Tony Schountz
@schountz.bsky.social
Immunologists who's interested in virus reservoir hosts
Fifty years ago tomorrow, a seminal paper in immunology was published that revolutionized research and medical treatments. The paper, titled “Continuous cultures of fused cells secreting antibody of predefined specificity” demonstrated that cells could be generated that propagate indefinitely...
August 6, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Fifty years ago tomorrow, a seminal paper in immunology was published that revolutionized research and medical treatments. The paper, titled “Continuous cultures of fused cells secreting antibody of predefined specificity” demonstrated that cells could be generated that propagate indefinitely...
Reposted by Tony Schountz
Our understanding of the origin of COVID-19 is increasingly being polluted by conspiracy theories. Many, presented in OpEds in places like the NYT, WaPo, and WSJ.
It's time to drop the nonsense and refocus on the science - it's long overdue and the data is in.
edition.cnn.com/2025/07/31/h...
It's time to drop the nonsense and refocus on the science - it's long overdue and the data is in.
edition.cnn.com/2025/07/31/h...
How conspiracy theories about COVID’s origins are hampering our ability to prevent the next pandemic | CNN
The public discourse around the origin of the pandemic has increasingly been shaped by political agendas and conspiratorial narratives. Some of this has vilified experts who have studied this question...
edition.cnn.com
August 5, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Our understanding of the origin of COVID-19 is increasingly being polluted by conspiracy theories. Many, presented in OpEds in places like the NYT, WaPo, and WSJ.
It's time to drop the nonsense and refocus on the science - it's long overdue and the data is in.
edition.cnn.com/2025/07/31/h...
It's time to drop the nonsense and refocus on the science - it's long overdue and the data is in.
edition.cnn.com/2025/07/31/h...
Reposted by Tony Schountz
You’ve been badly misled over COVID origins theconversation.com/how-conspira...
How conspiracy theories about COVID’s origins are hampering our ability to prevent the next pandemic
The COVID pandemic likely began when the virus jumped from animals to humans, and didn’t start in a lab. But false narratives continue to circulate.
theconversation.com
July 29, 2025 at 8:53 PM
You’ve been badly misled over COVID origins theconversation.com/how-conspira...
Reposted by Tony Schountz
More than 3yrs down the line this has held up surprisingly well, very much because of @lewan.bsky.social prescience borne from climategate and previous clashes with USRTK
What we couldn’t predict was how the conspiracists would destroy US biomed science
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
What we couldn’t predict was how the conspiracists would destroy US biomed science
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
The Lab-Leak Hypothesis Made It Harder for Scientists to Seek the Truth
Virus origin stories have always been prone to conspiracy theories. COVID disinformation has threatened research—and lives
www.scientificamerican.com
July 30, 2025 at 8:32 AM
More than 3yrs down the line this has held up surprisingly well, very much because of @lewan.bsky.social prescience borne from climategate and previous clashes with USRTK
What we couldn’t predict was how the conspiracists would destroy US biomed science
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
What we couldn’t predict was how the conspiracists would destroy US biomed science
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
Reposted by Tony Schountz
"The story of the negative impact on the future of infectious disease research will only become part of public discourse if scientists speak up loudly"
A must read.
One Hundred Days, Incalculable Loses @jidjournal.bsky.social
Emily Erbelding, MD - NIAID/DMD
academic.oup.com/jid/advance-...
A must read.
One Hundred Days, Incalculable Loses @jidjournal.bsky.social
Emily Erbelding, MD - NIAID/DMD
academic.oup.com/jid/advance-...
One Hundred Days, Incalculable Losses
Emily J Erbelding, M.D., M.P.H; One Hundred Days, Incalculable Losses, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, , jiaf317, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaf31
academic.oup.com
June 12, 2025 at 4:12 PM
"The story of the negative impact on the future of infectious disease research will only become part of public discourse if scientists speak up loudly"
A must read.
One Hundred Days, Incalculable Loses @jidjournal.bsky.social
Emily Erbelding, MD - NIAID/DMD
academic.oup.com/jid/advance-...
