Paper On Super Flu Strain May Be Banned From Publication

Pierre Bezukhov writes with this excerpt from an article at Doctor Tipster: "A Dutch researcher has created a virus with the potential to kill half of the planet's population. Now, researchers and experts in bioterrorism debate whether it is a good idea to publish the virus creation 'recipe'. However, several voices argue that such research should have not happened in the first place. The virus is a strain of avian influenza H5N1 genetically modified to be extremely contagious ... created by researcher Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Netherlands. The work was first presented at a conference dedicated to influenza that took place in September in Malta."

Comments

What could possibly go wrong?

[bradorsomething]

Dr. Fouchier could not be reached at his volcano-based research facility for comment.

virus researcher practical jokes

[edxwelch]

I can just imagine the practal jokes in that lab.
My god! the seal on the container has come undone - the virus has excaped!!

Ha - got you! that's just the box my lunch came in

Yikes

[RenHoek]

Now I don't wanna go to work tomorrow (I work there). :)

Re:Yikes

[Anonymous Coward]

I know what you do with the tissues when you think no one is watching. What are the canned goods for?

Re:Yikes

[ae1294]

Hehe for the short duration that it would be? :)

Funnily enough, mortality rates should be higher outside of Europe, due to a gene that survivors of the Black Plague passed on. It should make those people more resistant to this flu as well. So my chances aren't all that bad probably.

Although it's never a bad idea to start stockpiling canned goods and tissues ;)

I plan on being a cannibal... No need to stock up and no one ever thinks of cannibalism right from the start. Sort of gives you a leg up on everyone else really.

Welp

[heptapod]

Looks like I'm moving to Madagascar.

Reminds me of GLaDOS

[Anonymous Coward]

Lynn Enquist, quoted in the article, reminds me of GLaDOS:

I find it really, really hard to think about telling people not to do science.

Re:scientists and the End

[amRadioHed]

Who says the world hates scientists? That's news to me.

Re:scientists and the End

[haruchai]

At this very moment, there are thousands transmitting "I hate science" and "Math is hard" on their pocket communication devices. If clay tablets were good enough for the Egyptians, an advanced civilization of their day, what more do we need?

Re:Peh.

[haruchai]

If some government has already created this ultimate killer bug then further research would just be superfluous.

Alert the Vendor

[StikyPad]

Obviously the responsible thing to do is to give the vendor time to fix the vulnerability. I propose the researcher submit his findings to God and wait 5-7 days for a response before full disclosure.

Re:Counterpoint

[Anonymous Coward]

Whatever makes us undead makes us slower.

Re:Peh.

[spyder-implee]

You do realise that half the world could die from a virus like this without anybody from America ever being infected, right?

Same old Hollywood rehash

[AgNO3]

I saw this movie already when it was Called "12 Monkeys."

Re:Peh.

[GrumpySteen]

Clearly you have complete faith in your immune system. We should have you exposed to this genetically altered, fantastically deadly virus so that you can demonstrate to the world how insignificant it is.

Re:Barn doors and horses:

[ColdWetDog]

Well gentleman, we can stop this problem in it's tracks.

We will patent the little motherfucker.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Peh.

[Anonymous Coward]

Learn to spell you fuckwit. Seriosuly, I thought someone was having a stroke and pounding keys at random, so I started calling 911. But turns out you're just a moron.

Re:Captain Trips

[brentrad]

Of course Stephen King isn't dead, but he probably keeps a spare grave out in his back yard that he can roll around in.

Re:Barn doors and horses:

[Michael Woodhams]

And then we can sue anyone who catches the disease for patent infringement!

Re:Peh.

[turing_m]

Finally! A disease sent from God to punish people for being Un-American.

Re:Peh.

[couchslug]

"You do realise that half the world could die from a virus like this without anybody from America ever being infected, right?"

It doesn't affect the obese? (runs)

Re:Peh.

[fractoid]

That's assuming, as well, that travel is not restricted once an epidemic is identified ( which of course it would be ).

Fucking Madagascar.

Re:Yes, it should be published

[rastos1]

If you know it can be done it is fairly trivial to make it happen.

Hereby I claim that factoring large primes can be done. The task of finding fairly trivial implementation is left as an exercise for the reader.

Re:Peh.

[Anonymous Coward]

Indeed. Security through obesity.

Re:Peh.

[lorenlal]

I'd say that most of us are pretty well protected here in our parents' basements. We can't catch it if we're not exposed!