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You just need to combine a harmless virus with a deadly one, such that the whole thing gets copied, but the deadly part remains dormant until it detects a parti

by p1mrx 7y ago

You just need to combine a harmless virus with a deadly one, such that the whole thing gets copied, but the deadly part remains dormant until it detects a particular sequence in the host. I'm sure that's easier said than done, but it seems plausible that genetic engineering could progress to the point where targeted bioweapons become a real concern.

COGlory 7y ago
Because of the nature of viral genetics, if there's no selection pressure on the lethal part, it will mutate or be lost entirely before it ever reaches the target.
- p1mrx 7y ago
  Yeah, in order to prevent degradation, you would need to engineer a better DNA checksummer, which sounds hard.