whoops—bad threading. You can read the tips starting here:
