Skip to content
  • Home Home Home, current page.
  • Moments Moments Moments, current page.

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Language: English
    • Bahasa Indonesia
    • Bahasa Melayu
    • Català
    • Čeština
    • Dansk
    • Deutsch
    • English UK
    • Español
    • Filipino
    • Français
    • Hrvatski
    • Italiano
    • Magyar
    • Nederlands
    • Norsk
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Română
    • Slovenčina
    • Suomi
    • Svenska
    • Tiếng Việt
    • Türkçe
    • Ελληνικά
    • Български език
    • Русский
    • Српски
    • Українська мова
    • עִבְרִית
    • العربية
    • فارسی
    • मराठी
    • हिन्दी
    • বাংলা
    • ગુજરાતી
    • தமிழ்
    • ಕನ್ನಡ
    • ภาษาไทย
    • 한국어
    • 日本語
    • 简体中文
    • 繁體中文
  • Have an account? Log in
    Have an account?
    · Forgot password?

    New to Twitter?
    Sign up
zeynep's profile
zeynep tufekci
zeynep tufekci
zeynep tufekci
Verified account
@zeynep

Tweets

zeynep tufekciVerified account

@zeynep

Complex systems, wicked problems. Society, technology, science and more. @UNC professor. @NYTimes columnist. My newsletter is @insight: http://www.theinsight.org 

floating in a most peculiar way
theinsight.org
Joined August 2009

Tweets

  • © 2022 Twitter
  • About
  • Help Center
  • Terms
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies
  • Ads info
Dismiss
Previous
Next

Go to a person's profile

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @

Promote this Tweet

Block

  • Tweet with a location

    You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more

    Your lists

    Create a new list


    Under 100 characters, optional

    Privacy

    Copy link to Tweet

    Embed this Tweet

    Embed this Video

    Add this Tweet to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Add this video to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Hmm, there was a problem reaching the server.

    By embedding Twitter content in your website or app, you are agreeing to the Twitter Developer Agreement and Developer Policy.

    Preview

    Why you're seeing this ad

    Log in to Twitter

    · Forgot password?
    Don't have an account? Sign up »

    Sign up for Twitter

    Not on Twitter? Sign up, tune into the things you care about, and get updates as they happen.

    Sign up
    Have an account? Log in »

    Two-way (sending and receiving) short codes:

    Country Code For customers of
    United States 40404 (any)
    Canada 21212 (any)
    United Kingdom 86444 Vodafone, Orange, 3, O2
    Brazil 40404 Nextel, TIM
    Haiti 40404 Digicel, Voila
    Ireland 51210 Vodafone, O2
    India 53000 Bharti Airtel, Videocon, Reliance
    Indonesia 89887 AXIS, 3, Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata
    Italy 4880804 Wind
    3424486444 Vodafone
    » See SMS short codes for other countries

    Confirmation

     

    Welcome home!

    This timeline is where you’ll spend most of your time, getting instant updates about what matters to you.

    Tweets not working for you?

    Hover over the profile pic and click the Following button to unfollow any account.

    Say a lot with a little

    When you see a Tweet you love, tap the heart — it lets the person who wrote it know you shared the love.

    Spread the word

    The fastest way to share someone else’s Tweet with your followers is with a Retweet. Tap the icon to send it instantly.

    Join the conversation

    Add your thoughts about any Tweet with a Reply. Find a topic you’re passionate about, and jump right in.

    Learn the latest

    Get instant insight into what people are talking about now.

    Get more of what you love

    Follow more accounts to get instant updates about topics you care about.

    Find what's happening

    See the latest conversations about any topic instantly.

    Never miss a Moment

    Catch up instantly on the best stories happening as they unfold.

    1. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

      The WHO just updated its page on how COVID-19 transmits. Those few sentences on aerosols represent one of the most crucial scientific advances of the pandemic. My NYT piece on the century-long history of the error, the year of delay—and what it means now. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/opinion/coronavirus-airborne-transmission.html …pic.twitter.com/3b5K650nB4

      256 replies 4,503 retweets 10,393 likes
      Show this thread
    2. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

      This history goes back to scientists trying to get germ theory accepted and fighting (incorrect) folk theories of miasma—infection via stinky air—and they made some mistakes themselves along the way. Some froze into dogma. It took until this pandemic to, finally, start fixing it.

