Decoding the genes of the Covid-19 virus

Workers in protective suits conduct RNA tests on suspected Covid-19 specimens in a laboratory in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China. Chinese scientists were the first to sequence the coronavirus and share them with the global scientific community. — Reuters

The genetic code of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 is only about 30,000 characters long, but what a story it tells.

Those nucleotides conceal secrets of the virus’ past, including its origins, its passage among families and its journey to distant ports.