Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in 3D
This illustration shows SAR-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, in molecular detail according to research completed in April, 2020. It was featured on the cover of the July 2020 issue of Scientific American.

The SARS-CoV-2 virion includes the spike protein (orange), lipid envelope (pink), envelope (E) protein (yellow), membrane (M) protein (purple), nucleoprotein (blue), and RNA (red).
For the visualization curious and her fellow molecular nerds, Veronica wrote about how this illustration was created in How I Built a 3D Model of the Coronavirus for Scientific American.
Illustration by Falconieri Visuals for A Visual Guide to the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus in Scientific American, July 2020. The 3D model was also adapted and used for the interactive Inside the Coronavirus.