      11 replies 139 retweets 964 likes
      Show this thread
    3. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

      It's a huge advance, not a minor change. It explains so much of what went wrong and how to do better. We started with an incorrect theory of how COVID-19 transmits. One key error goes back a century. And it took a pandemic year to get to even this point. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/opinion/coronavirus-airborne-transmission.html …pic.twitter.com/KDmPPUfu6M

      15 replies 248 retweets 957 likes
      Show this thread
    4. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

      It's a long piece—and honestly, maybe I have maybe 10% of just the narrative in there, and maybe 2% of the history—let alone the fascinating science. I'm co-author on this peer-reviewed piece in The Lancet that explains some scientific details/issues. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00869-2/fulltext …pic.twitter.com/Y557LUCwVK

      4 replies 161 retweets 767 likes
      Show this thread
    5. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

      It is *really* important for the WHO, the CDC and all the public health agencies to publicize this and lead because there are also a lot of misconceptions—some stemming from the same errors. Masks and distance are still important, for example, but need more context to evaluate.

      8 replies 121 retweets 760 likes
      Show this thread
    6. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

      And... Wow. The New York Times is reporting that the CDC has just updated its descriptions of how COVID-19 is transmitted via aerosols. (Reading the CDC new version now). Eppure galleggia. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/health/coronavirus-airborne-threat.html …pic.twitter.com/yeYHu6yFV9

      24 replies 230 retweets 801 likes
      Show this thread
    7. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

      zeynep tufekci Retweeted The New York Times

      Incredible week. First the WHO, now the CDC. It'll take work to have all this be heard, and correctly. Just today, I saw Canada is planning to close beaches "to protect against variants." It takes more than a few website updates to fix a year of messaging.https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1390750809005203462 …

      zeynep tufekci added,

      The New York TimesVerified account @nytimes
      The coronavirus spreads through airborne transmission, particularly indoors, and even beyond six feet, the CDC emphasized on Friday. The new guidance is a change from the agency’s previous position that most infections were through “close contact.” https://nyti.ms/3bdpPZ0 
      25 replies 205 retweets 840 likes
      Show this thread
    8. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

      To get the significance of this, *just last week*, key UK infection control societies published a review with the same conflations/errors that CDC and WHO just moved towards correcting—and rated fomite and aerosol transmission (outside of medical procedures) as equally possible.pic.twitter.com/xmMhCrcOBK

      7 replies 77 retweets 401 likes
      Show this thread
    9. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

      zeynep tufekci Retweeted zeynep tufekci

      I want to add this here. Also, the story is really fascinating and much longer in terms of the sociology of science, standards of evidence, the scientific details and more, but we cut it to "only" about 5,000 words because that's already so long. 😁https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1390766250775744512 …

      zeynep tufekci added,

      zeynep tufekciVerified account @zeynep
      Replying to @corybe
      It's all now called "essays" when you do analyses. Thank you! :-D It was fact-checked within an inch of its life by a team. Pretty much every word is deeply documented. Also I have maybe there times the story, that could easily past similar fact-checking, but already so long!
      2 replies 45 retweets 353 likes
      Show this thread
      zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

      I have a growing databases detailing rules and restrictions around the world—to this day—that made sense from where we started—short-range respiratory droplets—but do not make sense at all, and are even counterproductive. Need to change that AND also emphasize what remains same.

      1:56 PM - 7 May 2021
      • 59 Retweets
      • 447 Likes
      • SpaceSjut Jim Dr. Africa Gómez abbaskauchow10 Stew ÙÉHARASHIGEÒn pwills Jeffrey Lori
      9 replies 59 retweets 447 likes
        1. New conversation
        2. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

          Aerosol scientists kept telling me that plexiglass barriers might be making things *worse* by blocking ventilation. Just out in Science. Desk shields associated with *increased* illness risk in schools. Closing playground? Also uptick. So many upshots. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2021/04/28/science.abh2939 …pic.twitter.com/JZs0CcdCO8

          53 replies 1,363 retweets 2,935 likes
          Show this thread
        3. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted

