Martha Nelson Author Profile | The Scientist Magazine®

Illustration of a targeted virus over a world map

Martha Nelson | Jan 4, 2022 | 10+ min read

Dozens of researchers, including myself, worked for years to uncover that swine flu had leapt to humans from a pig in Mexico in 2009. We learned a lot about influenza evolution, pig farming, and outbreak risk along the way.

Illustration of a world map showing a truck going from the US to Mexico, a plane going from Europe to Mexico, and a pig surrounded by various viruses in Mexico

Infographic: How H1N1 Came to Spark a Pandemic in 2009

Martha Nelson | Jan 4, 2022 | 2 min read

The pathogen known as swine flu evolved in pigs in Mexico following imports of the livestock from the US and Europe.

An illustration with a world map, pigs, and viruses

Timeline: Investigating the Origins of the 2009 Pandemic

Martha Nelson | Jan 4, 2022 | 3 min read

Seven years of surveillance and research revealed the complex history of the H1N1 virus that leapt from pigs to humans and sparked the global swine flu outbreak.

a veterinarian in a white hazmat suit holding a small pig

The Long Journey to Resolve the Origins of a Previous Pandemic

Martha Nelson | Sep 2, 2021 | 10+ min read

Dozens of researchers, including myself, worked for years to uncover that swine flu had leapt to humans from a pig in Mexico in 2009. We learned a lot about influenza evolution, pig farming, and outbreak risk along the way.