--- title: "Two COVID Strains Appear to Have Merged Into a “Heavily Mutated” Hybrid" description: "Bette Korber, a researcher at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico has discovered “pretty clear” evidence of a heavily mutated hybrid version of the coronavirus that resulted from two variants combining their genomes, the New Scientist reports. The hybrid version, otherwise known as a recombinant, resulted from genomes of the B117 variant, a […]" date: "2021-02-17" modified: "2021-02-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/two-covid-strains-merged-heavily-mutated-hybrid" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "health" --- # Two COVID Strains Appear to Have Merged Into a “Heavily Mutated” Hybrid ![A researcher has discovered "pretty clear" evidence of a new hybrid version of the coronavirus that resulted from two variants combining their genomes.]() *\Image: NIAID/Victor Tangermann\* Bette Korber, a researcher at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, has discovered what he characterizes as "pretty clear" evidence of a heavily mutated hybrid version of the coronavirus that resulted from two variants combining their genomes*.* The "heavily mutated" hybrid version, [*New Scientist* reports](), resulted from genomes of the B117 variant, a highly transmissible version that originated in the UK, combining with a mutation first discovered in California called B1429. If confirmed, the strain could be the first hybrid — otherwise known as a "recombinant" — of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to have been discovered during this pandemic. Recombinants are actually quite common among other coronaviruses due to enzymes jumping back and forth between them and combining various elements of each genome, thereby creating hybrids, *New Scientist* explains. In fact, scientists believe the SARS-CoV-2 virus may have originated from an initial recombination of existing viruses, according to the magazine. It's unclear if the newly discovered hybrid is any more dangerous to humans than other variants. There is, however, also a chance that further recombinations could pose more of a threat in the future. While Korber [couldn't rule out]() that the new hybrid can be transmitted from human to human, there is still no evidence that it has that ability. So what could be causing this emergence of recombinations? With a sufficient number of COVID-19 cases, there's a higher chance of individuals being infected with more than one variant of the virus, a process known as co-infection, leading to various genomes merging. Big picture, it's the latest sign that the pandemic continues to evolve, both literally and figuratively — and that nothing should surprise us going forward. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()