“The debate over the origins of COVID-19 has gone beyond the realm of science and has become entangled in a whirlpool of politics and national sentiment.
On one hand, claims that it was “manipulated in China” and “leaked from a Wuhan laboratory” sparked public outrage and intuition, while on the other hand, molecular evolution research supporting a “natural origin” was piling up.
The scientist's job is to fairly test any hypothesis.
This book adheres to those principles—scientific rigor and dignified thinking—throughout.
During the pandemic, when field reporting was difficult, the author based his narrative on published scientific literature, researcher interviews, and data analysis.
When quoting, the principle of leaving the actual statement as is was observed.
What's interesting is that the author originally majored in literature, not biology or medicine.
While studying William Faulkner at Yale and Oxford, he became fascinated by the world of life sciences and continues to write with such depth and rigor that even scientists are impressed.
The humanities foundation, built on training in language and narrative, has been a decisive force in accurately and easily conveying complex scientific facts to the public.
This passage also has important implications for today's medicine and science.
Understanding and responding to the massive threat of infectious diseases requires not only data and experiments, but also the humanistic imagination and narrative skills to read, interpret, and communicate with society.
The ability to translate the language of science into knowledge accessible to the general public—the "intersection of science and humanities"—is another form of quarantine capacity that will prepare us for the numerous crises we will face in the future.
The author's book is significant in that it consistently poses the fundamental question, "Where did the virus come from?" and delves deeply into the virus itself from a scientist's perspective, excluding political debate or emotional interpretation.
In that sense, I can confidently say that it will be a profound and rewarding experience for readers to follow along with the breathless struggles of scientists recorded in this book (the original title of this book is 『Breathless』).” - From the translator’s note