As we end this extraordinary year, the importance of micro- biology continues to be demonstrated in our daily lives in ways that we would never have predicted 12 months ago. This month in the UK, the identification of a new variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2) through the continuing work of the COVID-19 Genomics Consortium (@CovidGenomicsUK) led to an almost imme- diate change in government policy, and while the manifesta- tions of the new variant are being uncovered, it is an example of evolution occurring in real time in front of the eyes of the general public. The development and delivery of multiple new vaccines against the virus are a true illustration that biology has the potential to be the greatest technology of the 21st century.
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