Key Ingredient for Coronavirus Testing Comes from Lassen’s Hydrothermal Waters
The gates of Lassen Volcanic National Park remain closed as the Coronavirus outbreak continues to spread through the United States, but the park’s hydrothermal activity is still key to the pandemic discussion. As it turns out, the key ingredient in the testing kit for the Coronavirus is found in the hydrothermal waters of Lassen and Yellowstone National Park.
A species of heat-loving bacteria called Thermus aquaticus that thrives in the hydrothermal waters of Lassen produces unusual heat-resistant enzymes. Those enzymes are a key component in polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, a method used widely in labs around the world to study small samples of genetic material by making millions of copies.
That exact scientific process is being used to test for Covid-19 around the world.
The technique of using Thermus aqauticus for this testing was developed in Yellowstone National Park, which features similar hydrothermal waters to Lassen, by microbiologist Thomas Brock more than 50 years ago. Today, the process is used to boost the signal of Coronavirus in people tested.
Science is cool! Stay home and safe, NorCal.
