When the virus is studied from another direction — by exploring the nucleocapsid, another viral protein which contributes to viral replication, rather than the spike protein — Palmer says her team found Omicron may have been created by what's called a "recombination" – a supercharged love child of the early Alpha variant plus Delta, something that has not been found in SARS-CoV-2 until now. "We're very, very concerned," Palmer says, relaying the discovery with a calm and measured voice that belies its seriousness. "It indicates that possibly we could see that variants can recombine and if somebody is infected with...