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:Ok...

[HangingChad]

please try to stick to things that can easily be killed with the tip of well-placed soldering iron.

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.