Independent thinking for complex markets and current events
In Ebola outbreak, a number of Americans in the Congo believed to have had exposure to suspected cases CDC says it supporting partners who are ‘actively coordinating the safe withdrawal’ of individuals ‘directly affected by this outbreak’ A number of Americans who are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are believed to have had …
High virus levels detected in wastewater WastewaterSCAN, run by Stanford and Emory, reports elevated national levels for HMPV, rotavirus, influenza B, RSV, norovirus, and COVID. From February to early April, HMPV rose 11% and rotavirus 29%, while COVID dropped 46% overall but the Cicada variant increased 4%. Influenza A fell sharply into medium range, but …
AI-designed viruses are here and already killing bacteria https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/17/1123801/ai-virus-bacteriophage-life/ A research team in California says it used AI to propose new genetic codes for viruses—and managed to get several of these viruses to replicate and kill bacteria. The scientists, based at Stanford University and the nonprofit Arc Institute, both in Palo Alto, say the germs …
by Michael Now we are allowing AI to create new viruses? Are we mad? What scientists at Stanford University are doing sounds like the plot to a really bad disaster movie. Viruses that are designed by AI are assembled by crazy researchers, and then those viruses start hunting down bacteria and reproducing. Needless to say, it …
Kennedy shut down $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts. “HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risk than benefits for these respiratory viruses,” he said Tuesday. The decision followed a multi-week review of 22 BARDA-funded projects targeting COVID and flu. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/05/hhs-plans-to-terminate-22-mrna-vaccine-projects-00494922 The call is overdue. mRNA vaccines break under mutation pressure. They don’t stop …
https://twitter.com/EngagingTopics/status/1801720889341526492 h/t Hyper Star
A taxpayer-funded Colorado lab that handles the world’s deadliest viruses has suffered a shocking number of accidents in recent years, DailyMail.com can reveal. Bombshell documents show there were at least 50 incidents involving safety control lapses at Colorado State University between 2020 and 2023, including workers who were bitten by a Covid-infected hamster, splashed in …
Chinese scientists have discovered never-before-seen viruses lurking on a tropical island — and warned they could infect humans. Researchers tasked with preparing the world for future pandemic took almost 700 samples from rodents living in Hainan, just off China’s southern coast. Eight novel viruses — including one belonging to the same family as Covid — …