          On that: the epidemiological record is clear. And the science explains why. Note that as I wrote, it’s not completely safe if you engaging close and prolonged contact among unvaccinated people. But it’s absolutely SO much safer. We need a very different approach to the outdoors https://twitter.com/bengardnernyc/status/1390777283858870275 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          This Tweet is unavailable.
          19 replies 85 retweets 646 likes
          Show this thread
        4. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted

          Yes! Some of what we can try to do now, and for likely other respiratory diseases going forward, is not necessarily expensive, and some that is expensive is a better return for us than excessive hygiene theater and plexiglass and all the rest. And good for health in general! https://twitter.com/AllanRicharz/status/1390747339162324999 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          This Tweet is unavailable.
          19 replies 80 retweets 449 likes
          Show this thread
        5. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 8 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Linsey Marr

          A @linseymarr thread from March 5, 2020. Look at how well it holds up. There are people across the world and across discipline working on all this, many before the pandemic, and in some countries they were listened to (early masking, cluster focus).https://twitter.com/linseymarr/status/1235641151249616896 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Linsey MarrVerified account @linseymarr
          Viruses in small droplets can float around in air for many hours, but they will likely be quite diluted unless you're in a small confined space. You could inhale these, but it's much less likely than if you're close to the person. /6
          Show this thread
          2 replies 62 retweets 319 likes
          Show this thread
        6. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 8 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted PM's Office of Japan

          I learned much of this first from a virologist and infectious disease specialist in Japan, Dr. Oshitani who had everything—aerosols, presymptomatic transmission, clusters—nailed by February of 2020. For purposes messaging, this is it, from March 2020:https://twitter.com/JPN_PMO/status/1244231002257383424 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          PM's Office of JapanVerified account @JPN_PMO
          #COVID19 update: The experts on the novel #coronavirus stress the need to avoid three overlapping conditions. The “Three Cs” are: closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings. http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/content/000061935.pdf … (please follow the guidelines for the public use of this poster.) pic.twitter.com/dON2CasDAE
          26 replies 281 retweets 906 likes
          Show this thread
        7. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 8 May 2021

          The neat part is the update is because right after the article went live, CDC also updated its guidance. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/opinion/coronavirus-airborne-transmission.html …pic.twitter.com/EkgEGSmLme

          8 replies 26 retweets 235 likes
          Show this thread
        8. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 8 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Roxanne Khamsi

          Also I want to highlight this by @rkhamsi, which is one of the earliest pieces I know of in English on all this. March 14, 2020. Look how well it holds up as well, especially in highlighting the need to move beyond the dichotomies quickly.https://twitter.com/rkhamsi/status/1238807298673434625 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Roxanne KhamsiVerified account @rkhamsi
          Is the virus that causes #COVID19 airborne? I spent the last week talking to experts who challenge public health officials’ black-and-white approach to talking about this: https://www.wired.com/story/they-say-coronavirus-isnt-airborne-but-its-definitely-borne-by-air/ …
          10 replies 42 retweets 261 likes
          Show this thread
        9. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 8 May 2021

          The central statement of the group is: “The transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 viruses takes place almost without exception indoors.” ht @BernieCornfeldhttps://www.thelocal.de/20210412/danger-lurks-inside-german-aerosol-experts-say-covid-restrictions-should-target-indoor-areas/ …

          12 replies 204 retweets 545 likes
          Show this thread
        10. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 9 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Ty Schalter

          This isn’t exactly true though, for this. Once aerosol transmission is correctly understood, it actually *unlocks* effective mitigations, especially since SARS-CoV-2 is overdispersed (either superspreadering OR low transmission). Aerosol recognition shows us its chokepoints.https://twitter.com/tyschalter/status/1391386430572797957 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Ty SchalterVerified account @tyschalter
          I remember being weirded out by this at the very beginning. Everything I was reading was like, "If it's droplets, we'll want to wipe down surfaces and avoid touching our faces. If it's aerosols...well, if it's aerosols we're SCREWED, so it CAN'T be that" https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1390738628528201735 …
          8 replies 52 retweets 262 likes
          Show this thread
        11. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 9 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Joanna Teglund  😷  🪟 Don't get infected #ZeroCovid

