Skip to main content
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Español
  • Site Search
  • Log In/Create Account
  • BioInteractive Resources
  • Planning Tools
  • Professional Development
  • About Us

Biology of SARS-CoV-2

Start Interactive
Illustration of a cross section of the SARS-CoV-2 virus

Topic

  • Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • DNA & RNA
  • Microbiology
  • Viruses
  • Pathogens & Disease

Resource Type

  • Interactive Media
  • Click & Learn

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Saved By
111 Users
Share This
View in Spanish

Description

This four-part animation series explores the biology of the virus SARS-CoV-2, which has caused a global pandemic of the disease COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 is part of a family of viruses called coronaviruses. The first animation, Infection, describes the structure of coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2 and how they infect humans and replicate inside cells. The second animation, Evolution, describes how these viruses evolve and discusses positive, negative, and neutral mutations. The third animation, Detection, describes the methods used to detect active and past SARS-CoV-2 infections. The fourth animation, Vaccination, describes the different types of vaccinations for SARS-CoV-2 and how they prevent disease. These animations are also available in a YouTube playlist.

The accompanying “Student Worksheets” incorporate concepts and information from the animations. The “Version 1” worksheet is appropriate for general high school biology students, and the “Version 2” worksheet is appropriate for AP/IB Biology and undergraduate students. 

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.

An audio descriptive version of the animation is available via our media player by clicking the "AD" button in the lower left hand corner of the media player.

 

Student Learning Targets

  • Identify structural components of SARS-CoV-2.
  • Describe the steps in the SARS-CoV-2 replication cycle. 
  • Explain how mutations arise in a viral genome.
  • Describe how a virus can change over time due to mutations.
  • Outline different ways to detect a viral infection.
  • Describe how different types of vaccines expose the immune system to specific antigens.
  • Explain how antigens stimulate a natural immune response, including the concepts of antibodies and immune memory.
     

Estimated Time

Within one 50-minute class period.

Key Terms

adenovirus, antibody, antigen, B cell, COVID-19, coronavirus, envelope, mRNA, mutation, replication, RT-PCR, SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), spike protein

Primary Literature

Cui, Jie, Fang Li, and Zheng-Li Shi. “Origin and evolution of pathogenic coronaviruses.” Nature Reviews Microbiology 17, 3 (2019): 181–192. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-018-0118-9. 

Fehr, Anthony R., and Stanley Perlman. “Coronaviruses: An Overview of Their Replication and Pathogenesis.” In Coronaviruses: Methods and Protocols, eds. Helena J. Maier, Erica Bickerton, and Paul Birtton, 1–23. Vol. 1282 of Methods in Molecular Biology. New York: Humana Press, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2438-7_1. 

Khailany, Rozhgar A., Muhamad Safdar, and Mehmet Ozaslan. “Genomic characterization of a novel SARS-CoV-2.” Gene Reports 19 (2020): 100682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genrep.2020.100682.

Terms of Use

The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria. Interactive media meets criteria. Spanish files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 08.28.20
Date Updated 11.05.21

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS1-1, HS-LS3-2

AP Biology (2019)

SYI-1.D, IST-1.N, IST-2.E, IST-4.B

IB Biology (2016)

1.3, 2.7, 5.3, 6.3, 11.1, B.4

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9-10.4, ELA.RST.11-12.4, ELA.RST.11-12.7

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1, CC2, CC3; DP1, DP4

Materials

Resource Google Folder (link)
Animation 1080p (M4V) 477 MB
Animation 1080p (WMV) 401 MB
Animation 720p (M4V) 199 MB
Animation 720p (WMV) 164 MB
Educator Materials (PDF) 1 MB
Student Worksheet — Version 1 (PDF) 1 MB
Student Worksheet — Version 2 (PDF) 695 KB
Transcript (PDF) 215 KB
Educator Materials - Español (PDF) 535 KB
Student Worksheet — Version 1- Español (PDF) 483 KB
Student Worksheet — Version 2- Español (PDF) 693 KB
Transcript - Español (PDF) 189 KB

Related Science News

EXPLAINER: Why it’s hard to make vaccines and boost supplies
Masks and social distancing work, new analysis finds
'Desperation science' slows the hunt for coronavirus drugs
Why health experts aren’t warning about coronavirus in food
Waste-watching: Sewage can help track pandemic virus trends
Virus renews safety concerns about slaughtering wild animals
The autopsy, a fading practice, revealed secrets of COVID-19

Explore Related Content

Other Resources About Coronaviruses

Showing of
3D model of the Ebola virus
Click & Learn
Virus Explorer
Volunteers hand out masks and hand sanitizer at a public event.
Scientists at Work
COVID-19 Sparks Community Action

Other Related Resources

Showing of
Dengue virus computer image
Animations
Dengue Virus Life Cycle
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Stopping Mosquito-Borne Disease
3D model of the Ebola virus
Click & Learn
Virus Explorer
Computer illustration of viruses
Animations
Viral Life Cycle
Computer illustration of viruses infecting a cell
Animations
Recombination of Viral Genomes
Image from the video
Animations
Treating HIV Infection with Protease Inhibitors
Computer image of three different viruses
Animations
Viral Geometry and Structural Diversity
Computer image from the video
Animations
Treating HIV Infection with a Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
From Birds to People: The West Nile Virus Story
Image from the film of researchers feeding a fruit bat
Scientists at Work
Virus Hunter: Monitoring Nipah Virus in Bat Populations
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility