Convincing Policy-Makers with Scientific Arguments
📅 Friday, 28 March 2025
⏰ 13:00 UTC / 09:00 EST / 14:00 CET
📍 Online (Live-streamed)
🎤 Fireside chat with Dr Matthew Meselson
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) coming into force—a landmark achievement in global disarmament. At the heart of this historic milestone is Dr Matthew Meselson, a pioneering scientist whose work not only shaped molecular biology but also transformed arms control.
Join us for a chat with Dr Matthew Meelson by Ljupčo Gjorgjinski, Senior Fellow at DiploFoundation and Fellow at UNIDIR.
🎯 Why attend?
✔ Hear firsthand from one of the most influential figures in biology and arms control of the 20th century
✔ Learn how rigorous science can shape global security
✔ Celebrate 50 years of the BWC and its enduring impact
About Dr Matthew Meselson
Dr Meselson is a towering figure at the intersection of science and policy. In the late 1960s, he persuaded Dr Henry Kissinger and President Richard Nixon that biological weapons offered no real military value, leading the USA to dismantle its bioweapons program. This pivotal decision cleared the path for the negotiation and ratification of the BWC—a landmark treaty that remains a cornerstone of global security.
But his impact didn’t stop there. Dr Meselson led groundbreaking investigations that redefined arms control:
- 1970: He spearheaded a scientific team in Vietnam, studying the ecological and health effects of military herbicides. His findings influenced President Nixon to phase out these operations.
- 1980s: He debunked claims that ‘yellow rain’ in Laos was a toxin weapon, proving it to be a natural phenomenon.
- 1993: He uncovered the truth behind the 1979 Sverdlovsk anthrax outbreak, revealing it as a military aerosol release—not a cattle-related incident.
As a scientist, Dr Meselson’s legacy is equally remarkable. His famous Meselson-Stahl experiment—often called ‘the most beautiful experiment’—demonstrated DNA’s semi-conservative replication and revealed the existence of messenger RNA, revolutionising molecular biology.
