The World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are tracking and studying a highly mutated new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. Officially titled BA.2.86 and nicknamed Pirola on social media, the WHO has designated it as a “variant under monitoring.” This status applies to variants that have an unusually large number of mutations that call for monitoring as they spread.
According to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center evolutionary biologist Jesse Bloom, BA.2.86 has more than 30 amino acid changes in its spike protein, compared with its next closest ancestor (Omicron’s BA.2 subvariant).
“We have not seen a new variant [in humans] with this many new spike mutations happening all at once since the emergence of the original Omicron,” Bloom told NBC News. “Based on the sequence, I think we can be very confident this [variant] is going to be relatively good at evading the antibodies that most people have from prior infections and vaccinations. What we still don’t know is, is this variant good enough at transmitting that it will really be able to spread widely around the world?”
So far, only six sequences BA.2.86 have been reported in the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, and Denmark, but epidemiologists are concerned that it is circulating in more places since monitoring COVID-19 variants has dropped.
“It is unusual for corona to change so significantly and develop 30 new mutations. The last time we saw such a big change was when Omicron appeared,” Morten Rasmussen, a senior researcher at the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) in Denmark, said in a statement.
SSI scientists stressed that it is currently too early to say if this new variant is more contagious or severe and that they are in the process testing it against human antibodies.
The CDC will keep monitoring BA.2.86, but did not say it is not currently a cause for alarm. According to the CDC’s variant tracker, the XBB descendant EG.5 (nicknamed Eris) is causing roughly 20 percent of all new COVID-19 cases in the US and is the dominant variant. The next most common variant is FL.1.5.1, causing about 13 percent new cases.
[Related: Your guide to COVID testing for the unforeseeable future.]
“I think what we are seeing is our detection mechanisms that we’ve put in place are working, right?” CDC Director Mandy Cohen told CNN. “We are more prepared than ever to detect and respond to changes in the COVID-19 virus.”
As the fall and winter virus season approaches, COVID-19 cases are expected to continue to climb around the US. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to authorize updated booster shots soon, with signoff from the CDC expected by mid-September. The new boosters won’t include the specific EG.5 subvariant or BA.2.86, but will target the XBB strains.

News
Tiny robots made from human cells heal damaged tissue
The ‘anthrobots’ were able to repair a scratch in a layer of neurons in the lab. Scientists have developed tiny robots made of human cells that are able to repair damaged neural tissue1. The [...]
Antimicrobial Resistance – A Global Concern
Key facts Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health and development threats. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to [...]
Advancing Pancreatic Cancer Treatment with Nanoparticle-Based Chemotherapy
Pancreatic cancer, a particularly lethal form of cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the western world, often remains undiagnosed until its advanced stages due to a lack of early symptoms. [...]
The ‘jigglings and wigglings of atoms’ reveal key aspects of COVID-19 virulence evolution
Richard Feynman famously stated, "Everything that living things do can be understood in terms of the jigglings and wigglings of atoms." This week, Nature Nanotechnology features a study that sheds new light on the evolution of the coronavirus [...]
AI system self-organizes to develop features of brains of complex organisms
Cambridge scientists have shown that placing physical constraints on an artificially-intelligent system—in much the same way that the human brain has to develop and operate within physical and biological constraints—allows it to develop features [...]
How Blind People Recognize Faces via Sound
Summary: A new study reveals that people who are blind can recognize faces using auditory patterns processed by the fusiform face area, a brain region crucial for face processing in sighted individuals. The study employed [...]
Treating tumors with engineered dendritic cells
Cancer biologists at EPFL, UNIGE, and the German Cancer Research Center (Heidelberg) have developed a novel immunotherapy that does not require knowledge of a tumor's antigenic makeup. The new results may pave the way [...]
Networking nano-biosensors for wireless communication in the blood
Biological computing machines, such as micro and nano-implants that can collect important information inside the human body, are transforming medicine. Yet, networking them for communication has proven challenging. Now, a global team, including EPFL [...]
Popular Hospital Disinfectant Ineffective Against Common Superbug
Research conducted during World Antimicrobial Awareness Week examines the effects of employing suggested chlorine-based chemicals to combat Clostridioides difficile, the leading cause of antibiotic-related illness in healthcare environments worldwide. A recent study reveals that a [...]
Subjectivity and the Evolution of AI Philosophy
An Historical Overview of the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence by Anton Vokrug Many famous people in the philosophy of technology have tried to comprehend the essence of technology and link it to society and human [...]
How Lockdowns Shaped the Virus: AI Uncovers COVID-19’s Evolutionary Secrets
A new research study shows that human behavior, like lockdowns, influences the evolution of COVID-19, leading to strains that are more transmissible earlier in their lifecycle. Using artificial intelligence technology and mathematical modeling, a research [...]
Groundbreaking therapy approved: chances of cure for 7000 diseases:
Hereditary diseases are usually not curable. Now, however, an epochal turning point is taking place in medicine: For the first time ever, a therapy with the CRISPR/Cas9 gene scissors has received approval. According to [...]
Uncovering the Genetic Mystery: Why Some Never Show COVID-19 Symptoms
New study shows that common genetic variation among people is responsible for mediating SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic infection. Have you ever wondered why some people never became sick from COVID-19? A study published recently in the journal Nature shows that common [...]
AI maps tumor geography for tailored treatments
Researchers have integrated AI approaches from satellite mapping and community ecology to develop a tool to interpret data obtained from tumor tissue imaging, with the aim of implementing a more individualized approach to cancer care. [...]
Lung cancer cells’ ‘memories’ suggest new strategy for improving treatment
A new understanding of lung cancer cells' "memories" suggests a new strategy for improving treatment, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) researchers have found. Research from the lab of cancer biologist Tuomas Tammela, MD, Ph.D. [...]
Artificial sensor similar to a human fingerprint can recognize fine fabric textures
An artificial sensory system that is able to recognize fine textures—such as twill, corduroy and wool—with a high resolution, similar to a human finger, is reported in a Nature Communications paper. The findings may help improve the subtle [...]