On Reading, by Simon Wain-Hobson

On reading, by Simon Wain-Hobson, is a weekly discussion of scientific papers and news articles around gain of function research in virology.

Dr. Wain-Hobson began writing this weekly essay series in January 2023 for the Biosafety Now website. We will republish these essays on our Substack every Friday, so the full archive will become available on this page in the true order of publication, with newer essays up top.

1918 And All That

·
April 10, 2024
1918 And All That

On reading What have we learned by resurrecting the 1918 influenza virus? by Brad Gilbertson and Kanta Subbarao, Annual Review of Virology 2023. 10:25–47

Spanish Lookalikes

·
April 3, 2024
Spanish Lookalikes

On reading Contemporary avian influenza A virus subtype H1, H6, H7, H10, and H15 hemagglutinin genes encode a mammalian virulence factor similar to the 1918 pandemic virus H1 hemagglutinin, by Li Qi and colleagues. mBio 2014, 5:e02116-14.

The World We Live In

·
March 27, 2024
The World We Live In

On wondering about the last ten essays.

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Do no harm, 1

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April 12, 2024
Do no harm, 1

This essay first appeared on the Biosafety Now website on February 7, 2024.

On reading The InterAcademy Partnership 2005 statement on biosecurity.

Getting it Right

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April 5, 2024
Getting it Right

This essay first appeared on the Biosafety Now website on January 31, 2024.

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.

Deconstructing the Portrait

·
March 29, 2024
Deconstructing the Portrait

This essay first appeared on the Biosafety Now website on January 24, 2024.

On reading ‘The epistemic value of gain of function experiments,’ by Arturo Casadevall, Ferric. C. Fang and Michael J. Imperiale. mSphere 2023.

Biosafety Now is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.