But as scientists across the globe learn more about these mutations, many have been eager to use these discoveries to decipher whether the virus is becoming more or less dangerous.
For example, in early March a group of scientists in China identified
two different types of the virus, the L-type and the S-type. The L-type was found to be more widespread, leading to early speculation that the virus had evolved into a more infectious version of itself.
More recently, similar research out of Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States which has not been peer reviewed identified a
common mutation in the virus that began spreading in Europe in early February. The scientists suggested this mutation may have helped the virus spread faster and farther because it is inherently more infectious, generating breathless news coverage about a dangerous "mutant" virus.
But another group of scientists from Arizona State University arrived at a
nearly opposite interpretation of the mutations they discovered. Their research led them to believe
the virus might become weaker and die off, just like the 2003 SARS outbreak.