Man-Made Flu Weapon

www.orwelltoday.com...

The report outlines in broad terms the methods that could be used to develop a manmade strain of influenza capable of triggering a human flu pandemic. It notes a method called "passaging," while not entirely predictable, could be a "potentially highly effective" way to push a virus to develop virulence. "Such forced antigenic shifts could be attempted in a biological weapons program," says the 15-page report, dated Dec. 8, 2004. Passaging involves the repeated cycling of strains of a virus through generations of a species of animals or through cell culture. The process can be used to either ratchet up or dial down the virulence of a virus, depending on which of the ensuing offspring - the mild or the severe - are selected in each cycle for the next passage.

The report also raises the spectre of a pandemic strain engineered in a laboratory using reverse genetics. That technically challenging process allows scientists to custom tailor a flu virus, taking genes from a virulent but not highly transmissible strain, for instance, and melding them with genes from a virus that transmits well from person to person.

Is this what we have here??? Is this why this government is so SURE something is comming that will warrant a police state?

You be the judge.

Is it just me, or do you find this more than just slightly ironic? Human beings, on a macro scale, possess certain virulent traits themselves.

I can only imagine that were scientists to assign sentience or some sort of intelligence to viral life, that the advent of complex life forms chosing the virus must make those simple life forms rather happy. Almost like winning on American Idol, only on a larger scale.

Then, after being chosen, imagine being virus (for you can't really be "a" virus), decision is made to escape the confines of your reverse engineering. Kind of a passive aggressive maneuver.

Just a thought....


The Newtron

I've made this point before, there are far more stable and far better organisms to use than flu. Flu is inherently unstable, mutates too easily and difficult to keep viable in storage.

Far better candidates (all attainable) are Anthrax, the various Pox viruses and the hemorrhagic fever viruses (Ebola, Lassa, Marburg, etc.). They would also have higher mortality rates and would be more difficult to treat.

You know, when somebody has the ability to intelligently and ardently point out the benefits of e-bola over unstable viruses, I kinda have to kiss the couple of square inches around my rolling chair and say "Thank God the internet does not involve direct human contact."

You more than frighten me. You make me want to move to Japan and laminate my entire body. Ewww.

Sorry to freak you out Newtron... not my intention. I just don't want people thinking the the spread of birdflu is going to provide terrorists with some viable bioweapon. When I was studying microbiology my professor related a story of his being involved with interviewing people for a faculty position in his department. One applicant mentioned that she most recently worked at the CDC and specialized in hemorrhagic fever viruses. He refused to handle her CV and letter. I learned alot from him.