Parlor Chats: What Don't We Know About Zika (and All Viruses)?

To understand the scope of human ignorance, neuroscientist Stuart Firestein interviews top scientists about the big mysteries in their fields. Tuesday, Firestein will talk with virologist Vincent Racaniello regarding the unknowns about viruses, and ask vital questions about Zika.

Stuart Firestein is the Chair of Columbia University’s Department of Biological Sciences, where he and his colleagues study the vertebrate olfactory system. He is the author of Ignorance: How it Drives Science and Failure: Why Science Is so Successful.

Vincent Racaniello, Professor of Microbiology at Columbia University Medical Center, has done laboratory research on viruses for over 35 years. He produces podcasts on viruses, parasites, bacteria and more, and is “Earth’s Virology Professor” at the Virology Blog.