SARS-CoV-2 (half virion)

This is a detailed scale model of the virus particle of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. This model shows both internal and external features of the virus particle.

Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted by infectious particles. These are roughly spherical, and around 120 nm (about a ten thousandth of a millimeter) across.

The external features explain a lot about the virus. The membrane covering the surface can be disrupted by alchohol and detergents, which helps us to control the virus. The spikes on the surface let the virus bind to new cells. Mutations in the spike proteins allowed the animal ancestors of SARS-CoV-2 to adapt to infecting humans. Antibodies that bind to the spikes stop the virus entering cells and protect us from infection. COVID vaccines train our body to produce antibodies that recognise the spikes, and mutations in the spike proteins may require us to update the vaccines in the future.

The internal features of the virus show what it