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A comment on Thanks to DALL-E, the Race to Make Artificial Protein Drugs Is On. Parent comment

Re:Thanks to DALL-E, the Race to Make Artificial Protein Dru... by ceejayoz on Wednesday January 04, 2023 @07:03AM (#34244577)
> the internet is always faster in spreading news about it than pathogens

Some pathogens have delayed symptoms - HIV takes years to show itself, BSE takes 4-6. A fast spreading aerosol version of something like this would be… bad.

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Re:Thanks to DALL-E, the Race to Make Artificial Protein Dru... by xiphias2 on Wednesday January 04, 2023 @07:10AM (#34244616)
You're right, I guess we should be thankful that gain of function research was not (yet) done on those.
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Re:Thanks to DALL-E, the Race to Make Artificial Protein Dru... by ceejayoz on Wednesday January 04, 2023 @03:49PM (#34251313)
I'm not inherently opposed to gain of function research.

Someone is gonna do gain of function research on pathogens, and it's pretty rapidly becoming something in reach of determined hobbyists, let alone rogue states.

I think I'd prefer we understand what's possible, how pathogens vary in deadliness, how they might be modified by less friendly actors, etc., and I'd hope it's not being done in a cavalier fashion with regards to safety.

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