evidence: Unlike human genetic information, which is encoded in double-stranded DNA, the new coronavirus, like all coronaviruses, stores its genetic information in a single strand of RNA. The human genome contains around 3 billion base pairs tightly packaged inside the nucleus of each of our cells. In contrast, the new virus’s RNA genome has fewer than 30,000 bases. [...] Those labs had years of shared experience working on the protein structures for related viruses, like the coronaviruses that cause SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a disease first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Because these viruses are similar to SARS-CoV-2, the scientists could look at the RNA sequence of the new coronavirus and immediately find the sections coding for the proteins they were interested in. The shapes of the proteins looked similar too. [...] The first labs to determine SARS-CoV-2’s protein structures may have had a background in coronaviruses, but other structural biology groups are now rolling up their sleeves to get involved too. To observe social-distancing guidelines while advancing science, many structural biology facilities are now open only to coronavirus-related projects and researchers.