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 Dec 2021

      zeynep tufekci Retweeted zeynep tufekci

      Again: Viruses do not necessarily evolve to be milder—especially if they transmit early, like this one. Our immune system learning about it—via vaccines or infection—can mean better response next time, so milder experience. Not same as virus becoming intrinsically less virulent.https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1465075561236250631 …

      zeynep tufekci added,

      zeynep tufekciVerified account @zeynep
      This is a myth. Especially for a virus that can transmit early in disease course, like this one, selection pressure is on transmission, not virulence. So a new variant can be MORE or LESS virulent (when everything else equal, i.e. host immunity). https://twitter.com/soccervolleymom/status/1465074442044850183 …
      Show this thread
      19 replies 275 retweets 1,072 likes
      Show this thread
    2. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 Dec 2021

      Selection is on transmission: viruses becoming more transmissible makes sense! People may be thinking more transmission via milder disease because host moves around more? But virus could still kill the host, eventually, or transmit early, as this one, without dampening spread.

      6 replies 24 retweets 149 likes
      Show this thread
    3. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 Dec 2021

      Evolution is not a teleological process, bad match for a story-telling species' brain. Things seem to make sense—the just-so story—but we must go back to the mechanism. What's being selected for? How? FWIW, I don't think we have clarity on Omicron's intrinsic virulence, yet.

      3 replies 28 retweets 220 likes
      Show this thread
    4. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 Dec 2021

      zeynep tufekci Retweeted Prinz-Midas

      No, this doesn't make sense. There is no intrinsic trade-off mechanism between the two, and situations where both can and do go up, like Delta. And the virus doesn't "care" if it eventually kills its host as long as it is spreading.https://twitter.com/PrinzMidas/status/1468228080024137737 …

      zeynep tufekci added,

      Prinz-Midas @PrinzMidas
      Replying to @zeynep
      No virus would profit from killing its host. When it mutates it makes sense that it changes lethality for infectiousness. But there might be mutations that could be more lethal by chance, right?
      14 replies 42 retweets 266 likes
      Show this thread
    5. Bubba Karras‏ @MichaelDKarras 7 Dec 2021
      Replying to @zeynep

      This is not what @MonicaGandhi9 says, BTW. IIRC, she says viruses do tend to get less virulent over time. Maybe I'm misremembering?

      3 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 7 Dec 2021
      Replying to @MichaelDKarras @MonicaGandhi9

      You might be confusing how the immune response can make us experience the virus as less severe the next time—due to the host becoming more able to handle it—which is different than intrinsic virulence. The virus can have the same, or even more, threat to a seronegative person.

      6:59 AM - 7 Dec 2021
      • 2 Retweets
      • 9 Likes
      • FVM Miss Scarlet Bubba Karras Paulo Pancho jd Stephen Michael Kellat Will Lau Adithya Ramachandran
      2 replies 2 retweets 9 likes
        1. New conversation
        2. Bubba Karras‏ @MichaelDKarras 7 Dec 2021
          Replying to @zeynep @MonicaGandhi9

          Bubba Karras Retweeted Monica Gandhi MD, MPH

          She seems to be saying here in this thread (see the last tweet especially) that viruses don't tend to get more virulent over time, since it would be less adaptive. I'd be happy to be shown that two experts I trust actually don't disagree!https://twitter.com/MonicaGandhi9/status/1370924656698400769?t=yEPZErXzXGM_uZ8h82vw8Q&s=19 …

          Bubba Karras added,

          Monica Gandhi MD, MPHVerified account @MonicaGandhi9
          I see there is a circulating concern here that SARS-CoV-2 will mutate into a more virulent virus from vaccines. That is not what usually happens. The reason that #HIV researchers/physicians think about mutations/variants a lot is that HIV's polymerase https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002251 …
          Show this thread
          1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
        3. Anthony DiPierro‏ @DipierroAnthony 7 Dec 2021
          Replying to @MichaelDKarras @zeynep @MonicaGandhi9

          “Viruses don’t tend to get more virulent over time” is compatible with “viruses don’t tend to get less virulent over time.”

          1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
        4. Show replies
        1. New conversation
        2. Monica Gandhi MD, MPH‏Verified account @MonicaGandhi9 7 Dec 2021
          Replying to @zeynep @MichaelDKarras

          Agreed @zeynep, we don't really know and I put both possibilities in a thread from the other day - let's see how it plays out. Thanks

          1 reply 2 retweets 13 likes
        3. Bubba Karras‏ @MichaelDKarras 7 Dec 2021
          Replying to @MonicaGandhi9 @zeynep

          Well there you have it folks. I'm the dumb layperson who nevertheless brings the experts together in love and harmony. You're all welcome.

          0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
        4. 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