A close relative of SARS-CoV-2 found in bats offers more evidence it evolved naturally
Monday, May 11, 2020 - 14:30
in Biology & Nature
Researchers describe a recently identified bat coronavirus that contains insertions of amino acids at the junction of the S1 and S2 subunits of the virus's spike protein in a manner similar to SAR-CoV-2. While it's not a direct evolutionary precursor of SARS-CoV-2, this new virus, RmYN02, suggests that these types of seemingly unusual insertion events can occur naturally in coronavirus evolution.