Wednesday What We’re Reading (Sep. 23, 2020)

Any thoughts on what we should do for the upcoming 100th edition of What We’re Reading?

WuFlu

  • Is SARS-CoV-2 a product of gain-of-function research? – Gain-of-function research being the head-scratching idea that it’s somehow wise or worthwhile to turn viruses which can’t infect humans into viruses which can, to, I dunno, see if it can be done? Cue Ian Malcolm quote.
  • In that tweet, a guy called Peter Daszak is quoted on the subject of enhancing ‘SARS-related CoVs’, back in November 2019 – Here he is in Boston Magazine, identified as president of an organization that funded the Wuhan Institute of Virology, vehemently denying that research at that institute which involved identifying spike proteins that could cause bat viruses to infect humans and making new viruses from them could have possibly caused a human outbreak of a bat coronavirus in Wuhan.
  • Elsewhere in that Twitter thread, there’s some speculation that virologists who (rightfully, it seems to me) consider gain-of-function research to be an awful idea aren’t speaking up for professional reasons; who wants to be remembered as the person who caused the entire world to ban their field of research? Besides people with a sense of perspective, or, you know, morals.

Defense

3D-Printed Guns

A special topic! There have been exciting developments in the field.

Non-3D-Printed Guns

Other Science and Technology

History

Decision 2020 Etc.

Grab Bag

2 thoughts on “Wednesday What We’re Reading (Sep. 23, 2020)

  1. Chris Bradshaw

    The Maus article in your google drive isn’t available to us, lads.

    Regarding the princeton thing, I too laughed my buttocks off upon hearing about it.
    I wish the army would submit an OMFV bid too, but ala.

    Reply

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