Tag: science

2006 Ralph Baric Paper Describes Synthetic ‘Scapegoat’ Viruses Engineered Digitally With False Origin ‘Fingerprints’ to Mislead Investigators

A 2006 paper authored by Dr. Ralph Baric—the University of North Carolina virologist widely recognized as the leading architect of chimeric coronavirus genomes and in silico viral assembly techniques—openly describes how synthetic viral genomics could be used to create viruses digitally, containing misleading genetic “fingerprints” designed to redirect investigators toward a false geographic or evolutionary origin.

The SARS-CoV-2 pathogen of the COVID-19 pandemic would be found to possess exactly the three signature spike features that Baric and his collaborators had explicitly proposed engineering into chimeric SARS-related coronaviruses in the 2018 DARPA/EcoHealth DEFUSE proposal: a furin cleavage site (PRRA) insertion at the S1/S2 junction, targeted human-optimizing mutations throughout the receptor-binding domain (including the critical Q498 residue), and the two-proline (V1060P/L1061P) substitution to stabilize the spike protein in its prefusion conformation.

Also in 2018, Baric was granted U.S. Patent 9,884,895 B2 for “Methods and compositions for chimeric coronavirus spike proteins,” which claims proprietary techniques for modular domain swapping and seamless synthetic computer assembly of coronavirus spikes.

Twelve years earlier, in the very same 2006 paper that first laid out the theoretical framework for such engineered viruses, Baric had already described how computer-designed genomes could be deliberately designed to serve as “scapegoats,” carrying misleading sequence signatures that would misdirect any investigation into their true origin.

The 2006 paper, titled Synthetic Viral Genomics: Risks and Benefits for Science and Society, was published as part of a broader biodefense and synthetic biology review examining the future risks posed by synthetic genomics, reverse genetics, and recombinant viral engineering.

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Bizarre academic paper about releasing ticks resurfaces amid surging bites

An estimated 31 million people living in the U.S. are bitten by ticks annually, but this year, the number may hit a record. If a pair of radical professors had their way, then the surging bites would go unchecked, leaving multitudes of Americans sick — and unable to eat meat.

Citing its Tick Bite Tracker dashboard, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late last month that visits to emergency rooms for tick bites were higher than normal in many parts of the country and that in all but the South Central U.S., “weekly rates of ER visits for tick bites are the highest for this time of year since 2017.” The Midwest is the most affected region.

This is especially concerning because tick bites can lead to various serious and potentially debilitating diseases including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and every carnivore’s nightmare: alpha-gal syndrome.

Amid this surge in tick bites and hospitalizations, a July 2025 academic paper defending the intentional spread of AGS via genetically modified ticks is once again in the spotlight.

AGS is a serious, potentially deadly allergy to alpha-gal, a molecule found in most mammals including cows and pigs. According to the CDC, the body of an afflicted individual registers alpha-gal in red meat and other mammal products as a threat and triggers an allergic reaction. This allergy can develop after a bite from a tick, most commonly the lone star tick.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are believed to presently be affected by AGS.

A pair of professors at Western Michigan University School of Medicine said in an article titled “Beneficial Bloodsucking,” which was published in the journal Bioethics, that tick-borne AGS should be regarded as a “moral bioenhancer if and when it motivates people to stop eating meat.”

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Academia’s Leftward March

Universities have leaned left politically since at least the 1960s. In itself, that’s not a problem. Different professions attract different kinds of people. Artists lean liberal. Soldiers lean conservative. Why should academics be any exception?

But there’s a difference between a lean and a monopoly – and American academia is rapidly approaching the latter. According to a recent paper by Nathan Honeycutt, 74% of US faculty identify as liberal, 15% as moderate, and only 11% as conservative. Remarkably, more faculty identify as “far left” or “very liberal” than with any position right of center.

This matters because intellectual progress depends on disagreement. When dissenting voices vanish, institutions don’t become wiser; they become more vulnerable to groupthink, motivated reasoning, and the comforting illusion that everyone sensible already agrees. If universities lose the capacity to challenge their own assumptions, their claim to be society’s truth-seeking institutions starts to look increasingly shaky.

In this post, I’ll outline five key findings about the political makeup and trajectory of academia, captured in five fascinating graphs.

