• Question: How do your results compare with others in the area?

    Asked by bath449hug on 14 Jan 2022.
    • Photo: Danielle Nader

      Danielle Nader answered on 14 Jan 2022:

      In 2020 our lab was part of a very small group of researchers across the world that had the same theory about the COVID19 virus. At that time, not much was known about the virus so it was difficult for other researchers to believe our work! Now, much more data has come out over the last 2 years that supports our original theory, and everyday more research is being done to prove it!

    • Photo: Jonny Coates

      Jonny Coates answered on 14 Jan 2022: last edited 14 Jan 2022 11:56 am

      Our COVID work actually led the field (metaresearch / COVID literature) and some other scientists have since shown the same things but we’re still the go-to paper – which is such an unbelivably cool feeling that I never thought I’d have. And it’s always nice when other people come up with the same findings.

    • Photo: Valerie Vancollie

      Valerie Vancollie answered on 14 Jan 2022:

      Our lab does this in two main ways at the moment. The first is the tried and true method of scientific publication. However, because that’s slow and with a pandemic you need to be able to respond quickly, we also upload all of the covid sequences we do into an international database available to researchers and officials everywhere.

      This way people can respond quickly. So 2 days after Omicron had been identified and uploaded in South Africa, we had uploaded the first UK sequences of Omicron. So it allows for faster reactions and sharing of information.

    • Photo: Chris Budd

      Chris Budd answered on 15 Jan 2022: last edited 15 Jan 2022 8:07 am

      I am part of a group of modellers which helps to inform our policy makers about the impact of COVID. The policy makers have to look at the predictions of several groups to work out what they think will happen next. Different groups may come up with different predictions depending upon what assumptions they make about the virus and (more difficultly) how they think that people will behave in response to the virus. But in science we must be completely honest and not only say what our assumptions are but also what we think the limitations of our models are. This then helps the policy makers to make their decisions. I am part of a not dissimilar group which also gives advice about climate change based on mathematical models.

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