In GMT Games’ new cooperative survival game, The Plum Island Horror, different factions work together to try to escape a deadly outbreak. But what about the real-life Plum Island facility that inspired the game? Could something like that happen there? Conspiracy theory expert Stephanie Kemmerer explains.
Long before the conspiratorial whispers of COVID-19 being a “manufactured bioweapon,” there was similar talk about a secretive facility off the coast of Southold, in Long Island, New York. In 1954, the Plum Island Animal Disease Center began research into infectious animal diseases, to investigate pathogens that could infect and harm the livestock population within the United States. In other words, the aim was to identify, control, and cure animal-based diseases.
But that’s just what they want you to think!
Secrecy and security often become the foundation for outlandish ideas, and a passive consumption of information on the topic might make some of these seem plausible, but a deeper dive shows there really isn’t a there there.
So, let’s unpack the mysteries of Plum Island.
Many of the modern-day rumors of conspiratorial biological research at Plum Island can be traced back to a now-discredited book published in 2004, Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government’s Secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory, which centered on claims that the tick-borne Lyme Disease was created there. The author, Michael Christopher Carroll, isn’t an expert in infectious diseases, epidemiology, animal husbandry, or veterinary science, but he is general counsel of a New York-based finance company. More damningly, neurological problems following tick bites were recognized as far back as the 1920s, well before Plum Island existed.
To be fair, the U.S. does have a bit of a problematic past with secret, medical research. The Tuskegee Syphilis experiments and MK-Ultra horrors are difficult to forget, and in fact, shouldn’t be forgotten. Both often get mixed up in wild conspiracy theories, but it’s true that both were real and real people were harmed; some even died.
As you might imagine, there are exhaustive safety measures required for Plum Island, including the barring of non-employees from the facility. Of course secrets tend to breed conspiracy theories, and if access isn’t granted, then some assume “they are up to no good.” But do you really want some random person walking around Foot and Mouth Disease specimens? You’d think the COVID lab leak proponents would be more sensitive about the possibility of an outbreak.
There are some who claim the facility on Plum Island also created Morgellons Disease, which medical science categorizes as a psychological disorder. Morgellons is presented as foreign fibers growing from the skin. Some sufferers also claim to also have parasites in their body. Morgellons itself often fits in the category of delusional parasitosis, and has many links to recreational amphetamine use. When examined under a microscope, the fibers are identified as being from common household items. (This is similar to recovered “alien implants,” which are basically just small foreign objects usually left by old injuries.)
Adding to the heap of conspiratorial thinking is the “strange” “cryptid” case that often gets associated with Plum Island, the Montauk Monster. In July 2008 a deceased, hairless animal washed ashore on Ditch Plains Beach, in Montauk, New York. Those who viewed and took photos of the animal were stymied by the fact that it seemingly possessed features that matched a host of potential animals. Was it a raccoon? A dog? What the hell was this thing?
When the photos of the creature were shown on the news, people began speculating that it was part of some hybrid animal experiment that had escaped from Plum Island and died. There were even references to The Island of Dr. Moreau, and everyone was suddenly an expert. Deceased animals – especially those that wash ashore – have decidedly abnormal features and some elements of advanced decomposition can alter their features. Despite ongoing speculation, the real experts have identified the Montauk Monster as a raccoon.
Hollywood, as usual, probably hasn’t been helpful to Plum Island, which is referenced in Silence of the Lambs as a suggested spot for Hannibal Lecter’s relocation, and it’s also mentioned in American Horror Story season 11.
While the facility at Plum Island did experience a Foot and Mouth outbreak in 1978, and another two in 2004, there’s never been any conclusive evidence to suggest that anything has ever escaped the island. Facility operations were moved to Manhattan, Kansas, in 2023. Truth, they say, is stranger than fiction, but it’s also often far more boring.
Every February, to help celebrate Darwin Day, the Science section of AIPT cranks up the critical thinking for SKEPTICISM MONTH! Skepticism is an approach to evaluating claims that emphasizes evidence and applies the tools of science. All month we’ll be highlighting skepticism in pop culture, and skepticism *OF* pop culture.
AIPT Science is co-presented by AIPT and the New York City Skeptics.
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