Virus research - is this how the world ends

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I can't say i'm a fan myself mate, sure scientists may learn a few 'amazing' things from viruses, perhaps leading to other useful developments, but the long term risk is far too high for my tastes.
 
Oh heck. I had this, and nearly died. Making it stronger won't end well.






*runs, literally....................…still running..........
 

Scenario 1: research is a massive success and leads to influenza becoming as obsolete as polio or smallpox. He gets Nobel Prize and becomes as famous as Jenner and Fleming.
Scenario 2: virus escapes from lab, crosses the globe in 24 hours and 5% of the world's population (about 350 million) die. He joins Hitler as most hated human ever.
Scenario 3: research leads nowhere spectacular, virus is contained, nobody remembers him in 5 years.

My money's on 3.

*Edit: Estimate of 5% of the world's population dead if an influenza strain with the same virulence as the 1918 pandemic emerges is actually very conservative. 1918 strain killed 10-20% of the people that got infected. Thanks to air travel and emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, a far higher percentage of the world's population would be infected. Very, very ugly.
 
Thought this was about me then, this is what I do for a living. Not these type though.
 
It's only going to increase the cycle of dependency on the pharmaceutical/bio-chemical industries imo
 
orchard said:
It's only going to increase the cycle of dependency on the pharmaceutical/bio-chemical industries imo
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That's an interesting thought, create the problem then create the solution .......... Obviously research must take place, it's just the security that scares the crap out of me.......but this is the way life on earth will die out, viruses rule.....
 

Okay, having just seen a news report of David Cameron saying that we'll all going to die because of antibiotic resistance, I'm a little concerned.
 
peteblue said:
That's an interesting thought, create the problem then create the solution .......... Obviously research must take place, it's just the security that scares the crap out of me.......but this is the way life on earth will die out, viruses rule.....
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I don't know about that mate - several people who've had HIV and leukaemia have had the leukaemia treated, and the HIV virus has been cured also.

I think we'll crack AIDS, personally.

http://news.msn.com/science-technology/first-person-cured-of-hiv-pushing-for-research
 
Groucho said:
I don't know about that mate - several people who've had HIV and leukaemia have had the leukaemia treated, and the HIV virus has been cured also.

I think we'll crack AIDS, personally.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/two-men-cured-of-hiv-no-longer-taking-treatments/
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I agree that we will sort out most of the little buggers, I'm not too sure about any genetically modified and 'improved' varieties though. At some point some clever guy is going to say "oops" and then we all die........
 
peteblue said:
I agree that we will sort out most of the little buggers, I'm not too sure about any genetically modified and 'improved' varieties though. At some point some clever guy is going to say "oops" and then we all die........
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12 Monkeys, eh.
 
I wouldn't worry about this at all. Guaranteed, the US government has already done things like this (and is still doing it) in the manufacturing of bioweapons. I'm no conspiracy theorist, but it is certain that this has already been done. The difference is that this time it is being used for advancements in medicine and the work is being published, instead of advancements in warfare under strict military secrecy.
 

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