Matt Ridley, Part 1: Freedom, Innovation, and Human Progress
Matt Ridley, Part 3: Trade, Tariffs, and the Case for Innovation Over RetreatCould a scientific experiment gone wrong be responsible for the deadliest pandemic in a century, and could tracing its true origin help prevent the next one?
British biologist and author Matt Ridley returns for part two of his three-part conversation with host Dennis McCuistion, recorded at Adam Smith Week at the College of Charleston.
Ridley traces the discovery of DNA’s structure and the sequencing of the human genome as turning points in biomedicine, then lays out the case behind his book Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19, co-authored with Broad Institute scientist Alina Chan, which argues the pandemic likely began in a Wuhan laboratory rather than a natural spillover.
He also recounts a 2023 discovery of an unlicensed biological lab in Reedley, California, and what it revealed about gaps in U.S. biosecurity oversight.
Ridley closes by weighing the prospects for radically extending human lifespan, setting up a final conversation about morality, trade, and progress in part three.
Matt Ridley, Part 1: Freedom, Innovation, and Human ProgressMatt Ridley, Part 3: Trade, Tariffs, and the Case for Innovation Over RetreatRelated Posts