          I just want to keep highlighting that there are very few confirmed outdoor transmission cases at all, and they are mostly in the context of prolonged *and* really close contact AND that the science of aerosol transmission makes it very clear why outdoors is so so much safer.https://twitter.com/JoannaTeglund/status/1390681712682749952 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Joanna Teglund  😷  🪟 Don't get infected #ZeroCovid @JoannaTeglund
          Replying to @IvaWest_SE @KBIvarsson and 3 others
          Outdoors isn't safe, but you can minimize the risk keeping distance and using masks. There are special masks for singers. https://twitter.com/JoannaTeglund/status/1390390342239858695 …
          15 replies 127 retweets 485 likes
          Show this thread
        12. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 10 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Eric Topol

          My piece on the history and the context of the debate over aerosol transmission is out in print today in the New York Times. (Online is longer and linked below, print is shorter!): https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/opinion/coronavirus-airborne-transmission.html …https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1391642044167196675 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Eric TopolVerified account @EricTopol
          A masterpiece in print 🙏 @zeynep pic.twitter.com/60Drai5ikJ
          Show this thread
          4 replies 45 retweets 146 likes
          Show this thread
        13. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 10 May 2021

          So much gratitude to @avizvizenilman and @isaacscher who provided incredible research assistance. The piece was fact-checked within an inch of its life over many days, and it's the tip of an iceberg in terms of the research and documentation that went into it.

          2 replies 6 retweets 79 likes
          Show this thread
        14. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 10 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Prof. Jose-Luis Jimenez

          Look at this incredible thread by @jljcolorado on the history of aerosol denial/misunderstandings/errors. I put (what I could fit) to highlight this. There's something to say about individual conduct during all this—but also that this is a longer history.https://twitter.com/jljcolorado/status/1391111720526024708 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Prof. Jose-Luis JimenezVerified account @jljcolorado
          1/ TIME FOR SOME AIRBORNE + DROPLET HISTORY Now that @WHO and @CDCgov have finally accepted *after a year of denial and delays* that airborne transmission is a major mode for COVID-19, it is time to review the history to try to understand why this response was so poor.
          Show this thread
          3 replies 63 retweets 177 likes
          Show this thread
        15. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 10 May 2021

          The history matters. Top medical journals still publish errors about aerosol size and biomechanics. Not individual malfeasance. The errors are in the textbooks. Medical doctors are not biophysicists or aerosol engineers. Dismissing relevant expertise has been, sadly, very costly.

          1 reply 45 retweets 211 likes
          Show this thread
        16. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 10 May 2021

          The other part is how causal inference differs by field. Clinical practice rightly uses randomized trials (crucial for drugs and vaccines) but the clear point that the droplet theory didn't do a good job explaining the world as we observed it didn't get the attention it deserved.

          3 replies 15 retweets 126 likes
          Show this thread
        17. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 10 May 2021

          Overlooked but key. Nothing about transmission in this pandemic makes sense except in the light of overdispersion. It alternates between contagious clusters and little to no transmission. This makes causal inference difficult. It fries our assumptions. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/09/k-overlooked-variable-driving-pandemic/616548/ …pic.twitter.com/nygPqC3yzn

          5 replies 29 retweets 130 likes
          Show this thread
        18. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 10 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Iris Pangburn

          Yes, around the world, to this day. And the constant overuse of bleach etc. is not just a waste of time and resources, it's genuinely unhealthy. "Stop over-disinfecting and start ventilating" has to be a loud campaign, led by WHO & public health agencies.https://twitter.com/Calamitatis/status/1391733545270497282?s=20 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Iris Pangburn @Calamitatis
          Replying to @junrussell @Fundmasstransit @zeynep
          Yes, but on the other hand an enormous waste of work-time & resources. Consider the volume of disposable gloves, the plastic containers of lysol & so forth, the crippling requirements of daycare centers, etc. A more timely update could have limited that.
          11 replies 172 retweets 397 likes
          Show this thread
        19. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 10 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Ted Pedersen

          Yes. Some of what we can do is easy/free. Some of it is not, and requires resources and trade-offs (sealed building are energy efficient). Filtering can be an option when dilution is not. Challenge is very real, but still should start from the right place.https://twitter.com/SeeTedTalk/status/1391739250291486727 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Ted Pedersen @SeeTedTalk
          Replying to @zeynep
          this all makes a lot of sense. but a lot of schools and universities, for example, are in buildings that don't have great ventiliation, and improving that is costly and not likely to happen. so what do we do?
          4 replies 19 retweets 105 likes
          Show this thread
        20. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 10 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Pieter Peach