A must read.
One Hundred Days, Incalculable Loses @jidjournal.bsky.social
Emily Erbelding, MD - NIAID/DMD
academic.oup.com/jid/advance-...
Reposted by Tony Schountz
English version of my review of Bratlies book:
A book filled with contradictions, cherry-picking of data, conspiratorial arguments, and serious accusations that undermine trust in research and contribute to making the world less safe in the face of the next pandemic.
tjomlid.com/a-critical-r...
A book filled with contradictions, cherry-picking of data, conspiratorial arguments, and serious accusations that undermine trust in research and contribute to making the world less safe in the face of the next pandemic.
tjomlid.com/a-critical-r...
A critical review of "The mystery of Wuhan - The hunt for the origin of the covid pandemic" by Sigrid Bratlie
A book filled with contradictions, cherry-picking of data, conspiratorial arguments, and serious accusations that undermine trust in research and contribute to making the world less safe in the face o...
tjomlid.com
June 11, 2025 at 10:58 PM
English version of my review of Bratlies book:
A book filled with contradictions, cherry-picking of data, conspiratorial arguments, and serious accusations that undermine trust in research and contribute to making the world less safe in the face of the next pandemic.
tjomlid.com/a-critical-r...
A book filled with contradictions, cherry-picking of data, conspiratorial arguments, and serious accusations that undermine trust in research and contribute to making the world less safe in the face of the next pandemic.
tjomlid.com/a-critical-r...
Reposted by Tony Schountz
Wildlife trade acts as a vast global network of unregulated natural laboratories,with ample opportunities for viruses to circulate & evolve to become more dangerous
We can either turn a blind eye or try to understand & mitigate the risks
My latest in @nature.com
1/
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
We can either turn a blind eye or try to understand & mitigate the risks
My latest in @nature.com
1/
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: Inside the thriving wild-animal markets that could start the next pandemic
Live-animal markets are a natural laboratory for viruses to evolve and spark deadly outbreaks, yet scientists lack support to study the risks they pose.
www.nature.com
June 11, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Wildlife trade acts as a vast global network of unregulated natural laboratories,with ample opportunities for viruses to circulate & evolve to become more dangerous
We can either turn a blind eye or try to understand & mitigate the risks
My latest in @nature.com
1/
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
We can either turn a blind eye or try to understand & mitigate the risks
My latest in @nature.com
1/
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Tony Schountz
It's notable that @zey.bsky.social is reading people who think our article is too dangerous to even link to, so here it is: academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
A Critical Reexamination of Recovered SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing Data
Abstract. In 2021, Jesse Bloom published a study addressing why the earliest SARS-CoV-2 sequences in Wuhan from late December 2019 were not those most simi
academic.oup.com
June 10, 2025 at 7:30 PM
It's notable that @zey.bsky.social is reading people who think our article is too dangerous to even link to, so here it is: academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Reposted by Tony Schountz
Four years ago, Jesse Bloom announced the recovery of SARS-CoV-2 sequences and suggested they could come from very early COVID-19 patients.
Zach Hensel and I found out that Bloom's claim relied on the deliberate omission of a January 30, 2020 collection date contradicting his narrative. 🧪 #PopGen
Zach Hensel and I found out that Bloom's claim relied on the deliberate omission of a January 30, 2020 collection date contradicting his narrative. 🧪 #PopGen
A Critical Reexamination of Recovered SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing Data
Abstract. In 2021, Jesse Bloom published a study addressing why the earliest SARS-CoV-2 sequences in Wuhan from late December 2019 were not those most simi
academic.oup.com
June 10, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Four years ago, Jesse Bloom announced the recovery of SARS-CoV-2 sequences and suggested they could come from very early COVID-19 patients.
