Peter Duesberg: Molecular Biologist and Prominent AIDS Denialist | Generated by AI
Peter H. Duesberg is a German-American molecular biologist and a professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley. Early in his career, Duesberg was a highly respected scientist known for his groundbreaking research on retroviruses and the identification of the first cancer gene, work that earned him election to the National Academy of Sciences in 1986.
However, Duesberg is more widely known for his highly controversial and scientifically unsupported views on Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). He is a leading figure in the AIDS denialist movement, which rejects the well-established scientific consensus that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the cause of AIDS.
Duesberg’s central claim, often referred to as the “Duesberg hypothesis,” is that HIV is a harmless “passenger virus” and that AIDS is instead caused by other factors, primarily the long-term use of recreational drugs and the antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV. He has argued that the diseases classified as AIDS are merely markers for drug toxicity or other non-infectious causes.
These claims are overwhelmingly rejected by the global scientific and medical communities, who point to extensive evidence demonstrating that HIV infection leads to the progressive damage of the immune system that defines AIDS. Duesberg’s views have been widely criticized for misrepresenting data, ignoring evidence, and having dangerous public health implications. Despite the strong scientific consensus against his hypothesis, Duesberg has continued to promote his ideas, notably influencing AIDS policy in South Africa during the presidency of Thabo Mbeki, a stance that is widely considered to have had devastating consequences for public health in the country.