In search of an early-warning system for the new coronavirus, Eric Alm spends most mornings handling sewage that has been flushed down toilets in Massachusetts. He first opens a tube filled with 40 milliliters of raw sewage from an urban treatment plant that captures wastewater from households in the state. Samples are then analyzed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. If Prof. Alm and his team of scientists are successful, they quickly find traces of the genetic signature of the coronavirus.

Source: Wall Street Journal May 06, 2020 10:52 UTC