Ken Goddard, director of the National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, joins Art Bell for a wide-ranging discussion on viruses, genetic science, and emerging biological threats. Goddard, a biochemist and forensic scientist, examines the alarming 87 percent increase in infectious disease deaths in the United States and explores the dangers of viruses jumping between species. The conversation covers a mysterious lung-dissolving virus that killed horses and their trainer in Australia, and the accidental release of a rabbit calicivirus from a research island off the Australian coast.
Art Bell presses Goddard on the terrifying scenario of a deadly airborne pathogen breaking loose in a major city, and what decisions authorities would face regarding quarantine and containment. Goddard acknowledges the near-impossibility of containing such an outbreak in a sprawling metropolitan area and discusses the ethical dilemmas of sacrificing a smaller population to protect a larger one.
The discussion extends into genetic engineering, designer babies, DNA privacy concerns, and the philosophical implications of potentially achieving human immortality. Goddard weighs in on the Spotted Owl controversy, the fragility of desert ecosystems, and the challenges of regulating private laboratories.
