The CDC Uses A Chinese Textile To Illustrate A Cover Story On Virus Transmission

Or rather, misuses the textile, a late-18th-century military rank badge. “Byron Breedlove and Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, authors of the cover feature ‘Auspicious Symbols of Rank and Status,’ try to give an art historical analysis of this textile their best shot. However, their attempt at intertwining art and science takes a disastrous, even comical turn in the sixth paragraph, in which they state that ‘The birds and animals featured on the various rank badges (excepting, among others, dragons, unicorns, andĀ qilin) may also serve as zoonotic reservoirs capable of transmitting viral pathogens that can cause respiratory infections in humans.'” – Hyperallergic