Lab Leak: Could Smallpox Come Back?
Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
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Contamination and Consequences: The Smallpox Lab Incident
This chapter explores the significant mishaps in Dutch and Russian laboratories that resulted in the contamination of smallpox samples, highlighting the critical need for precision in scientific work. It also clarifies the origins of the smallpox virus, revealing it stems from laboratory errors rather than animal sources and underscores the broader public health implications of such incidents.
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