About this episode:

News about HKU5, a new bat coronavirus with the ability to spread to humans, was met with concerns in the scientific community—mostly because of how the research was done. In this episode: Johns Hopkins virologist Andy Pekosz talks about the different levels of biosecurity in laboratories where scientists study some of the world’s most dangerous viruses, how these standards vary worldwide, and what that could mean for studying future viruses with pandemic potential.

Guest:

Dr. Andy Pekosz is a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with appointments in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and Environmental Health and Engineering.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, the largest center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

• Recent Virus Research Should Raise the Alarm—The New York Times (Opinion)

• Chinese researchers find bat virus enters human cells via same pathway as COVID—Reuters

• The virus hunters who search bat caves to predict the next pandemic—CNN Health (2020)

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