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Scientists Determine Structure of 1918 Flu Virus

Posted by timothy on from the reconstruction-junction dept.

Elusive_Cure writes "NIMR scientists have solved an 85-year old riddle by determining the structure of the flu virus which jumped from birds to humans in 1918 killing more than 20 million people worldwide. This is the same virus that took more lives than World War I and became the largest and deadliest influenza outbreak in recorded history."

2 of 32 comments (clear)

  1. Last Post! by Undefined+Parameter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Just kidding. This is a really cool thing, and particularly relevent today because of the sudden expanse in outbreaks of bird flu around the world, today. When such a disease can suddenly and unexpectedly start killing and incapacitating humans in frightening numbers, it's a cause to celebrate when even a small part of that disease is newly known and understood. I took my flu shot, last year, and got sick from it. This year, I may take it again, just in case Hitchcock was a wee bit off in his depiction of the dangers posed by our avian friends. ;-) ~UP

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    Eat the Path.
  2. Re:I wonder... by pphrdza · · Score: 2, Insightful
    probably much less than 80+ years, considering the (relatively) short time it took to discover the cause of AIDS.