‘The Maine Question’ asks how physics can help combat COVID-19

Numerous medical professionals, biologists and other experts have been combating COVID-19 and the havoc it has wrought since the pandemic began. Physicists have also joined the fray, including one from the University of Maine.

By inventing a new microscope, Sam Hess, a professor of physics at UMaine, can obtain new insight into the structure of the virus that causes COVID-19 — SARS-COV-2 — and the influenza virus. These findings could help pave the way for effective treatments. 

In Episode 3 of Season 5 of “The Maine Question,” Hess discusses this advancement in microscope technology he spearheaded and his decades-long quest to aid in the fight against these deadly diseases.

Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Spotify or “The Maine Question” website. New episodes are added Thursdays.

What topics would you like to learn more about? What questions do you have for UMaine experts? Email them to mainequestion@maine.edu.