Huber's Takedown- A Group Effort!

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Over the last few days the emails have been coming in.  Notes of thanks and congratulations have arrived from all over the state, the nation and the world for publicly exposing Don Huber and his magic organism as fiction.  To recap, I saw him speak live, asked him to share the organism so we could sequence it, and then watched him pirouette through painfully awkward nonsense.  When I get some time I'll post the live audio here.

I'm quite uncomfortable here.  Not for throwing someone under the bus for spreading misinformation, rather, that this was just the most recent salvo in an ongoing call-out of Dr. Huber and his mystery pathogen.  The story really starts long ago with efforts over on Biofortified.

The criticism against Huber has been rich at Biofortified.org.  My recent foray is simply an extension of previous efforts. 


Anastasia Bodnar blogged about this almost three years ago.  Karl Haro Von Mogel spoke with Huber for two hours by phone, two years ago.  When encouraged to release the pathogen for wider science study, Huber claimed that the manuscript was in the works and would be published soon.

When I learned that Huber was coming here to Gainesville, FL to spread his nonsense I wanted a good plan.  If I came out salty and swinging I'd alienate the audience, and audience already skeptical of biotech and certainly accepting of Huber's trash science.

I contacted Anastasia and Karl about what questions I should ask.  Certainly I had ideas, but wanted to get their expert opinions.  Karl reminded me of asking Huber to release the organism.

That's where I thought to extend an offer to sequence it. Rather than getting something from him, I'd collaborate with him, and instantly solve this important "crisis".  It then went on to the petition to ask Huber to release the organism on change.org.

The fact is, there is no secret mystery pathogen.  Huber's out on the circuit fooling any room full of concerned citizens he can find.

That's sad, sick and wrong.  It is not the way we do science, not the way we represent science, and we never should twist science to suit some political end.

Without Anastasia, Karl, and Biofortified the stage would have not been set for that crushing takedown of pseudoscience. I just was in the right place at the right time to tip it in.

This illumination of Huber's sham is only in the first phase.  Watch for the next shoe to drop this week...

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