The available evidence around the death of an anti-plague laboratory worker in Siberia “does not point to a global plague emergency,” Gigi Kwik Gronvall writes. “But this tragic death should prompt Americans to question whether we have the capacity to recognize and contain the next disease threat.”

I know the picture gets me every time.

I’ve read it. It’s abiological. It’s anti science. It’s not how anything works. And, it is lab leak fanfic. In the book the Russians try to claim the plague started naturally at a wet market in Siberia (picture attached) but we all know it came from a lab. 🙄

In his Vax/unVax book he says it is NBD because women can get screening, and if there are any abnormal cells they can just be scraped off in an outpatient procedure. Like everyone gets screening. Like the cancers that affect men get screened. Like a LEEP is nbd and doesn’t affect fertility…

Just remember— there are a lot of people who are trying to limit whatever damage occurred and to save lives, and we should be trying to offer expertise to help. It’s definitely and absolutely not game over.

I enjoyed joining Sam and Philipp for Science Counterpunch! We talked biosafety, biosecurity, and why real scientific progress is essential to preparedness. Protecting people requires investing in the science and capabilities that make us all safer. Thank you for having me on!

For the record, I prefer games where it is a decisive win. Throughout. No suspense. 🫠

There is certainly a lot to be angry about. 🫠

It’s pretty stunning how stunted they are. Especially thiel.

Like, "they may try to blame the market, but it was the lab all along."

Finally reading Annie Jacobsen's biological war book. Besides the biological impossibilities, has anyone noted that it is lableak fanfic yet?

The White House budget proposal for FY27 slash NSF funding by more than 50% and would drastically reduce support for PhDs, postdocs & investigator-initiated research. Selling something is not the same as doing something. Science is hard. This 'new golden age' won't make it easier.

I’ve been wondering about the delayed effects of leaded gasoline in their youth but this seems like a reasonable hypothesis as well.

So many emails.

but instead Douthat described his pseudoscience journey taking 13 different antibiotics he acquired from pet stores and intl pharmacies, and his purchase of a $1000 Rife machine (100 yr old idea that bacteria can be burst by sound waves lol). It was pretty irresponsible

I listened to this yesterday and it was great. But maybe a part 2 is in order to get into his weird book/columns about chronic Lyme? The guy could have used his platform to advocate for more research into chronic diseases and highlight how patients are often mistreated

“Someone”