I have a story in the news section of today’s New York Times on the past and future of Ebola. There is so much anxiety and curiosity about the virus that it seemed like an opportune time to check in with a bunch of evolutionary biologists who study Ebola–as well as other viruses. In my piece, I make two basic points: 1) the scientists I’ve spoken to don’t think that the virus currently spreading around West Africa (and beyond) is some freakish mutant, and 2) it’s very unlikely that during this outbreak it will transform into some fundamentally different–and more dangerous–pathogen.

Reporting a story like this is a bit like dipping a bucket into a burbling fountain. There’s just too