 XBB.1 is a new SARS-CoV-2 variant that has been identified as a result of recombination between two existing variants, BJ.1 and BM.1.1.1. This recombination event has resulted in a virus with increased resistance to antibodies from BA.25 vaccines, higher fusogenicity, and a greater ability to infect cells. Additionally, this recombination event has also altered the structure of the virus's spike protein, which allows it to interact better with human ACE2. Furthermore, the virus has been shown to be less virulent in male hamsters compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants. This article was offered by Tomokozutomua, Jumpei Ito, Keiya Yuru, and others.