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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.
They never consider if they should do something only if they can do it. This bug could end life on the planet Earth for man if it were to escape during this time of frequent flights and fast travel.
Karma: a simple way of silencing those with unpopular views regardless how correct or just that view might be.
Let's see here...
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God creates man.
God creates flu.
Flu kills man.
God creates new man.
New man creates flu.
And what do you think comes next?
Seriously, this is really borderline sadistic when scientists recreate a virus responsible for killing 50 million people to "better understand the threat of a future worldwide epidemic from bird flu." Why don't we at the same time resurrect Hitler so that we can "better understand the threat of a future worldwide sadistic totalitarian dictator/terrorist"? Hmm? How would that sound to the public?
What were they thinking? That this is an amazingly bad idea is so clear I just can't help believing in the ramifications. As things weren't bad enough with the pandemia risk of the bird's flu!
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No kidding. Let those plasmids slip into a few stray bacteria and you could have all kinds of fun on your hands. Those proteins don't take the form they do just for the fun of it. They fold certain ways, like a virus, because it's the low energy state.
Okay, spontaneous reconstruction isn't kind of unlikely, but what a way to find out mother nature is a cast iron bitch.
P4 labs usually know what they're doing. Most of them handle some pretty frisky stuff. Still, the 1918 flu was a killer. It infected the young and the healthy and killed them so fast that people had to lock coffins up at night because they were hot theft items.
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
to deal with the aging baby boomers. Now their plan to spend more and more and cut taxes will be economically viable!
or not.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Let me interpret that for you:
Our immunity against this disease sucks.
If we even have an immunity, that is.
Of course big pharma will make a lot of money.
So it's all okay.
Except that, of course, they can not manufacture it fast enough to contain an outbreak if an outbreak were to occur. It would spread quickly while they struggle to find enough material (chickens) to manufacture adequate amounts. You can't go from a few hundred to a few million vials overnight. The pox can.
(On a political note, the rich would be okay, because they'll be able to buy blackmarket anti-virals. The poor can be fucked, as always.)
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