Matt Field
BulletinOfTheAtomic
Chicago, IL, United States
Contact Matt
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Matt:
A House subcommittee investigating COVID-19's origins hears from a former CDC head and other prominent witnesses
A House subcommittee has begun investigating the origins of COVID-19, the latest of many investigations into the beginnings of the pandemic. → Read More
Mink on a Spanish farm caught bird flu. Is the virus adapting to mammals?
Researchers in Europe investigated a disease outbreak last fall on a mink farm in Spain. What they found is alarming health experts. → Read More
Are the US and China fighting a "tech war" over semiconductors and other advanced technology?
Recent tensions between the US and China have sparked a lot commentary framing the dynamic as like a "war." Some analysts think the metaphor is necessary, while others fear the military implications of the term. → Read More
Why this Ebola outbreak in Uganda might be more worrisome than others
Unlike with the strain of the highly lethal virus that killed more than 11,000 between 2014 and 2016 in several West African countries, the so-called Sudan strain causing an Ebola outbreak in Uganda has no approved vaccines or treatments. → Read More
The Strategic National Stockpile failed during COVID and monkeypox. Will it come through next time?
The US government's main repository of supplies for responding to public health crises hasn't lived up to its promise in the past few years. Can it do better if and when the next pandemic threat emerges? → Read More
Polio is back in the United States. How did that happen?
Now that polio, which can permanently disable and even kill people, is back on the front pages, it’s worth asking what exactly is going on. → Read More
North Korea claims to have defeated COVID. Experts wonder what's really going on
North Korea claims that it has eradicated COVID within its borders. An outbreak starting in April may have infected nearly 5 million North Koreans. Experts are skeptical of the isolated country's claims, and some think other motivations are at play behind the announcement. → Read More
Is the US slow-walking toward a monkeypox disaster?
In sports terms, containing monkeypox should have been like hitting a slow pitch. Compared to COVID the disease spreads less easily and experts were once optimistic that the United States could contain it. Now many worry that the government whiffed. Monkeypox could be here to stay. Leaping ahead of the federal government, San Francisco and … Continued → Read More
If 167 hearings didn't prepare Congress for the COVID pandemic, what will?
A Georgetown University researcher counted all the times Congress held hearings on emerging infectious diseases between 1995 and 2019. Unfortunately, the 167 hearings Congress held didn't seem to prepare the United States to deal with COVID-19. → Read More
Everyman Joe Biden catches COVID, just like everybody else
President Joe Biden's COVID diagnosis highlights that although COVID may be less of a threat than it was a couple years ago, the United States is still facing an immense struggle with the virus. → Read More
As monkeypox spreads: 5 questions answered
As the monkeypox outbreak outside of Africa grows, will the United States help vaccinate countries where the virus has been causing infections and deaths for years? Five questions about monkeypox answered. → Read More
As avian influenza spreads in birds, conspiracy theories about the disease infect the internet
Conspiracy theorists on TikTok and other social media platforms are spreading outrageous claims about the bird flu, amid an avian influenza surge that is leading farmers to cull millions of birds. → Read More
What experts say an attack on a Ukrainian nuclear power plant could do
What could happen during a Russian attack on Ukrainian nuclear power plants? Several nuclear experts weigh in. → Read More
Essential reading on lab leaks and gain-of-function research
Some biomedical research may be producing opportunities for catastrophe, rather than illuminating scientific results: A collection of Bulletin biosecurity coverage. → Read More
Disinformation watch: How a Bulletin story about self-spreading vaccines was used in anti-vaxxer propaganda
Learn how anti-vaxxers misused a Bulletin article on self-spreading vaccines to promote a false conspiracy theory about COVID-19 vaccines. → Read More
Six essential stories on the origins of COVID-19
The Bulletin has produced several important stories on the origins of COVID-19. Here are six of the best. → Read More
Instead of reforming Facebook, should we just build something else?
Ethan Zuckerman, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, thinks that there’s a better way to improve social media than simply trying to make companies like Facebook better. Taking his inspiration from public broadcasters like the United Kingdom’s BBC, he advocates for creating perhaps hundreds of thousands of social platforms with a civic purpose rather than a profit motive. → Read More
Uncanceled: Banned from Facebook, Trump reaches millions on TV
The Facebook Oversight Board announced on May 5 that the platform's suspension of former president Donald Trump could stand. Far from being “cancelled,” however, Trump these days has been able to use regular TV appearances to reach millions of viewers with his familiar grievances. → Read More
Congressional testimony: How the Pentagon can fight information warfare
The Pentagon is–in many ways–poorly positioned to protect the US public from the threat of information warfare, a Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists expert told Congress. → Read More
Why is the J&J vaccine paused, and what does a pause mean?
Some health experts expressed reservations about the government pausing Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccinations. Amid a new wave of COVID-19 infections, the pause could slow down US efforts to reach herd immunity and quash the pandemic. → Read More