Scientific Responsibility in Research on Dangerous Pathogens — Part 2: COVID-19 and What Came Next

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 featured 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.I’m releasing the three-hour discussion in two parts.Part 1 traced the history from Asilomar and early debates over scientific responsibility through the post-9/11 expansion of U.S. biodefense research, the reconstruction of the 1918 influenza virus, the H5N1 gain-of-function experiments, the 2014 federal pause, and the 2015 SARS coronavirus chimera experiment.Part 2 picks up with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2.Neil Harrison examines the epidemiological evidence surrounding the origin of COVID-19, including the Huanan Seafood Market, geographic clustering of early cases, comparisons with New York City, and the later outbreak associated with Beijing’s Xinfadi Market.The discussion then turns to the institutional response to the COVID origins question. Richard Ebright discusses the February 1, 2020 teleconference involving Anthony Fauci, Francis Collins, Jeremy Farrar, and scientists who later authored “The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2,” along with subsequent communications and the role of research funding.We then discuss the SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site, the 2018 DEFUSE proposal, current U.S. policy on dangerous gain-of-function research, and the emerging risks posed by AI-enabled biology.The discussion closes with the precautionary principle, audience questions, and calls to action for how high-risk biological research should be governed going forward.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