          Yep. Overdispersed things can't be studied with methods not suitable for them. Example: information provided by non-events is asymmetric compared to info from events. Cluster-randomized trials—say for source control—can't easily get statistical power. Etc.https://twitter.com/DrPieterPeach/status/1391741852852756486 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Pieter Peach @DrPieterPeach
          “It fries our assumptions” Great way to put it @zeynep. Explains a fundamental misstep, i.e. using a mean R0 of 2.5 to argue against aerosol transmission by ignoring the head of the long tail distribution curve. Hiding the important data away in the mean. https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1391736001475796996 … pic.twitter.com/kXoPTvE1HN
          4 replies 28 retweets 116 likes
          Show this thread
        21. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 10 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Prof. Akiko Iwasaki

          Let me highlight that excellent work has been happening all year, as well. Resistance to relevant expertise was a problem, but many key papers from this year are co-authored by people across disciplines. One interesting interdisciplinary panel today.https://twitter.com/VirusesImmunity/status/1391751814840717316 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Prof. Akiko IwasakiVerified account @VirusesImmunity
          I am excited to participate in a panel to discuss indoor air & COVID transmission. I will focus on the impact of indoor environment on host immunity. Eager to learn from other speakers - @linseymarr @WBahnfleth @staylorvt @AdrianoAguzzi @LAPI_epfl https://smw.ch/online-event  pic.twitter.com/EvxPGocvAu
          Show this thread
          5 replies 28 retweets 109 likes
          Show this thread
        22. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 10 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Linsey Marr

          Excellent, rapid progress from the CDC, clarifying the tables that came with the aerosol update.https://twitter.com/linseymarr/status/1391863551132897285 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Linsey MarrVerified account @linseymarr
          Excellent! CDC removed a table from this page that mishandled the risk of transmission beyond 6'. It can easily happen in a poorly ventilated indoor environment, where people are not wearing masks. https://twitter.com/kprather88/status/1391854554702958593 …
          4 replies 17 retweets 122 likes
          Show this thread
        23. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 11 May 2021

          I recently went through the same chasing down of known outdoor case percentage. Same conclusion. As @mugecevik explains, "less than 10%" is misleading. Reported numbers of confirmed cases are around 0.1% so way lower than 10% even assuming undercounting. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/11/briefing/outdoor-covid-transmission-cdc-number.html …pic.twitter.com/1Zr5Iuqj54

          6 replies 103 retweets 321 likes
          Show this thread
        24. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 11 May 2021

          Seeing so many wondering if confirmed outdoor transmission can really be that low, compared with indoors. Yes. This confusion is another loss of being so late to acknowledge the key role of aerosols: the epidemiological record shows exactly what acknowledging aerosols predicts.

          12 replies 56 retweets 343 likes
          Show this thread
        25. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 13 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted The Hill

          Yep, the problem with gyms — enclosed spaces where people engage in activities that we know greatly increase aerosol production — is that we aren't sufficiently good at spraying the weights with disinfectants. (ht @slowphotograph2)https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1392909521819996165 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          The HillVerified account @thehill
          Bipartisan Senate bill introduced to give gyms $30 billion in pandemic relief http://hill.cm/5vxzeRl  pic.twitter.com/b46xkUtNV4
          9 replies 21 retweets 189 likes
          Show this thread
        26. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 13 May 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted

          This is why the whole lack of clear communication and understanding around aerosol transmission—and the ensuing dominant visualization of COVID-19 mitigation as disinfecting, and its breach as people outdoors/beaches—matters. It makes things worse. https://twitter.com/dankrutka/status/1392913606522646538 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          This Tweet is unavailable.
          6 replies 37 retweets 185 likes
          Show this thread
        27. End of conversation

      Loading seems to be taking a while.

      Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.

        Promoted Tweet

        false

        • © 2022 Twitter
        • About
        • Help Center
        • Terms
        • Privacy policy
        • Cookies
        • Ads info