Federal officials this week ended a moratorium imposed three years ago on funding research that alters germs to make them more lethal.
This research is called “gain of function,” and it can make pathogens more deadly or more easily transmissible.
If some of the new strains escaped, a pandemic could ensue.
We concentrate on the tweets and the bullshit, and we are missing the steady drip drip drip of disturbing and harmful regulatory changes.
Information for this post is from Donald G. McNeil, Jr., “U.S. Lifts Ban On Modifying Lethal Viruses,” New York Times,(Dec. 20, 2017), p. A12. I want to thank my friend Tom for drawing my attention to this article.
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