Zach Hensel and I found out that Bloom's claim relied on the deliberate omission of a January 30, 2020 collection date contradicting his narrative. 🧪 #PopGen
Zach Hensel and I found out that Bloom's claim relied on the deliberate omission of a January 30, 2020 collection date contradicting his narrative. 🧪 #PopGen
Reposted by Tony Schountz
“In 1900, 30 percent of all deaths in the United States occurred among children younger than 5, mostly because of preventable infectious diseases. By the end of the century, that number was just 1.4 percent.” #VaccinesWork #VaccinesSaveLives #ACIP
June 11, 2025 at 3:48 AM
“In 1900, 30 percent of all deaths in the United States occurred among children younger than 5, mostly because of preventable infectious diseases. By the end of the century, that number was just 1.4 percent.” #VaccinesWork #VaccinesSaveLives #ACIP
Reposted by Tony Schountz
I strongly recommend fine documentary “A Shot in the Arm” on vaccine hesitancy & its (often well-paid) promoters, incl RFK, Jr.
www.pbs.org/video/shot-i...
Watch whole thing, but especially:
34:32-onward RFK, Jr
43:45-50:27 Samoa deaths: he denies/evades involvement, video records contradict.
www.pbs.org/video/shot-i...
Watch whole thing, but especially:
34:32-onward RFK, Jr
43:45-50:27 Samoa deaths: he denies/evades involvement, video records contradict.
Shot in the Arm
Explore vaccine hesitancy historically and in the context of COVID-19.
www.pbs.org
January 6, 2025 at 5:35 AM
I strongly recommend fine documentary “A Shot in the Arm” on vaccine hesitancy & its (often well-paid) promoters, incl RFK, Jr.
www.pbs.org/video/shot-i...
Watch whole thing, but especially:
34:32-onward RFK, Jr
43:45-50:27 Samoa deaths: he denies/evades involvement, video records contradict.
www.pbs.org/video/shot-i...
Watch whole thing, but especially:
34:32-onward RFK, Jr
43:45-50:27 Samoa deaths: he denies/evades involvement, video records contradict.
Reposted by Tony Schountz
Moving forward, there are already other - and better and, hey, transparent - initiatives as it comes to sharing critical data: NCBI, of course, which should be used by _all_ tax-payer funded research, but also @pathoplexus.org, which should become the replacement for GISAID - and I'm sure it will.
May 28, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Moving forward, there are already other - and better and, hey, transparent - initiatives as it comes to sharing critical data: NCBI, of course, which should be used by _all_ tax-payer funded research, but also @pathoplexus.org, which should become the replacement for GISAID - and I'm sure it will.
Reposted by Tony Schountz
“… peer-reviewed literature is dominated by articles supporting a zoonotic origin” while lab leak papers “are rare, fringe, and mutually incompatible with each other.”
Correct. And it’s not because one side is “censored”. It’s because one side has zero evidence.
www.factcheck.org/2025/05/trum...
Correct. And it’s not because one side is “censored”. It’s because one side has zero evidence.
www.factcheck.org/2025/05/trum...
Trump Administration Incorrectly Claims Certainty About Origin of Coronavirus - FactCheck.org
Since regaining power in January, the Trump administration has repeatedly claimed with false certainty that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in a lab. But there isn’t clear evidence that the virus cam...
www.factcheck.org
May 23, 2025 at 10:13 PM
“… peer-reviewed literature is dominated by articles supporting a zoonotic origin” while lab leak papers “are rare, fringe, and mutually incompatible with each other.”
Correct. And it’s not because one side is “censored”. It’s because one side has zero evidence.
www.factcheck.org/2025/05/trum...
Correct. And it’s not because one side is “censored”. It’s because one side has zero evidence.
www.factcheck.org/2025/05/trum...
Reposted by Tony Schountz
“The Neo-Anti-Vaxxers Are in Power Now - A new cadre of officials might deal in evidence more than Robert F. Kennedy Jr. does, but they still question the worth of vaccines.”
The Neo-Anti-Vaxxers Are in Power Now
A new cadre of officials might deal in evidence more than Robert F. Kennedy Jr. does, but they still question the worth of vaccines.
www.theatlantic.com
May 23, 2025 at 2:40 AM
“The Neo-Anti-Vaxxers Are in Power Now - A new cadre of officials might deal in evidence more than Robert F. Kennedy Jr. does, but they still question the worth of vaccines.”
