November 2, 2003
Anger on Saudi Arabia's streets
BBC correspondent Roger Hardy has written an interesting article: Anger on Saudi Arabia's streets
02 Nov 23:16 | Link | Category: Current Events
A pox on pox
New Scientist reports that a researcher funded by the US government has deliberately created an extremely deadly form of mousepox (a relative of smallpox).
"The new virus kills all mice even if they have been given antiviral drugs as well as a vaccine that would normally protect them. The work has not stopped there. The cowpox virus, which infects a range of animals including humans, has been genetically altered in a similar way."
Other scientists are concerned that the research brings closer the prospect of pox viruses that cause only mild infections in humans being turned into diseases lethal even to people who have been vaccinated, but he claims his work is necessary to "explore what bioterrorists might do." To me this seems a peculiar bit of reasoning.