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Shocking files reveal global elites explored remote human cell control

A resurfaced patent awarded to an elite biomedical research institution in New York City details technology described as enabling the ‘remote control of cell function.’ 

Granted to the Rockefeller University in 2018, the patent describes using tiny engineered particles called nanoparticles that can be directed toward specific types of cells either from outside the cell or by being placed inside it.

When exposed to radio waves, the particles heat up and activate temperature-sensitive channels within the targeted cells.

That heat then triggers a biological response inside the cell, such as switching on certain genes or prompting the production of proteins.

According to the patent, the technology could potentially be used to treat a wide range of diseases and disorders by remotely activating specific cellular functions inside the body.

While the technology could potentially revolutionize healthcare, the patent has sparked fears and conspiracy theories online because of the university’s historic ties to the influential Rockefeller family. 

The dynasty has long been the subject of claims alleging secretive influence over global politics, finance and the creation of a so-called ‘New World Order.’ 

However, there is no evidence that the technology was designed for mind control or population surveillance, and the patent describes potential medical applications aimed at treating disease by activating specific cellular responses. 

Even so, social media users have speculated online that the technology could theoretically be misused for neurological or behavioral manipulation, despite the patent focusing on medical research applications.

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The Ascent of Mediocrity

Regular readers of Brownstone Journal have been graced with insight provided by many authors of diverse backgrounds and experiences. As a physician, I have found those authored by Dr. Joseph Varon to be exceptionally helpful in their insight into the state of medicine today. In particular, his essay, “When Physicians are Replaced With a Protocol,” struck a chord with me.

Perhaps it was my conscience, as I probably bear some responsibility for furthering this viewpoint, at least on a local level. You see, I once was a True Believer. It was plausible. It seemed so believable, so “scientific,” so simple. But it was a vicious hoax that, I am ashamed to say, took me in. Let me tell the story:

In the early 1990’s, medicine was under siege. The cost was rising at a steep rate, and some people saw an opportunity. Rather than looking at the rapid corporatization of healthcare and the proliferation of administrative costs, it was easy to shift the blame to the “providers. We were no longer “physicians,” but providers of a service. In truth, that is what we had become. The Health Equation had been shifted, whether intentionally or by accident. Just a few years before, physicians had directed patients to hospitals. Now, some bright businessperson, probably from The Wharton School or other such academic Ivory Tower, had seen the profit if the hospitals (or other corporate entities like insurance companies or A COMBINATION OF THE TWO) directed the patients to the physicians. It was like some financial martial arts reversal move…A perfect Sumi Gaeshi.

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New Theory Suggests That Alternate Universe Versions Of You Are Determining Your Fate

What if you aren’t actually in control of your own destiny? What if another version of you from some parallel universe is steering the wheel of your life? Or, what if an infinite number of alternate “yous” are all tugging at the controls simultaneously?

That’s essentially the argument physicist Vlatko Vedral laid out recently in Popular Mechanics, using quantum physics to dismantle the idea that human consciousness magically creates reality.

First, let’s start by defining the “observer effect,” because it’s the widely accepted idea that Vedral is smashing apart. The observer effect is the idea that simply observing or measuring something inevitably alters it. One classic example is a tire pressure gauge. By checking tire pressure, you’re allowing a small amount of air to escape; thus, by merely observing/measuring, you have altered the subject.

A Physicist Says Quantum Physics May Be Stranger Than the Observer Effect

According to Vedral, the observer effect has been badly mangled by decades of internet philosophy and stoner dorm-room interpretations of quantum mechanics. The simplified version says that particles exist in multiple states until someone observes them, causing reality to “collapse” into a single outcome.

The idea became so popular and widely accepted, largely for the wrong reasons, that it even trickled down into New Age spirituality, where people try to manifest wealth with positive vibes, assuming that they can pull the strings of the universe with their mere acknowledgment of said strings.

The observer effect is a very human-centric concept that may even seem a bit arrogant. It puts us front and center in the forces of the universe, assuming that our mere presence of a natural act is enough for these forces to change the way they work as if they were trying to impress us, like when your boss walks by, so you start working extra hard.

Vedral says that’s nonsense, and that observation is nothing special. Consciousness doesn’t bend reality. Interactions do. Any kind of interaction. A photon hitting sunglasses, an electron colliding with an atom, and light entering your eye are all definite events that will happen whether or not a human is paying attention.

