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What is a coronavirus? - Elizabeth Cox

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TEDEd Animation

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For almost a decade, scientists chased the source of a deadly new virus through China’s tallest mountains and most isolated caverns. They finally found it in the bats of Shitou Cave. The virus in question was a coronavirus that caused an epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in 2003. So what exactly is a coronavirus, and how does it spread? Elizabeth Cox explains.

Why does the latest coronavirus, COVID-19, not need ideal conditions to spread?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Elizabeth Cox
  • Director Anton Bogaty
  • Narrator Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Animator Anton Bogaty
  • Storyboard Artist Anton Bogaty
  • Art Director Anton Bogaty
  • Compositor Anton Bogaty
  • Music Jarrett Farkas
  • Sound Designer Weston Fonger
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal, Elizabeth Cox
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma
  • Science Consultant Edsel Maurice T. Salvaña, Nassim Assefi
  • Special Thanks Kim Preshoff

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