3 ms·

What's the possibility of creating such a virus in a lab?

dogma1138 7y ago
Fairly low while we can snip a few genes here and there the technology isn’t there. When it will be it can also be used to easily create a cure if you can assemble viruses like legos it would be also incredibly easy to create inhibitors and anti bodies with the same technology. This is also what we are doing atm basically playing a huge game of “Perfection” by trying to find anything that would fit one of the “holes” on the virus, our cells or those which open up during its assembly process like its viral protease.
pen2l 7y ago
I fear that now that we have witnessed the economic turmoil it can inflict on any community where this virus is released, there are entities out there who have taken notice and will explore this as a means to future warfare.
- sergiomattei 7y ago
  I believe it's the opposite now. This virus has shown the widespread economic impact and unpredictability that the uncontrolled spread of a virus can unleash on the world. After this, I'm sure no superpower will want to take a chance releasing a weaponized pathogen: it might just come bite them back in the ass.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
sndean 7y ago
It may just be my better understanding of bacteria, but I think it'd be significantly easier to engineer bacteria as a bioweapon where, largely, you are the one doing the spreading, via something like a crop duster. I've heard a firsthand account from a guy who worked at Vector [0], that they had difficulty controlling viruses [1]. Accidental releases of weaponized bacteria also happened [2], but in that case they could prophylactically treat with antibiotics. That said, this was done using 1970's-1980's technology. I'm sure there's some more sophisticate bioweapons that are possible now. Maybe viruses are a more reasonable chassis. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_biological_weapons_program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_biological_weapons_prog... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_smallpox_incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_smallpox_incident [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sverdlovsk_anthrax_leak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sverdlovsk_anthrax_leak
- rolph 7y ago
  bacteria are able to survive outside a host body, and exploit a wide range of resource compared to virus. virus is good for control in the case of accidents such as a biowar implement crashes somehow and spills virus, the environment will destroy it quickly, the cleanup is simple compared to a bacterial agent, eg anthrax in spore form lasts many years-->

Fairly low while we can snip a few genes here and there the technology isn’t there. When it will be it can also be used to easily create a cure if you can assemble viruses like legos it would be also incredibly easy to create inhibitors and anti bodies with the same technology. This is also what we are doing atm basically playing a huge game of “Perfection” by trying to find anything that would fit one of the “holes” on the virus, our cells or those which open up during its assembly process like its viral protease.

pen2l 7y ago

I fear that now that we have witnessed the economic turmoil it can inflict on any community where this virus is released, there are entities out there who have taken notice and will explore this as a means to future warfare.

sergiomattei 7y ago
I believe it's the opposite now. This virus has shown the widespread economic impact and unpredictability that the uncontrolled spread of a virus can unleash on the world. After this, I'm sure no superpower will want to take a chance releasing a weaponized pathogen: it might just come bite them back in the ass.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

sndean 7y ago

It may just be my better understanding of bacteria, but I think it'd be significantly easier to engineer bacteria as a bioweapon where, largely, you are the one doing the spreading, via something like a crop duster. I've heard a firsthand account from a guy who worked at Vector [0], that they had difficulty controlling viruses [1]. Accidental releases of weaponized bacteria also happened [2], but in that case they could prophylactically treat with antibiotics. That said, this was done using 1970's-1980's technology. I'm sure there's some more sophisticate bioweapons that are possible now. Maybe viruses are a more reasonable chassis. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_biological_weapons_program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_biological_weapons_prog... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_smallpox_incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_smallpox_incident [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sverdlovsk_anthrax_leak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sverdlovsk_anthrax_leak

rolph 7y ago
bacteria are able to survive outside a host body, and exploit a wide range of resource compared to virus. virus is good for control in the case of accidents such as a biowar implement crashes somehow and spills virus, the environment will destroy it quickly, the cleanup is simple compared to a bacterial agent, eg anthrax in spore form lasts many years-->