Category Archives: Uncategorized

TWiV 169: Epidemiology causes conclusions (p<0.05)

Posted on 2012.02.06 by Alan

Michael and the TWiV team review epidemiology basics, including fatality ratios. Links for this episode: Michael’s blog and podcast Epidemiology literature critique (PowerPoint) Seven mistakes in epidemiology (ETE) Snow cholera map TWiV on Facebook Letters read on TWiV 169

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A Chat with Mike Osterholm

Posted on 2012.02.04 by Alan

I got a call last night from Mike Osterholm, noted epidemiologist and member of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB). He wanted to talk about H5N1 flu – if you don’t know why, scroll down to the previous … Continue reading →

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Some Unsolicited Debate Coaching for Tonight’s Speakers

Posted on 2012.02.02 by Alan

The New York Academy of Sciences is hosting a panel discussion tonight about H5N1 influenza, “dual-use” research, and scientific censorship. Of course this stems from the ongoing debate about the alleged development of mammal-adapted H5N1 strains (see my earlier summaries … Continue reading →

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TWiV 168: Super CalTech prophylaxis and ferret runny noses

Posted on 2012.01.29 by Alan

Welkin joins the TWiV team for a discussion of HIV prophlaxis using vectored antibodies, and the influenza H5N1 virus studies in ferrets that were not redacted. Links for this episode: Vectored HIV immunoprophylaxis (Nature) Vectored immunoprophylaxis - the Movie (YouTube) Adeno-associated virus (Wikipedia) In vitro evolution … Continue reading →

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Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Bioterrorist?

Posted on 2012.01.24 by Alan

The recent dustup about The H5N1 Bird Flu Plague That Will Kill Us All (not) has brought the topic of “bioterrorism” into the media spotlight again. This is an issue I’ve been following for several years, and during that time … Continue reading →

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Open Access vs. Local Politics

Posted on 2012.01.23 by Alan

Someone just asked me what I thought of Michael Eisen’s op-ed piece that came out in the New York Times a couple of weeks ago. Eisen wrote about a new bill in Congress that would roll back a NIH policy … Continue reading →

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TWiV 167: It starts with a cough

Posted on 2012.01.22 by Alan

The complete TWiVome deconstructs the movie Contagion.

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The Day the Science Died

Posted on 2012.01.20 by Alan

This afternoon, a coalition of influenza virologists released a statement saying that they are voluntarily suspending research on H5N1 “bird flu” for 60 days. This was in response to the Category 5 hype storm that has accompanied the publication of … Continue reading →

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Oh, So That’s Where Those Were

Posted on 2012.01.17 by Alan

Don’t you love it when you finally get around to cleaning out an old closet, and you find all sorts of stuff you forgot you had? Apparently that happens to museum curators, too, as the BBC reports: Dr Falcon-Lang, who … Continue reading →

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TWiV 166: Breaking and entering

Posted on 2012.01.15 by Alan

Vincent, Dickson, Rich, and Alan review cell proteins essential for entry of hepatitis C, Ebola, and measles viruses. Links for this episode: Niemann-Pick C1 is entry factor for HCV (Nature Med) Ebola virus entry requires Niemann-Pick C1 (Nature one, two) Nectin-4 is measles virus … Continue reading →

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