Researchers Reconstruct 1918 Flu Virus

Gnpatton writes "CNN is running a story on how researchers have recreated the gene sequence for the 1918 virus which claimed 50 million lives. The mapping for the gene sequence was found on a victim frozen in Alaskan permafrost. From the article: 'Using a technique called reverse genetics, the Mount Sinai researchers used the genetic coding to create microscopic, virus-like strings of genes, called plasmids.'" Researchers are hoping that reconstructing a virus like this will help them to better understand similar problems. The structure was originally determined earlier this year.

Comments

Re:Bird flu/swine flu...Here we go again

[Daniel Dvorkin]

1) Because in 1976, even a Republican President could call for an expensive nationwide effort and people would say, "Yeah, that makes sense." In 2005, the Rand-at-home / Torquemada-abroad wackos currently running the Republican Party would scream bloody murder. Unless you could find some way to tie it into the War On Terror, Evolution, And Gay Marriage, of course.

2) There are at least two answers to this one. First is that in 1976, we didn't have nearly enough information to know whether or not swine flu was the same as the 1918 strain; it was just a guess, and that guess may (I have no idea whether this is the case or not) have been proved wrong with the knowledge we now have. Second, there's no reason to believe that avian flu is the same strain as the 1918 variety; the fear is that it could be as bad as the 1918-19 pandemic, not that it's the exact same disease.