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One of Two Hotly Debated Avian Flu Papers Finally Published

Posted by samzenpus on from the terrorist-handbook dept.

daveschroeder writes "After a marathon debate over a pair of studies that show how the avian H5N1 influenza virus could become transmissible in mammals, and an unprecedented recommendation by the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) to block publication, and its subsequent reversal, a study by Yoshihiro Kawaoka at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was finally and fully published today. 'Experimental adaptation of an influenza H5 HA confers respiratory droplet transmission to a reassortant H5 HA/H1N1 virus in ferrets' appears in the journal Nature."

5 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Death by busyqth · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The key insight escaped you: It won't be a mistake.

  2. We're constantly flirting with extinction by bobwrit · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This isn't particularly new for the human race. Look at MAD, for example(which is still fairly real - We still do have enough nukes to wipe out all life on the planet fairly effectively). One person, with their finger on the trigger, could slip up and 'accidentally' push the button, and cause not only the death of Humans, but also others. I'm sure there are other examples of humans having a large amount of control over the advancement of the human race, but that's the one that popped into mind. As we grow, and advance technologically, we'll keep developing even better ways of effectively causing ourselves/other species to become extinct. We're a violent race, when you think about it. While I don't like it, I'm just trying to be realistic as far as looking at humanities tendencies.

    --
    -- (this is a sig) My Computer Programming Forumhttp://www.programers.co.nr/
  3. Re:oh great by g0es · · Score: 4, Informative

    Human influenza can pass between ferrets and humans. http://www.petmd.com/ferret/conditions/respiratory/c_ft_human_influenza_virus

  4. War on Science? More like Science war on us by mwfischer · · Score: 3, Funny

    THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED UNDER BUSH.
    http://classic.the-scientist.com/blog/display/54277/

    Really. It wouldn't have happened.
    http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/02/10/obamas-budget-gives-a-boost-to-science- /did I make a funny?

  5. Re:oh great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    >Solution: don't share saliva with a ferret.

    You act like it's so simple.