More zombie viruses are in our future as the planet warms

Plus: Scary good AI. [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a zombie virus of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions.  [Sign up here]( . Today’s Agenda - A [50,000 year-old virus]( ... - An [inverted yield curve]( ... - A [freakishly good chat bot]( … - A [win for democracy]( ... White Lotus Plot Twist We haven’t even reached the end of the second season of White Lotus, and people are already talking about the third season. The consensus is that director Mike White needs to ditch the palm trees and palazzos for Poma lifts and permafrost: A Siberian ski resort would be the perfect setting for the next murder. There could be poisoned mulled wine, mountains of Oestra caviar, a cabal of rabid Caspian sea [wolves](, multi-million-dollar ski chalets purchased with illicit crypto fortunes and maybe even a clueless yet very attractive snow patrol named Sergey. I’m just spitballing here. Not only would people delight in watching Jennifer Coolidge attempt to A) put on a balaclava and B) ski down the bunny hill in a designer quilted nylon jumpsuit, a winter White Lotus would open up countless plot opportunities, including the possibility that a hotel guest’s service dog accidentally digs up a virus that had been frozen for 50,000 years. What could be better than zombies and Xanax? "I was told that the vodka here was made by a blind nun in a basement." Illustration: Jessica Karl Unfortunately for HBO, scientists in Siberia might have already run with that concept. Just last month, they dug up a chunk of the tundra only to realize it housed [a curious “zombie virus” that still works like a charm](. The fact that this Stone-Age bug can still infect amoebas exactly like it did in the days when your great, great, great, great (you get the idea) grandmother was eating bark on her couch made from stalagmites and leaves “should be a little scary,” Faye Flam writes. A little! This particular virus can’t hurt humans, but future ones could. As you read this, Russian miners are knee-deep in all sorts of freaky time capsules, and there’s no way to stop them from resurrecting what’s inside. As Siberia continues to melt, exposing the next White Lotus killer will be the least of our worries. Inverted Yield Curve Theory 101 Although inverted yield curves aren’t nearly as scary as ancient zombie illnesses, they instill plenty of fear in markets. The inversion of the 2-to-10-year Treasury spread has deepened to levels not seen since the Iran hostage crisis — years before the yield curve was even [considered a recession indicator](. An inversion this deep is more abnormal than that weird-looking mole on your foot you’ve been meaning to get checked out. It has economists and investors [wondering whether the next economic downturn]( will be longer and deeper than any of the previous 40 years, Aaron Brown writes. Whatever the outcome, John Authers and Isabelle Lee write the true [recession vibes won’t set in until 2023](, thanks to J Powell’s favorite new phrase about how monetary policy acts with “uncertain lags.” Aggro rate hikes basically work like those [biotin gummy bears]( influencers like to peddle on TikTok. You really don’t know what they’ll do to your hair until months, maybe years later! Adding to the suspense is our actual wallets, which are apparently still packed to the nines with pandemic stimulus: Nobody really knows how long it’ll take for all the money to swim back out into the [murky economic waters](, but John and Isabelle suspect we’ve already hit an iceberg. Nothing rings in the New Year like a recession! Bonus Economy Reading: The government’s choice to go big on short-term debt is [an absolute disaster for taxpayers](. — Allison Schrager Waffles Are a Tasty Choice for Legs This morning I was corresponding with ChatGPT and asked it to write me a poem about waffles. It’s a lovely poem, really. But it didn’t get the whole memo about legs not being sentient beings: Upon further inquiry, it was just a classic mix-up: I, like most other users of the internet, am enthralled by ChatGPT’s abilities. If you haven’t [given it a whirl](, I assure you it’s good fun. But Tyler Cowen writes such advanced AI could have serious and [far-reaching impacts](, especially in the realms of software, education and journalism (as I’ve [said previously](, the demise of my career is as imminent as the recession). Consider how AI-generated content could alter our God-given right to write our local congressperson a scathing email about the heinous zoning laws or the filthy dog park. [Political interest groups could harness the power of AI and flood politicians’ inboxes]( with pleas that don’t accurately reflect the wishes of actual constituents, Tyler writes. This is bad, of course! But it might just mean a return to ye olde-world method of putting pen to paper … and buying those mythical things called stamps. I heard they sell them in Narnia, maybe. Further Reading [The Senate’s bipartisan same-sex marriage bill]( is an example of how democracy is supposed to work. — Bloomberg’s editorial board Targeting China with [steel and aluminum tariffs]( will come back to bite the US and Europe. — Clara Ferreira Marques Using a SPAC — a shaky financial vehicle, on a good day — [to take a crypto company public]( was never a good idea.  — Chris Bryant Countries could be creating petri dishes of geniuses, [with one weird trick](. — Adrian Wooldridge [Ukraine’s drone war has arrived](, and Biden is giving it the side-eye. — Hal Brands [Rushing to refinance your home?]( Have patience, people. — Marcus Ashworth [The UK should harness an opportunity]( to turn the internet into less of a hellscape. — Parmy Olson ICYMI The Trump Organization is [guilty of fraud](. [“Party like FTX never happened”]( is the Art Basel way. Goldman [job cuts]( loom. Kickers A writer got dumped by another writer … [because she was a writer](. Ukraine’s minefields could become [wine fields](. You could be the proud owner of this [$218 million private island](. Elon Musk’s “Monkey Disneyland” [is deadly](. Notes:  Please send wine and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Instagram](, [TikTok](, [Twitter]( and [Facebook](. Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( | [Ad Choices]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022