This short video explains why the US hasn't destroyed the final samples of smallpox

Errol Morris is one of the best documentarians working today. His subjects range from former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara to the person who dresses up as New York baseball mascot, Mr. Met. Unlike many of his contemporaries, much of Morris' current work is made available for free, thanks in large part to partnerships with ESPN and The New York Times' Op-Docs series.

Morris' latest short for Op-Docs is a 20-minute doc about the potential destruction of smallpox called Demon in the Freezer. The smallpox virus was eradicated in the 1970s, but samples were kept in labs in both the United States and Russia. While many scientists and government leaders approved the destruction of these final samples, smallpox was kept because of a Cold War-like stalemate: what if Russia weaponized smallpox? Or a Russian scientist sold a sample on the black market? Smallpox isn't needed for a vaccine, but perhaps, so the logic goes, we might want the virus for other purposes.

I know how it is watching something like this. First you watch one documentary. Then another. Suddenly you're naming your firstborn Ken Burns. That's okay. Embrace the blackhole effect of good documentaries. Watch Errol Morris' short on the umbrella man. Watch all of Op-Docs. Watch Hoop Dreams. You're going to have the best, most illuminating weekend ever.

• SourceThe New York Times
• Related Items documentaries smallpox errol morris op-docs