Years of Fark have firmly convinced me of one thing for certain: scientists do not watch movies.

Although he declined to discuss details of the research because the paper is still under review, Fouchier confirmed the details given in news stories in New Scientist and Scientific American about a September meeting in Malta where he first presented the study. Those stories describe how Fouchier initially tried to make the virus more transmissible by making specific changes to its genome, using a process called reverse genetics; when that failed, he passed the virus from one ferret to another multiple times, a low-tech and time-honored method of making a pathogen adapt to a new host.

Sooo, I don't need lots of high-tech microbiology tools, just a lot of ferrets?

As an American, I'd like to know potentially how much weight I could lose if I contracted this bug.

OBESITY CURE, PEOPLE.

I do antibiotic research for a living, so I have a real good understanding of what their research entails. We often increase virulence of our bacterial strains to test the limits of new antibiotic candidates. And the article does mention that they can now test new anti-virals to see if they can work against this strain which has very good odds of showing up in nature eventually anyway. That being said, it doesn't mean that I'm not still scared silly of what they have created.

WarhammerTwo: That being said, it doesn't mean that I'm not still scared silly of what they have created.

If you think that's scary, you should see what that article made me create in my pants..

I better start writing that "#1 with a bullet, hit song" now let's see...how 'bout dem lyrics...something, something Can you dig your man?

/who the hell am I kidding, I'm already in Vegas..waiting.

ignatiusst: If you think that's scary, you should see what that article made me create in my pants..

Pass it from ferret to ferret until it gets SUPER SCARY

Majick Thise: I think it's time to read "The Stand" again.



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The Superflu DOES NOT EXIST!

Over in one.

Que Blue Oyster Cult..................

Baby, can you dig your man?
He's a righteous man
Baby, can you dig your man?

We're going to need a bigger ferret

Presuming a modern day Stand scenario, wouldn't Vegas be full of Ron Paul supporters and hardcore republicans? Particularly given their attitude toward drugs.

Boulder, though, has gotten a little pricey. Even in a post-apocalyptic scenario, I think it would still be unaffordable to live there.

Much like in computer security, it takes a solid irrefutable Proof of Concept to scare the people who make decisions into action.

Well done, scientists.

Now burn it.

Please.

CapnBlues: Presuming a modern day Stand scenario, wouldn't Vegas be full of Ron Paul supporters and hardcore republicans? Particularly given their attitude toward drugs.

Boulder, though, has gotten a little pricey. Even in a post-apocalyptic scenario, I think it would still be unaffordable to live there.

The wise man buys a condo and awaits the inevitable apocalypse to start renting. Don't need to worry about pesky time-shares when all the others are dead!

BURN IT.

Calmamity: M-O-O-N! That spells bad idea!

Came for Tom. Leaving satisfied.

My travel agent just called and told me my flight to Madagascar has just been cancelled. Thanks a lot.

Hmm, make something that can kill half the worlds population. There just might be a reason that the media are going to eat this up. To quote a comedian "here's your sign".

I can understand why they research this, but how can they possibly be surprised at how this is going over?

Standing by . . .

"Neat."

Which media figure in particular are they worried about?

/a firestorm...nothing quite cleanses like fire

Cagey B: My travel agent just called and told me my flight to Madagascar has just been cancelled. Thanks a lot.

How are you flying to Madagascar? There's no airports there.

See you guys in Boulder, Colorado

Cibola, Cibola, bumpity-bumpity BUMP!

Also, I can't wait for the inevitable "executions on TV" and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar roaming the streets as a crazy guy foretelling the end of days .

CapnBlues: Boulder, though, has gotten a little pricey. Even in a post-apocalyptic scenario, I think it would still be unaffordable to live there.

Boulder was very 1970s...Mother Abigail is going to lead us all to Missoula this go around. Maybe Billings if Missoula is too pricy.

Majick Thise: I think it's time to read "The Stand" again.



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The Superflu DOES NOT EXIST!

Oh, random question on The Stand. In the miniseries, the government goes from still violently suppressing information (in spite of no longer having a defined leader) to nonexistent pretty much overnight without explanation. Does the book actually explain how and when the the government ceases to exist?


Anyways now. There is a growing risk of someone whipping up a supervirus in a lab somewhere. All it takes is one otherwise intelligent person decide the world needs to burn. This research paper could make it a lot easier for such a person to put their plan into action.

Say what you want about Nuclear weapons, at least with those a very limited number of people are actually capable of making use of them.

/Why yes, I am a heretic for watching the miniseries but not reading the book
//Please don't burn me.

Great book could have done without the detailed description of Randall Flagg's semen though.

Disease! Disease! Spreading the disease! With some help from Captain Trips, he'll bring the world down to its knees.

baufan2005: Great book could have done without the detailed description of Randall Flagg's semen though.



THAT is what you remember about the book?

WTF?

Psycoholic_Slag: Que Blue Oyster Cult..................

that was one of the best meshings of music and imagery that I ever witnessed.

Non-evil Monkey: Does the book actually explain how and when the the government ceases to exist?

Not that I recall. everyone just up and dies. You go from 250mm to a couple of thousand people, more or less, in a matter of weeks.

/lions and tigers and bears, oh, my!

clovis69: CapnBlues: Boulder, though, has gotten a little pricey. Even in a post-apocalyptic scenario, I think it would still be unaffordable to live there.

Boulder was very 1970s...Mother Abigail is going to lead us all to Missoula this go around. Maybe Billings if Missoula is too pricy.

ooooh Billings! Beautiful. Winters are a bit tougher there, though, aren't they? And it's not as likely to have green energy alternatives.

Iowa City, maybe?