I really like the idea of re-routing viral traffic, put forth by virologist Stephen Morse.
Natural routes of viral traffic continue to exist and be amplified. But new routes of viral traffic, related to research activity, have emerged in the modern era...
noemamag.com/the-routes-of-…
Natural routes of viral traffic continue to exist and be amplified. But new routes of viral traffic, related to research activity, have emerged in the modern era...
noemamag.com/the-routes-of-…
One early example of a novel pathogen emerging due to research activity is Marburg virus, "first recognized in 1967, when outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever occurred simultaneously in laboratories in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany and in Belgrade, Yugoslavia"
cdc.gov/vhf/marburg/in…
cdc.gov/vhf/marburg/in…
And that was generations ago.
Today, we can go from a virus sample to a genome sequence in a few days, and from a genome sequence to a completely synthetic perfect (seamless) copy of that genome in a matter of weeks.
Today, we can go from a virus sample to a genome sequence in a few days, and from a genome sequence to a completely synthetic perfect (seamless) copy of that genome in a matter of weeks.
One notable anecdote in the @NoemaMag article:
While there were respected scientists who thought “that H5N1 could never become airborne between mammals,” he said, “I wasn’t convinced. To prove these guys wrong, we needed to make a virus that is transmissible.”
While there were respected scientists who thought “that H5N1 could never become airborne between mammals,” he said, “I wasn’t convinced. To prove these guys wrong, we needed to make a virus that is transmissible.”
Please, no one ever again tell a scientist that they cannot make a virus airborne among mammals or more capable of causing a pandemic.
They will try and show you it is actually possible. And succeed.
They will try and show you it is actually possible. And succeed.
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