WUHAN, China — The emergence of a new coronavirus strain in Wuhan, China last month has put the entire world on alert. Following the recent revelation that the virus can in fact be spread via human-to-human transmission, Chinese authorities have halted flights and trains departing the city and inhabitants have been advised not to travel. Meanwhile researchers have been working tirelessly to understand this new health risk, both its origins and nature, in order to formulate the best way to stop a full blown epidemic. Now, researchers appear to have zeroed in on how the virus, officially named 2019-nCoV by the World Health Organization, first spread to humans: exposure to snakes at a wholesale market.
