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Hisner notes that early on in the pandemic a common mutation that turned up in many variants right at or around the usually-highly phosphorylated N3 region of the nucleocapsid likewise decreased phosphorylation — just like the mutation that produced N* — and that this also appeared to produce more severe disease.

In fact, with XEC’s spike protein being pretty much the same as the currently leading variant, the explanation for its surprising growth seems to be that this time it’s a change in the nucleocapsid protein, not in the spike protein, that is giving it a relative edge.

Ryan Hisner, a teacher and co-author of several papers on variants, told Salon that where XEC is most surprising is in the third of these: N, the nucleocapsid.

The nucleocapsid protein is far and away the most abundant protein in the virus.

The SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody test will specifically look for prior infection.