Reposted by Tony Schountz
This highlights the central problem with so many of those who want to believe the lab leak narrative: they latch on to the big picture - there's a lab in Wuhan working on bat viruses - but don't grasp the details which show that a lab leak is far less likely than a zoonotic event. Detail is key.
May 23, 2025 at 4:50 AM
This highlights the central problem with so many of those who want to believe the lab leak narrative: they latch on to the big picture - there's a lab in Wuhan working on bat viruses - but don't grasp the details which show that a lab leak is far less likely than a zoonotic event. Detail is key.
Reposted by Tony Schountz
Reposted by Tony Schountz
Reposted by Tony Schountz
Proximal Origin wasn’t a coverup. It was Kristian et al’s scientific opinion based on limited data (but held up well). Scientists have a right to freely express their opinions, on Slack & in papers.
This isn’t “bad behavior.” It was scientists collaboratively examining the evidence. IOW, their jobs
This isn’t “bad behavior.” It was scientists collaboratively examining the evidence. IOW, their jobs
Since the NYT Armchair Brigade is at it again, let me just share a few public quotes made in May, 2020.
1️⃣ "Even Kristian Andersen [.] first thought that COVID-19 was just as likely to have been accidentally released from a lab as it was to have come from nature"
www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/sci...
1️⃣ "Even Kristian Andersen [.] first thought that COVID-19 was just as likely to have been accidentally released from a lab as it was to have come from nature"
www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/sci...
Scientists: 'Exactly zero' evidence COVID-19 came from a lab
www.cidrap.umn.edu
May 22, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Proximal Origin wasn’t a coverup. It was Kristian et al’s scientific opinion based on limited data (but held up well). Scientists have a right to freely express their opinions, on Slack & in papers.
This isn’t “bad behavior.” It was scientists collaboratively examining the evidence. IOW, their jobs
This isn’t “bad behavior.” It was scientists collaboratively examining the evidence. IOW, their jobs
Reposted by Tony Schountz
This is one of the biggest challenges of the modern information environment: learning to distinguish between bad faith criticism designed to destroy things and good faith criticism meant to make things better.
May 21, 2025 at 4:11 PM
This is one of the biggest challenges of the modern information environment: learning to distinguish between bad faith criticism designed to destroy things and good faith criticism meant to make things better.
The New York Times disinformation machine continues to roll.
Since the NYT Armchair Brigade is at it again, let me just share a few public quotes made in May, 2020.
1️⃣ "Even Kristian Andersen [.] first thought that COVID-19 was just as likely to have been accidentally released from a lab as it was to have come from nature"
www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/sci...
1️⃣ "Even Kristian Andersen [.] first thought that COVID-19 was just as likely to have been accidentally released from a lab as it was to have come from nature"
www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/sci...
Scientists: 'Exactly zero' evidence COVID-19 came from a lab
www.cidrap.umn.edu
May 22, 2025 at 10:20 AM
The New York Times disinformation machine continues to roll.
Reposted by Tony Schountz
Reposted by Tony Schountz
Reposted by Tony Schountz
I always take the opportunity to hang out with @kavehmd.bsky.social , because I get to meet other awesome people like @katiegoldin.bsky.social. A really fun conversation about animal hosts! 👇🏻
New episode!
Discussing Zoonotic diseases and countering the Lab Leak Theory.
With @angierasmussen.bsky.social & @katiegoldin.bsky.social!
iTunes: tinyurl.com/493tfdcz
Spotify: tinyurl.com/4k449ve6
Discussing Zoonotic diseases and countering the Lab Leak Theory.
With @angierasmussen.bsky.social & @katiegoldin.bsky.social!
iTunes: tinyurl.com/493tfdcz
Spotify: tinyurl.com/4k449ve6
May 21, 2025 at 6:56 AM
I always take the opportunity to hang out with @kavehmd.bsky.social , because I get to meet other awesome people like @katiegoldin.bsky.social. A really fun conversation about animal hosts! 👇🏻