This post is part of a series hosted by UC Berkeley’s TAUG and the Claremont Colleges’ hearhere. In this weekly series, staff writers from both journals will be sharing their perspectives on the COVID-19 global pandemic. Click here for more information on hearhere.
Pictured above is the coronavirus that is currently wreaking havoc on the world. Protein structures like these have always drawn me in because they allow me to visualize that which is hidden from the naked eye, allowing me to see the invisible. These precious images are usually created through X-ray crystallography; the breakthrough method of its time used to discover DNA, which ties all life together. Recently, though, an innovative method known as Cryogenic Electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM) is creating a similar paradigm shift in structural biology to characterize protein function and structural motifs. High resolution structures from both methods give scientists the ability to run protein-docking computer programs that can sift through a database of potential cures for diseases, including cancer, essentially allowing scientists to exploit the structures of proteins and deadly viruses through computation in order to disarm them and prevent them from attacking the body. Each protein structure incites curiosity within me because it holds so much information just waiting to be unlocked. I find these microscopic macromolecules incredible, and I am left with no option but to reflect on the intricate and creative design, which to me must have an intelligent mind behind it. It is in this deep interest of mine that SARS-CoV-2 (the official name of the virus that causes COVID-19) first meaningfully seeped its way into my life, through an article my advisor sent me about the novel virus CoV spike 3-D Cryo-EM structure created by researchers at UT Austin. The structure published in Science, gave credibility to the new, emerging Cryo-EM method that can forgo the expensive and tedious crystallization conditions which can take years of research to achieve by pulling a thin layer of ice over the protein and shooting beams of electrons. The microscopy method can capture up to 800 images a day with atom-level resolution, giving a dynamic projectile of the actual protein movements. The structure of the virus brought hope for a cure to the scientific community as an avenue for inhibitor analysis —running programs to decipher readily available pharmaceuticals that stop the novel coronavirus dead in its tracks. Seeing the structure that causes COVID-19’s vicious nature after four weeks indoors and cases in the U.S. numbering well over half a million stirs within me both awe and horror. This tiny spike of a virus has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and countless more to come. It is what breaks its way into human cells and has broken into our lives. Such a seemingly perfectly calibrated, well-adapted, beautiful design is out of our own understanding – even the most advanced and revolutionary methods have only inched us towards any semblance of relief. I thought seeing the virus would bring me more comfort, but it has only made me recognize that there is a far-stretched chasm of knowledge between the maker of this virus and humanity, and it will be at least another year until we understand it well enough to stop it via vaccination. Current research methods are lacking within science and even more when faced with the glaring endless stream of questions that come with the pandemic. Should hospitals be allowed to hoard hydroxychloroquine, a treatment for malaria, on the slight possibility it can treat COVID-19 patients? How do we overcome the systemic racism in the healthcare system presented by demographic statistics of population deaths? How do we work towards housing the homeless population during this global crisis? If we successfully create a vaccination, would we sell it for profit? Who would get the first batch? As we face the realities of these questions, people are being confronted with the fact that science does not hold all the answers – and it shouldn’t. Here in the US, we’ve come to over-rely on knowledge derived from science, and the perceived safety it brings.. But in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, uncertainty is becoming the norm as unemployment rates rise and public health systems are strained to the breaking point. In order to reconcile this uncertainty that envelops humanity, we must adopt a more holistic worldview, which must include more ways of knowing than just science – those of philosophy, ethics, and of faith. For me the knowledge that comes from science, the understanding that comes from philosophy, and the wisdom for decision-making all come together in my Christian faith. I take solace in a God who cares for humanity, so much so that He offers His own infinite understanding. In the book of Proverbs it says, “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6). He has the physical understanding of the exact pathway that follows as the CoV spike binds to the protein receptors on any cell in the circulatory system, and He also has the answer to the systemic inequity that has unsettled all our hearts. I believe that God, in His time, is presenting humanity with both scientific knowledge and answers to the problems we face; both made complete with one thread: “[Jesus] is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). He is not leaving us to fend for ourselves, but offering us the ability to put our lives in the hands of someone who holds a wealth of knowledge. These are the most consoling words I can hear in these uncertain times. As someone who loves science and is fascinated by the world of scientific research, it’s incredibly easy for me to become enchanted by the achievements of humanity. This crisis is a timely reminder that no Cryo-EM structure or reading about potential inhibitors from highly regarded journals can truly save. Science can allow us to survive, and many times not even that, but it cannot teach us how to live. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I rest humbly knowing I do not need to have all the answers because He already does. Michelle Garcia is a second year at Pomona College with an intended double-major in Computer Science and Chemistry, and minor in Math.
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