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A comment on “This shouldn’t happen”: Inside the virus-hunting nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance. Parent comment

Re:“This shouldn’t happen”: Inside the virus-hunting nonprof... by R0b0t1 on Friday April 01, 2022 @01:08AM (#30875363)
Stupid GoF research has those risks. Totally eliminating a research methodology because of possible bad actors is just like how nuclear energy was delayed for decades because of green ooze.
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Re:“This shouldn’t happen”: Inside the virus-hunting nonprof... by jtc331 on Friday April 01, 2022 @08:04AM (#30877310)
It’s not just about bad actors. It’s that the techniques (serial passaging) aren’t even controllable in the sense that we don’t know what will result.

GoF is often not lab engineering and the outcomes are not predictable and the range of possible danger is almost infinite. Even from perfectly well intentioned actors.

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Re:“This shouldn’t happen”: Inside the virus-hunting nonprof... by R0b0t1 on Friday April 01, 2022 @01:44PM (#30881044)
Not knowing the result is the point. You develop novel viruses that you may not be able to imagine and then study how they impact an organism. This is useful.
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Re:“This shouldn’t happen”: Inside the virus-hunting nonprof... by Ygg2 on Friday April 01, 2022 @06:19AM (#30876708)
With all respect to nuclear threat. It doesn't self replicate.
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