Author and researcher A.W. Finnegan joins the show to discuss his book The Sleeper Agent: The Rise of Lyme Disease, Chronic Illness, and the Great Imitator Antigens of Biological Warfare.

After his own experience with Lyme disease led him down a years-long research path, Finnegan began digging into the history of biological warfare, Nazi virologist Erich Traub, Project Paperclip, Plum Island, and Cold War experiments involving ticks, insects, migratory birds, and infectious disease.

Throughout the conversation, Finnegan lays out his argument that the history of Lyme disease may be far more complicated than the commonly accepted story, pointing to declassified documents, scientific research, government programs, and the concept of immune tolerance as pieces of a much larger puzzle.

We also discuss vaccine research, COVID-era biodefense, government experimentation, why biological weapons can be uniquely difficult to distinguish from naturally occurring outbreaks, and the controversy that follows anyone willing to question established explanations.

Toward the end, Finnegan shares some of the research he has uncovered since publishing The Sleeper Agent and gives a glimpse into his next project, which takes an entirely different direction into the history and folklore surrounding jinn.

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