Cinema Science: Coronavirus Through the Lens of 'Contagion'

As the COVID-19 pandemic wreaks havoc around the world, Steven Soderbergh's 2011 thriller carries a newfound – and somewhat eerie – currency. As Dave Crewe describes, the film offers insights into a whole range of topics relevant to the ongoing crisis, including transmission, genetic mutation, R₀ and the difficulties involved in developing an effective vaccine.

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Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Matt Damon, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle, science fiction, Maths, Science, Biology, vaccination, Donald Trump, World Health Organization, CDC, R nought, epidemic, logistic curve, exponential functions, logarithm laws, logarithmic scale, novel viruses, evolution, antibiotics, fomites, contact tracing