Recent News

By Region: North America

Amateurs Are New Fear in Creating Mutant Virus

(New York Times) On the question of who, while terrorists and cults have long been a concern in biosecurity circles, some scientists also fear that publication may allow curious amateurs to recreate the mutated virus — raising the risk of an accidental release.

Obama Mishandled Bird Flu Studies, Lawmaker Says

(Global Security Newswire) A prominent U.S. lawmaker on Thursday faulted the Obama administration's handling of two federally funded studies that increased the transmissibility of the avian flu virus, Chemical and Engineering News reported on Friday. Bioterrorism concerns prompted the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity last year to call for withholding some data from  Read More »

Panics and Pandemics

(New Yorker) This week, Michael Specter writes about the controversy that followed the creation of a highly contagious form of H5N1, or bird flu, by scientists at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. Researchers had made avian influenza contagious by …

Lab-engineered bird flu virus may be less deadly than thought — or not

(Washington Post) Osterholm and Relman are on the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, a 23-member committee that advises the federal government on issues involving biological research that can be used for nefarious purposes. In December, the panel asked the …

The risks and benefits of publishing mutant flu studies

(Nature.com) Research describing two mutant strains of H5N1 avian influenza that spread between mammals is likely to be published in its entirety. Nature examines the controversial decision. Two teams of scientists, led by Ron Fouchier of Erasmus Medical Center in …

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