The Biggest Bioterrorist of All.
The row over Fauci's supposed role in funding "dangerous" research on pathogens with pandemic potential is being weaponised to make it harder for scientists to conduct similar research in future.
Going Viral
The history, science and culture of infectious disease. Plus, a little politics and poetry.
Live Last read · last published · next check
Latest posts
When I met Fauci
In 2018, long before Anthony Fauci became a scapegoat for Trump’s botched coronavirus response, I interviewed him at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda. What he told me proved prophetic.
The Opportune Moment
As the Earth burns and the war in Gaza continues to exact a toll on Palestinian lives, the World Cup is a reminder that in football, as in politics, success hinges on our ability to seize the moment.
Lessons from Legionnaires’ Disease.
Conspiracies have long attended mysterious outbreaks of infectious disease – and none more so than during the outbreak of “Legionnaires’ Disease” in Philadelphia 50 years ago.
Why are we always so unprepared?
The outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo virus has once again exposed the cycle of securitisation and neglect in our response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
A Genoa Connection
In search of a digital detox, my wife and I booked an Airbnb in Genoa's centro historico. The result was a connection for the ages - one that an AI chatbot or social media could never replicate.
Lessons from a “plague boat”.
In 1685, a Dutch ship transporting enslaved people to sugar plantations in Recife, in Pernambuco, introduced yellow fever to northeastern Brazil.
Why its smart to be a "max vaxxer".
Vaccines get a bad rap on social media but what if they confer indirect benefits across our lifespans, making us healthier and preserving cognitive function for longer?
Meningitis on the Eurostar: a cautionary tale.
The outbreak of meningitis in Kent is a reminder of the risk the bacterium presents at universities and schools. But meningitis can strike anyone anywhere at any time, including on the Eurostar.
Opportunity Killer
A new study suggests that, like other pandemic pathogens, SARS-CoV-2 did not require a special evolutionary adaptation to spread to humans but simply needed the right opportunity.