Mutant H5N1 ‘bird flu’ research set to resume
January 25, 2013
The H5N1 virus largely affects birds and rarely infects people, but it is highly deadly when it does (credit: National Institute for Biological Standards and Control)
One year after public uproar forced them to pause, researchers who study H5N1 avian influenza by designing new, extra-virulent strains are set to resume their work, Wired Science reports.
In a letter published Jan. 23 in the journals Nature and Science, 40 virologists, including leaders of the most high-profile experiments, declared that their voluntary moratorium is now over.
Other experts say concerns about the experiments — overhyped benefits, a lack of independent review, dangers of accidental release — have not been addressed, raising the chances that the first pandemic H5N1 strain will come from a laboratory.
Comments (9)
by Vin
This is definitely a risk assessment challenge, i’m glad I don’t have to make the decision.
I wonder if it can be argued that the rate of mutation in nature of viruses dangerous to humans or life in general far exceeds the rate labs can produce those strains?
Also, when new strains are isolated, how quickly can sufficient vaccines against them be produced (assuming the security risk is a function of that lead time).
Is vaccine technology tending towards a general strategy that is sufficiently independent of virus specifics, sufficiently turnkey?
by GatorALLin
If computer viruses are any hint at what we can expect from the future when any high school kid could create a real bio-virus with their future 3d biological printer…. then lets hope we don’t back off proper funding of the CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/ (and lets hope the ability to create a virus is actually much harder to do).
…and while we are on the what if subject of the future, it had me thinking of the past… I always wondered if the software virus protection companies were actually making up new viruses to help justify the need for buying their products….?? What if now has me wondering a bit more with the x-owner of the virus protection software John McAfee who is involved in the murder of his neighbor and turns out to be a bit on the crazy eccentric side in a much darker way than most would have guessed, adding fuel to the fire of this conspiracy theory. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McAfee
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McAfee_VirusScan
http://insidedateline.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/17/16573288-antivirus-pioneer-john-mcafee-reveals-new-details-to-dateline-nbc?lite
by ErikSMeyer
You know, I really believe if these people could find a way to synthesize something like the Rage virus (as seen in 28 Days Later), they would do it. Oh, to be tested in a controlled environment, of course, to further our understanding of things like the Rage virus, and all of that (even if the virus only comes into being because one of our people has brought it about through directed manipulation of other viruses, we still need to Understand it).
If anything is going to ultimately destroy us, I’d bet on the unintended consequences of narcissistic careerism and the endless pursuit of funding.
by GatorALLin
I always thought what if some sports freak is trying to channel their extra power/energy and they create a sports drink (bath salt joke here) that allows you to focus your anger/rage to lift 20% more or bike 20% harder (insert Lance joke here). All these blood doping experts…might one day let a rage injection shot go too far… or the brain in one person treats it differently, or a virus mutates to suddenly spread from injection to mosquito or air… or other… *(yeah that 28 days movie was wild/scary). Definitely gets the what if ideas going…
by GatorALLin
…sorry, I left out one of the main points…. we often think of the military as being the culprit of these virus gone bad theories… but maybe this higher level experimentation is actually not from the military, but from the sports/doping community instead?
by Whittaker
Some kind of Vault akin to the ones in Fallout should be built.
There are only a few of them so anyone who can afford should start building one. For yourselves and also your neighbors.
Anyone who knows about how to prevent leak of biohazard material, please share. Thanks.
“If anything is going to ultimately destroy us, I’d bet on the unintended consequences of narcissistic careerism and the endless pursuit of funding.”
So true. These people probably suffer from some kind of Messiah Complex. What they want ultimately is probably some medal and being remembered in history books.
by godot
Don’t forget that we’re all now eating genetically engineered/mutated food, and due to the intelligence of our voters, we’re not even allowed to have the genetically engineered food labeled. Numbers describing the variability of DNA are larger than astronomical numbers. We are “designing” haphazardly in that space, so the probability of eventually encountering unintended consequences is virtually certain. Too bad there’s only one biosphere…
by Starheart
“Graffiti written on the front of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta in red spray paint:
“Dear Jesus. I will see you soon. Your friend, America. PS. I hope you will still have some vacancies by the end of the week.”"
– Stephen King, The Stand
by GatorALLin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsMp2pZK-Cw