Vedral stuck with the example of a photon hitting someone’s sunglasses to make his point. He argues that quantum mechanics states that two separate realities can exist at the same time: in one branch, a photon passes through the lens and reaches your eye, and in another, it is deflected away by the sunglasses. Both versions of “you” continue to march along separate quantum paths.

Vlatko Vedral is basically arguing that quantum physics doesn’t say humans magically create reality just by looking at things. Instead, reality is constantly changing us through every interaction we have with the world. You are changing because you have become part of one possible outcome rather than another.

Vedral then takes the idea even further, suggesting that all these alternate versions of reality still technically exist and may even influence one another under very specific conditions. In simple terms, there may be countless slightly different versions of you constantly being created by every tiny interaction you have with the world, most of which you’ll never notice.

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Former CDC Autism Scientist Extradited to U.S. on Fraud, Money Laundering Charges

A former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientist who played a key role in research that denied any link between vaccination and autism was extradited to the U.S. last week to face charges of wire fraud and money laundering stemming from a 2011 indictment.

Poul Thorsen, 65, a Danish native, began working for the CDC in the late 1990s. In 2011, a federal grand jury indicted him for the alleged misuse of over $1 million in CDC grant money that was earmarked for autism and public health research. Thorsen is accused of redirecting the funds for his personal use.

Despite the indictment — and the existence of an extradition treaty between the U.S. and Denmark — Thorsen continued to live and work in Denmark. However, he was arrested in Germany last year on an INTERPOL warrant.

On May 8, U.S. Air Marshals escorted him from Germany to Atlanta, where he was arraigned.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which listed Thorsen on its most wanted list in 2012, posted a video of his extradition.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Thorsen faces two counts of wire fraud and nine counts of money laundering. He is being held without bail until trial.

In 2011, studies Thorsen co-authored were used to dismiss cases filed by the parents of autistic, vaccine-injured children that were part of the Omnibus Autism Proceedings pending before the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).

A 2016 book, “Master Manipulator: The Explosive True Story of Fraud, Embezzlement, and Government Betrayal at the CDC,” focused on the Thorsen case, describing him as “a world-class villain whose manipulation of health data gave CDC and big pharma what they wanted: a report clearing thimerosal of any possible role in the autism crisis.”

Mary Holland, CEO of Children’s Health Defense (CHD), said Thorsen “was central to the CDC and Pharma lies that ‘vaccines do not cause autism.’”

Brian Hooker, Ph.D., chief scientific officer for CHD, said Thorsen’s work “set autism research back more than 20 years.”

“Previous administrations did not appear interested in pursuing Thorsen,” according to the MAHA Report. As a result, Thorsen was “living openly, apparently without concern of being captured in Denmark.”

HHS and DOJ did not respond to The Defender’s requests for comment.

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Scientists INTENTIONALLY Trigger 8,000 Earthquakes Deep Beneath Swiss Alps

Scientists at ETH Zurich university in Switzerland have deliberately induced around 8,000 seismic events deep underground in the Swiss Alps as part of an experiment called Fault Activation and Earthquake Rupture (FEAR-2).

The team injected 750,000 litres of water into the ground via two boreholes over approximately 50 hours at the BedrettoLab facility. The quakes were too small to be felt at the surface or cause damage, with magnitudes ranging from -5 to -0.14.

The researcher explained “While some seismic events occurred on the target fault zone, a large number of events took place on neighbouring geological structures activated by the fluid injection.”

Professor Domenico Giardini, one of the lead researchers, stated: “If we master how to produce quakes of a certain size, then we know how not to produce them.”

He also noted the advantages of the site: “It is perfect, because we have a kilometer and a half of mountain on top of us… and we can look very close at the faults, how they move, when they move, and we can make them move ourselves.”

He doesn’t seem all that worried about the mountains crumbling on top of him.

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The Self-Indulgent, Dead-End Politics of AOC’s Partisan Liberalism

One of the year’s best feel-good news stories materialized late last month when Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin was forced to release more than 1,500 beagles who had been bred by the corporation to be sold into gruesome, sadistic government-funded experiments, only to be unceremoniously killed thereafter. I first reported on these industrialized dog abuses at Ridglan and by other corporations like it back in 2018. The horrific conditions into which the dogs are bred, and the monstrosity of the government-funded experiments to which they were subjected, remain vivid to this day.

