| The X-Men film series tells the story of a group of extraordinary individuals who are hated, distrusted and misunderstood by wider human society because of superpowers they've gained as a result of being mutants. Viruses all over the world are nodding their heads. The mere mention of mutant viruses strikes fear into the average human. Yet viruses can't help mutating; they do it all the time. It's what allows them to survive, by testing out new variations and conformations that allow them to become more efficient in how they infect different cells and organisms. But not all mutations are created equal. In some cases, they can confer -- not superpowers necessarily -- but great lethality. The virus that caused the 1918 flu pandemic is believed to have undergone a mutation that made it far more deadly, for example.  The X-Men have superpowers they've gained as a result of being mutants. The vast majority of mutations don't have that kind of impact. For now, there's no evidence that the new version of SARS-CoV-2 found in the U.K. is any more destructive than other variants. And while British health officials have said it appears to spread more quickly, Operation Warp Speed Chief Science Adviser Moncef Slaoui has said there's no hard evidence of that. For good or ill, mutations can only occur if the virus is growing and spreading. "There's enough opportunity in our own country for these mutations to occur, that I wouldn't be surprised as we continue to look for them, we're going to see some similar mutations," said Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. government infectious-disease doctor, in an interview with Bloomberg Television. The way to stop the virus from replicating is to avoid infections, either through social distancing, mask wearing, or the use of new vaccines that are being rolled out in countries around the world. When viruses like SARS-CoV2 replicate "rapidly and extensively,'' Fauci said, "you will get mutants."--John Lauerman | 
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