On reading Lethal infection of human ACE2-transgenic mice caused by SARS-CoV-2-related pangolin coronavirus GX_P2V(short_3’UTR) by Lai Wei, Shuiqing Liu, Shanshan Lu, Shengdong Luo, Xiaoping An, Huahao Fan, Weiwei Chen, Erguang Li, Yigang Ton and Lihua Song. Bouquet of flowers by Marie-Anne Camax-Zoegger (1881-1952) A slight detour today, although some will recognize a few familiar symptoms....
On reading Virology – the path forward by Angela Rasmussen and 77 others. Journal of Virology, Jan 3, 2024. The old farmhouse, gouache on paper by Joseph-Marius Avy (1871-1939). This might take a little longer. Nobody likes regulations. They cost time and money but without regulations global warming would be even worse. Raw sewage would...
Scientists For Science – the “boys will be boys” of science Alex Washburne Feb 10, 2024 The history of the COVID-19 pandemic started long before 2019. If I were to put a start-date on the series of events leading to COVID-19, I’d start in 2011 when the Dutch scientist Ron Fouchier and his team...
On reading The InterAcademy Partnership 2005 statement on biosecurity. View from the terrace of villa Dautreme near Saint Tropez by the French painter, engraver and draftsman Lionel Floch (1895-1972) This is a must for any Biosafety Now reader as it is clear and relevant even though issued almost 20 years ago. It is signed by...
On reading Research must do no harm: new guidance addresses all studies relating to people. Nature, 2022. The Rock of Monaco seen from the botanical garden at Menton by Robert Mauchant (1893-1970) This is a very interesting editorial from Nature. In their own words ‘the guidance encourages authors, reviewers and editors to respect the dignity...
On reading Characterization of highly pathogenic clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 mink influenza viruses, by T Maemura, L Guan, C Gu, A Eisfeld, A Biswas, P Halfmann, G Neumann and Y Kawaoka. eBioMedicine 2023;97: 104827 October 2023. Mediterranean coast by French watercolorist Ernest Designolle (1850-1941) The dominant influenza A viruses circulating among birds and chickens...
Probable cause, preponderance of evidence, and beyond reasonable doubt Alex Washburne Jan 28, 2024 I had previously made the case that the totality of circumstances surrounding SARS-CoV-2 origins is sufficient for probable cause to believe the virus originated in a lab. In addition to the circumstances surrounding the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the evidence we lack...
Deciphering the tracks left in the genome of SARS-CoV-2 & drafts of DEFUSE Alex Washburne Jan 26, 2024 Without any formal training, I learned how to track animals as a natural consequence of my love of the outdoors, my curiosity about the lives of animals, and my statistical mind. Having grown up spending considerable time...
On reading ‘The epistemic value of gain of function experiments,’ by Arturo Casadevall, Ferric. C. Fang and Michael J. Imperiale. mSphere 2023. Still life, 1975 by André Lwoff. Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine 1965 along with Jacques Monod and François Jacob. This article emphasizes the need to use words precisely; to make...
Silence by André Goffinet The commentary by Popescu et al. expresses concern that gain-of-function research has gotten a bad rap. The commentary first notes that gain-of-function research describes a wide array of genetic methods, including the use of fluorescent proteins in basic research, the creation of mouse models for studying disease, and the creation of...
