Month: February 2021

Enlarge / False color image of viruses attached to a cell's surface. (credit: NIAID)

While the SARS-CoV-2 virus is new to humans, coronaviruses in general aren't. There have been earlier members of this group of viruses that have raised pandemic fears, while another group regularly circulates widely in humans, causing symptoms of the common cold.

Early on, there were some indications that prior exposure to cold-causing viruses could produce a degree of protection against COVID-19. But back in December, researchers published results indicating that any cross-reactivity against related viruses by T cells was likely to be ineffective. Now, additional results have been published that indicate antibodies raised against cold viruses fail to neutralize SARS-CoV-2.

Memories

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has a number of features that distinguish it from other coronaviruses that have circulated within humans. But it also has plenty of things in common, like its use of RNA as a genetic material and the general layout of its genome. Some of its genes have also picked up very few changes over the course of evolution. As a result, there are some stretches of genes that are identical in cold viruses and SARS-CoV-2.

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  So much fun, you'll be climbing the walls!

If you were one of the few million people who stuck with Nintendo through the Wii U years, the Switch era has likely created a lot of feelings of deja vu for you. For every full-fledged sequel like Super Mario Odyssey or Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Switch, you've had to face at least one warmed-over Wii U port like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker, or Hyrule Warriors Deluxe (to name just a few).

While it's nice that these underloved Wii U games are getting a new lease on life (and a new fully portable play option) on the much more popular Switch, the idea of paying full price for a light update to a game you bought less than a decade ago on the Wii U might feel a little grating.

For its latest Wii U rehash, Nintendo seems to have acknowledged this issue to some extent. The Switch port of the excellent Super Mario 3D World comes packaged with Bowser's Fury, a brand-new bit of "open world" content that extends 3D World's gameplay ideas in some interesting new directions. The result is a package that should have any 3D platforming fan at least taking a second look, even if they already bought the game a few years ago.

A new kind of 3D Mario

If you missed out on Super Mario 3D World the first time around, you might have to adjust your expectations for a 3D Mario platform game a little bit. Much like the 3DS’s Super Mario 3D Land before it, 3D World generally avoids the wide-open areas and level-specific goals of games like Super Mario 64.