Something Scary Is Happening In Biolabs - Annie Jacobsen

Annie Jacobsen is a journalist, investigative reporter and an author. For decades, nuclear war has been humanity’s greatest existential fear. But the next global catastrophe may not arrive with a mushroom cloud—it could begin inside a laboratory. What would a biological attack actually look like, how quickly would it spread, and could humanity survive it? Expect to learn why biological war is scarier than nuclear war, what the first 6 days of a bioweapon outbreak will look like, why scientists are continuing to do gain-of-function research, why plagues are more attractive than nukes, what will happen to law & order and society as a whole if a plague breaks out and much more… - Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 160+ lab tests for just $365 and save an extra $25 at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get 10% discount on all Gymshark products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10) Get the brand new Whoop 5.0 and your first month for free at https://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at ⁠https://chatgpt.com - 0:00 Nuclear vs Biological War: Which Is Worse? 1:08 Why No One Is Talking About Bioweapons 4:23 Is Genetic Engineering a Good Thing? 7:14 What Covid Really Taught Us 13:25 Who Created the First Biological Weapon? 21:25 What Makes the Perfect Biological Weapon? 26:44 The Soviet Bioweapons Ambition 27:50 How the Soviet Program Was Exposed 34:38 How Many Bioweapons Are Man-Made? 37:30 The Biggest Mistakes in Bioweapons History 45:04 What Happens in the First 24 Hours of a Leak? 56:02 Bacteria vs Virus: Which Is More Dangerous? 57:19 Does Dose Responsiveness Determine Survival? 59:21 Are Incubation Time and Lethality Correlated? 01:02:19 How the Soviets Created a Euphoric Plague 01:08:39 Six Days: From Outbreak to Anarchy 01:23:37 How Close Covid Came to Social Breakdown 01:36:24 Where to Find Annie - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostAnnie Jacobsenguest

Jul 23, 20261h 37mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: July 23, 2026
Duration: 1h 37m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Annie Jacobsen is a journalist, investigative reporter and an author. For decades, nuclear war has been humanity’s greatest existential fear. But the next global catastrophe may not arrive with a mushroom cloud—it could begin inside a laboratory. What would a biological attack actually look like, how quickly would it spread, and could humanity survive it? Expect to learn why biological war is scarier than nuclear war, what the first 6 days of a bioweapon outbreak will look like, why scientists are continuing to do gain-of-function research, why plagues are more attractive than nukes, what will happen to law & order and society as a whole if a plague breaks out and much more… - Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 160+ lab tests for just $365 and save an extra $25 at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get 10% discount on all Gymshark products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10) Get the brand new Whoop 5.0 and your first month for free at https://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at ⁠https://chatgpt.com - 0:00 Nuclear vs Biological War: Which Is Worse? 1:08 Why No One Is Talking About Bioweapons 4:23 Is Genetic Engineering a Good Thing? 7:14 What Covid Really Taught Us 13:25 Who Created the First Biological Weapon? 21:25 What Makes the Perfect Biological Weapon? 26:44 The Soviet Bioweapons Ambition 27:50 How the Soviet Program Was Exposed 34:38 How Many Bioweapons Are Man-Made? 37:30 The Biggest Mistakes in Bioweapons History 45:04 What Happens in the First 24 Hours of a Leak? 56:02 Bacteria vs Virus: Which Is More Dangerous? 57:19 Does Dose Responsiveness Determine Survival? 59:21 Are Incubation Time and Lethality Correlated? 01:02:19 How the Soviets Created a Euphoric Plague 01:08:39 Six Days: From Outbreak to Anarchy 01:23:37 How Close Covid Came to Social Breakdown 01:36:24 Where to Find Annie - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Chris Williamson
host
Host of Modern Wisdom.
Annie Jacobsen
guest
Investigative journalist and author focused on national security, WMD risk, and government preparedness.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Annie Jacobsen, Something Scary Is Happening In Biolabs - Annie Jacobsen explores bioweapons risk, Soviet legacy, and devolution plans after outbreaks Biological warfare is framed as an “event with warning,” where a 12–36 hour window may allow containment—if detection is fast and governments are transparent.

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