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Controversial experiments that could make bird flu more risky to resume (2019)

science.org

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Re: Controversial experiments that could make bird flu more risky to resume (2019)

#9

Post by mikeyouse »

candiddevmike wrote: post #4

I truthfully do not see the value (vs risk) in this kind of research. Humanity is too careless to do this kind of thing safely. Figure out better ways to model this in software instead, IM (uninformed) O.

A general defense is that nature is a far better incubator and gain-of-function laboratory that we could ever hope to be. A few billion birds have caught bird flu in the past decade, so we're talking about trillions and trillions of viruses constantly undergoing mutation in close proximity with farm mammals and humans all over the world... If we know the genetics of what turns a bird flu into one transmissible to humans, it's probably better to "get in front of it" rather than just awaiting that mutation to happen somewhere in nature for the first time.

Re: Controversial experiments that could make bird flu more risky to resume (2019)

#10

Post by bboygravity »

candiddevmike wrote: post #4

I truthfully do not see the value (vs risk) in this kind of research. Humanity is too careless to do this kind of thing safely. Figure out better ways to model this in software instead, IM (uninformed) O.

There's a chance that being more informed might help form a different opinion more aligned with most informed people.
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