I'm doing science and I'm still alive.

Well, not me. I’m not doing science. But I have been reading some science, and I’m realizing that one of the amazing things about the Current Unpleasantness is how much data we are collecting. This is the first catastrophe of this magnitude in the modern era of genomic research, the modern era of instant communication, the modern era of virology.

The pandemic is horrible, and tragic, and miserable, and being internationally mismanaged in all the usual infuriating ways. But my friends, we are getting so much data.

This, and mRNA technology, will save a lot of lives in the long run.

Which doesn’t bring back any of the people we have lost, alleviate any of the grief and suffering, give us back the two years of our lives that have slid by in a hallucinogenic blur. But it does mean it’s not all in vain. And that’s a small ember of comfort, this New Year’s Day.