Scientific Responsibility in Research on Dangerous Pathogens — Part 1: How We Got Here

On September 11, 2026, I hosted the inaugural event of The Purpose of Science Lecture Series at Rutgers University: Scientific Responsibility in Research on Dangerous Pathogens.The event brought together Simon Wain-Hobson, Professor Emeritus at the Institut Pasteur; Richard H. Ebright, Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers University; and Neil L. Harrison, Professor of Anesthesiology and Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics at Columbia University, for a historical examination of how scientists and scientific institutions have confronted the risks created by advances in biological research.I’m releasing the three-hour discussion in two parts.Part 1 begins with Simon Wain-Hobson’s call for scientists to adopt a Hippocratic-style commitment to “do no harm.” From there, the discussion moves through the 1975 Asilomar conference, Jonathan Beckwith’s early warnings about the social implications of molecular biology, the Biological Weapons Convention, the 1979 Sverdlovsk anthrax incident, and Simon’s experience organizing an open scientific meeting on competing hypotheses about the origins of HIV.The timeline then turns to 9/11 and the Amerithrax attacks, the rapid expansion of U.S. biodefense research, Richard Ebright’s early opposition to that expansion, the open letter signed by 758 scientists, and Anthony Fauci’s response.We then discuss the reconstruction of the 1918 pandemic influenza virus, the H5N1 gain-of-function experiments that ignited a major controversy over high-risk pathogen research, the 2014 federal gain-of-function pause, and the 2015 SARS coronavirus chimera experiment.Part 2 continues the timeline with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the Huanan Seafood Market, the institutional response to the COVID origins debate, the furin cleavage site and DEFUSE proposal, current U.S. policy on dangerous research, and the emerging risks posed by AI-enabled biology.About the Lecture SeriesThe Purpose of Science Lecture Series brings prominent scientists, physicians, journalists, policymakers, and other public voices to Rutgers to examine the purpose and responsibilities of science—where scientific practice falls short of that purpose, why those failures occur, and what practical solutions might address them.Learn more:https://waksman.rutgers.edu/seminars/purposeSupport the series through the Rutgers University Foundation:https://give.rutgersfoundation.org/waksman/4025.html Get full access to Science From the Fringe at sciencefromthefringe.substack.com/subscribe