The Aussie scientist who defied China and told the world about COVID
The Briefing28 Okt 2020

The Aussie scientist who defied China and told the world about COVID

Today's episode is about the rebellious act of an Aussie Professor. Professor Edward Holmes is the Aussie scientist who defied China and shared the genome sequence for COVID-19 with the world.

When the first signs of the pandemic emerged in January Chinese scientist Professor Yong-Zhen Zhang sequenced the gnome of this coronavirus and shared that information with Eddie. The Chinese government had told them not to publish the information. However Eddie Holmes was adamant the world needed the information ASAP. So he defied the Chinese authorities and hit publish.

Eddie was recently awarded NSW scientist of the year.

In today's headlines:

  • Qatari government “regrets distress” over invasive searches
  • Kevin Rudd “blindsided” by revelations of Epstein’s think tank link
  • Nation’s largest cybercrime squad investigating school exam bomb threats
  • “Friends wasn’t funny either”: Kanye slams Jennifer Aniston over voter push

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