Members Jason Tetro

I'm passionate about

Two words: Education and Entertainment

An idea worth spreading

There will be little to no chance of a H5N1 pandemic. After writing a review article outlining the requirements that would be needed for the development or evolution of the H5N1 virus to one that could cause a pandemic matching that of the 1918 strain, I can clearly say that as long as we, as humans, keep a close watch on those who are infected, the likelihood of a pandemic will be very small. And quite honestly, if you think about it, we already had our pandemic. it was called SARS. But we stopped it with minimal damage. Mother Nature will eventually find a way to reduce our population but it won't be through H5N1.

Talk to me about

Talking with the public about scientific issues as well as how to turn any subject into one that will inspire and create future visions and action...and hopefully funding.

People don't know that I'm good at

Understanding the psychosocial in a Jungian manner with a little Merton thrown into the equation.

My TED story

Although we have a plethora of disinfectants and antiseptics, perhaps none is better than the general chemical that we all call water. By itself is more likely to help growth but when you modify the water just a little, you can turn into something deadly. If you heat water to a vapour, otherwise known as steam, nothing can survive. Surfaces can be disinfected without worry and the natural cleaning action will leave little behind for further growth. Take water and add another oxygen and you have hydrogen peroxide, which is currently one of the best microbicides on the market. And the vaporized form of this water derivative is now a perfect sterilant. Finally, take water and add ethanol, disrupting it's nature. At 62%, which leads to the greatest disruption, you can inactivate almost any bacterium, virus or fungus. So, as you can see, the greatest threats to our health can be mitigated not necessarily through the harshest chemicals, but through one we all know and need to live.