EditorialSampled RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) from a wastewater sample at the Lab Science Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia in Columbia, Mo. on May 6, 2022. (Michael B. Thomas/The New York Times)
EditorialMarc Johnson, a virologist at the University of Missouri, examines leftover ribonucleic acid (RNA) from samples of wastewater collected by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, at the school’s campus in Columbia, Mo., May 6, 2021. (Michael B. Thomas/The New York Times)