After 15 years of reporting on infectious disease outbreaks, what continues to fascinate me about them is the challenge of making high-stakes decisions under uncertainty. The hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius is a perfect example My story in @science.org is here (and a thread to come): 🧪 #IDsky

“You would hope that German officials would support scientists’ advice, but they have ignored it,” says one marine biologist who asked not to be identified because they feared repercussions. Must-read story by @martinenserink.bsky.social in @science.org. Feels like an encapsulation of our times 🧪

Loreen Willenberg has died, but not from HIV. She was diagnosed with HIV in 1992, and then, "unlike almost all people living with HIV, was able to keep her virus undetectable and immune cell count high without ever taking antiretroviral therapy." www.amfar.org/news/remembe...

Really excited to be able to share our latest preprint, describing how during its evolution in cattle, H5N1 has got better at using a type of alternative receptor that's abundant in cows, but not found in humans and birds. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

President's FY'27 budget proposal explained. There's a fantasy aspect to the exercise, as last year demonstrated when Congress pushed back hard, preserving most science funding Trump wanted to cut. But it does reveal the president's dreams. www.science.org/content/arti...

H5N1 in dairy cows largely has disappeared from the news--a reflection of steeply declining detections. But it continues to circulate on dairies, and researchers continue to debate critical questions about how the virus moves between farms and within herds. www.science.org/content/arti...

A ludicrous theory posted on WeChat by "Kunlun Sword" in 2021 asserted that Maine lobsters sparked the COVID pandemic. Evobiologist Flo Débarre now has found clues in the post that suggest China has withheld evidence about early infected humans and animals. www.science.org/content/arti...

An obstacle to an HIV cure is that the viral protease enzyme is like a jewel thief that dodges laser sensors, which, when tripped, cause death of infected cells. Drugs can force protease to stand up, potentially reducing reservoirs of latently infected cells. www.science.org/content/arti...

@helenbranswell.bsky.social celebrates the one-and-only Stanley Plotkin, godfather of vaccines, wise elder, spark plug that's still firing. www.statnews.com/2026/03/02/s...

Study in 80,000 people in Uganda and Kenya shows 70% reduction in risk of HIV infection. The secret? Community health workers offering testing at home, simplified access to PrEP and PEP, follow up with smart phone app that connects people to clinics. Remarkable. www.science.org/content/arti...

Ever heard of flu D? Hardly anyone else has either. But it deserves your attention. www.science.org/content/arti...

Thanks to @undark.org for reviewing my new book! undark.org/2025/11/21/b...

"It's as if it stopped raining, so why fix the roof?https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-administration-dismantling-efforts-fight-next-pandemic

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is poised to become one of the largest philanthropies supporting science, and it now is going "all in" on AI and biology to create a virtual immune system. I spoke with Chan and many of its scientists last week. www.science.org/content/arti...

The Vaccine Integrity Project @CIDRAP is conducting an independent review of the evidence supporting the long-standing recommendation for universal #HepatitisB vaccination at birth. In Sept, CDC’s vaccine advisers tabled a vote on the birth dose and asked for more data. 🔗 tinyurl.com/4sy3wwa7

@kgandersen.bsky.social @cohenjon.bsky.social

Genetically engineered pig kidney in Tim Andrews unfortunately failed after nearly 9 months, but he fortunately returned to dialysis and is doing well. www.science.org/content/arti...

I'll be speaking today at Lewes Library Science and Society webcast talk at 4:45 EDT about my just released book, Planning Miracles: How to Prevent Future Pandemics. Registration required. delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/14650002

I'll be speaking about my book on Oct. 7 at Lewes Public Library's Science and Society Lecture, which is webcast: www.capegazette.com/article/scie...

My book, Planning Miracles: How to Prevent Future Pandemics, comes out next week. It's not about flawed COVID responses. It's about scientific efforts to develop better vaccines, treatments, masks, surveillance--and to move more quickly...as one world. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690752...

An ostrich flock, H5N1, culling policy, Canada’s Supreme Court, farmers, biotechs, hair growth and weight loss products, opponents of government overreach, animal rights activists, RFK Jr., Dr. Oz, the Royal Mounted Canadian Police. Read all about it. www.science.org/content/arti...

To get full flavor of this remarkable collection and its remarkable backstory, read the links. www.science.org/content/arti...

I took a close look at vaccine mandates in the wake of Florida's push to do away with them. www.science.org/content/arti...

David Baltimore, for much of the past three decades, has been one of my most helpful, thoughtful sources. I wrote an obit about his remarkable career, and I included a few of my interactions with him. www.science.org/content/arti...

I started research for this story, which came out today, more than a year ago. Thanks to all who stuck with me, and shared their thoughts. www.science.org/content/arti...

OK, I was wrong. I thought the call for China to share more data was spotlighting the central problem--and common ground-- and that the other arguments were debatable but far less relevant. I, too, think intelligence communities should produce evidence and not simply reveal how they lean.