With great challenges come great ideas. Although a global pandemic, the Coronavirus has sparked a lot of creativity, with scientists, artists and science communicators all coming together to spread important messages.
In this post, we collected our favourite COVID-19 related content. They are highly educational, informative but also incredibly entertaining. We hope these will brighten your day and maybe even inspire you to put your skills at use!
Cattening the Curve
So we've all heard about how we need to 'flatten the curve' - meaning lower the rate of Coronavirus transmissions so that we don't overwhelm our healthcare systems.
WELL, when the original graph was first shared, there was some confusion about what it actually meant and Anne Marie Darling (@amdar1ing) came to the rescue with this tweet.
The analogy for 'flattening the curve' to 'cattening the curve' became viral (rightly so) and even birthed the hashtag #catteningthecurve
Stop the Spread Animation
Now, you've probably seen this gif, which also went viral because it is informative but also simple and really makes its point well. The Stop the Spread video was created by cartoonist Toby Morris (@XTOTL) and microbiologist Siouxsie Wilesand (@SiouxsieW) and has a clear message: social distancing works to stop the spread of Coronavirus. The more people who stay home (as much as possible), the quicker we will be able to fight this. We love a clear, simple and informative animation!
Aussie Signs
If you're after some signs that are informative but also a bit fun (and VERY Aussie) check out these ones by Openbook Howden Print & Design who said on their Facebook post: "While COVID-19 is no laughing matter, each poster references the Aussie larrikin spirit while also drawing attention to the personal responsibilities we all have now and our responsibility to others in the community at this time. It’s a time to be kind, decent and socially responsible." AGREED.
We think our favourite is hands down the vegemite one (do you agree?). If you have any overseas friends we suggest sharing these wonderful signs to let them know a little bit about Australian culture.
Wipe it Down - COVID-19 Rap
For something that is both educational AND entertaining you must see this rap by Raven Baxter aka Raven the Science Maven. We GUARANTEE this will get stuck in your head instantly (sorry not sorry). Raven is a scientist and science communicator and we absolutely love how she combines music with science - this COVID-19 rap is one of many. Not only does the song remind you about best practices for hygiene, cleanliness and social distancing, but it also goes into facts about the virus itself.
Thank you Raven for these brilliant Coronavirus lyrics that we will continue singing all day: "Wash your body, wash your hair and wash your hands too. Get some soap, scrub it down and show me how you do it!".
Coronavirus TikToks
Let's be honest, at some point during 'working from home' you've found yourself in a TikTok spiral (or you will now). One science communicator who has absolutely owned the TikTok platform is Darrion Nguyen, better known as Lab Shenanigans (@lab_shenanigans on both Instagram, Twitter and TikTok). He has made a range of Coronavirus related content recently and this one is our favourite, describing how the virus is destroyed by soap and water by breaking down its outer lipid membrane.
Do yourself a favour and follow Darrion, his science humour and videos are fantastic, we promise you won't regret it.
Kurzgesagt Animated Video
If you're looking for beautiful animations matched with informative content to describe the Coronavirus outbreak, look no further. Kurzgesagt have done it again with this video, where it describes the history of how Coronavirus started, how the virus affects the body (in great detail), and what we should do about it. We've mentioned Kurzgesagt before in our blog where we shared The Best Science Animations. Clearly a lot of people think they're great too, with a YouTube channel of 11.6 million subscribers, this video alone has over 21 million views.
Illustrated Course about Coronavirus
Lifeology is a new platform that brings together scientists and artists to create 'mini illustrated courses' with their aim to make science "fun, visual and ultra-accessible" - which we are obviously 100% on board with. Check out Lifeology's illustrated course on Coronavirus, which has been created by artists and reviewed by scientists - how cool is that?! Illustrations and messages appear on cards, discussing topics around the risks of contracting Coronavirus, the biology of the virus, and how to keep safe, with summary slides between each topic. Click here to view the course and support scientists and artists working together.
Have you found any other great Coronavirus content? Share it with us by tagging us on Twitter (@Animate_Science) or Instagram (@animate_your_science).