That 2018 article was enabled by activists long opposed to the industrialized abuses of dogs and other animals. They worked against Ridglan Farms for over eight years to make last week’s inspiring victories possible, often risking their liberty to do so. And one major factor in their success — arguably the most indispensable one — was that they took an issue long associated with left-wing activism (animal rights) and found a way to form coalitions and partnerships with all sorts of politicians and media figures who reside far from left-wing politics, including many in the conservative movement and on the broader American right.

Much of this transformative progress was due to the deliberate portrayal of this cause as appealing to values found both on the right and the left. The campaign from White Coat Waste Project, for instance, emphasized not only the horrors of industrialized dog abuse and experimentation but also the wasteful government funds that sustain it, including horrifying dog experiments funded by Dr. Anthony Fauci. Activists with the animal rescue group DxE deliberately courted right-wing dog lovers and, in doing so, catapulted their cause from a once-perceived ideological or partisan fringe issue into one that commands mainstream support from a remarkably wide range of individuals.

All of this devotion to assembling a trans-ideological, nonpartisan coalition against hideous dog experimentation paid off. In the weeks leading up to the liberation of those 1,500 Ridglan Farms beagles, the cause had been taken up and promoted by not only numerous left-wing animal rights activists and local liberal politicians, but also prominent MAGA influencers and institutions, such as Lara Trump, Tomi Lahren, Laura Loomer, Megyn Kelly, Fox News, and by all sorts of right-wing members of Congress, including Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY).

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How a Scientific Cartel Protects Fraudsters and Rakes in Billions of Taxpayer Dollars

I was 22 when my grandmother forgot me.

It took her 12 years to die from Alzheimer’s. It started with little things, like where her glasses were or what day it was. Soon she didn’t know who I was. For a while, she addressed me as her son, but then, as the disease ate away more of her mind, she forgot him too. Then I was the young, handsome version of her husband, until he too faded away. After a while, I was just a nice young man who came to visit her.

The rest of the time, she was afraid: waking up in an unfamiliar world, surrounded by people she’d never met, confused that she wasn’t back home in Minnesota, where she’d grown up. It hit my mom the hardest. She did everything she could to take care of her own mother, watching the brilliant, kind woman she knew rot into a husk of her former self.

My grandmother died on Christmas Eve. As sad as it was, it was a blessing for my mom, who was finally freed from her duty of watching the woman she loved the most waste away.

The Alzheimer’s Researcher Who Became a Poster Child for Academic Fraud

Sylvain Lesné, a neuroscientist at the University of Minnesota, published a paper in Nature in 2006 claiming to identify a specific amyloid beta protein assembly as the direct cause of memory impairment in Alzheimer’s. This reinvigorated the amyloid hypothesis at a moment when skepticism about it was ramping up. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) devoted $1.6 billion to projects that mention amyloids in 2022 alone, nearly half of all federal Alzheimer’s funding that year. Lesné was a star.

But there were rumblings. Numerous amyloid drugs made it to trials with billions invested by pharmaceutical companies. They failed repeatedly. A question arose in the pharmaceutical community: How can this be right? How can the trials keep failing if the underlying research is correct? 

In 2022, the Vanderbilt neuroscientist Matthew Schrag uncovered evidence that images in Lesné’s paper had been manipulated. Science magazine found more than 20 suspect papers by Lesné, with over 70 instances of possible image tampering. Nature retracted the paper in June 2024. Every author except Lesné signed the retraction. Lesné himself resigned from his tenured position at the University of Minnesota on March 1, 2025, three years after his fraud was exposed.

More news and details trickled out over time. Charles Piller’s 2025 book Doctored talks about the Amyloid Mafia, a nickname for a network that had prioritized novelty over replication and marginalized dissenters for decades. Anyone questioning the amyloid gospel was pushed out and watched their funding vanish.

When I first picked up that Science article, I hadn’t considered academic fraud as something that was real and widespread. As I thought about it more, I was filled with a deep, bitter hatred. For his own pride, greed, and acclaim, this man had doomed millions of people like my grandmother to slow, horrible deaths and millions more like my mom to agonizing years as caregivers.

Lesné resigned, but was still rich. None of his grant money was clawed back. The system that was supposed to catch this—peer review, university compliance, journal editorial boards—failed repeatedly for years.

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