COVID-19 Basic Science Prequels

Decades before COVID-19 gripped the world, basic science researchers were laying the groundwork for lifesaving medical and technological breakthroughs now central to the world’s pandemic response. With support from The Kavli Foundation and the Simons Foundation, the Science Philanthropy Alliance has enlisted a team of science writers to explore these science origin stories. Each month, the COVID-19 Basic Science Prequels will unpack the people, history and serendipitous discovery behind topics that now dominate our daily lives.

Seeing the Big Picture: Moving From One Molecule to Many
How Speeding up Science Aided the Fight Against COVID-19
Reading Genomes: The Key to Life and to Thwarting Death
Seeing is Believing: Exposing the “Invisible Monster”
Exponentially Important: The Scientific Origins of PCR
Pandemic Puts Mathematical Modeling Through Its Paces
The Arcane Research That Prepared Us for COVID-19
Scabs and Failure: Springboard for a History-Making Vaccine
Put a Mask On It: Understanding How COVID-19 Spreads
The Vast Virus World: What We Know (and Don’t Know)
Harnessing the Power of Evolution in the Battle Against COVID-19
A Conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci About Funding Basic Research for Pandemic Preparedness