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Many fear nuclear war, but I'm now more fearful of future bioweapon viruses that can incapacitate targeted populations leaving the attacking nation relatively u

by gedy 6y ago

Many fear nuclear war, but I'm now more fearful of future bioweapon viruses that can incapacitate targeted populations leaving the attacking nation relatively unharmed. The new "strategic warfare". Feels like Pandora's box is open.

draugadrotten 6y ago
There was a former MI6 boss mumbling about something like that this summer. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/03/exclusive-coronavirus-began-accident-disease-escaped-chinese/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/03/exclusive-corona...
fermienrico 6y ago
Viruses engineered to kill people do not spread as fast. It needs a host, a living one to be able to spread effectively unless you bomb a whole country at once with bio-bombs. You might as well use nuclear weapons then. Ebola has a very high death rate but doesn't spread as fast. A virus doesn't have some internal goal to kill humans. It'd rather not kill the host, it'd rather spread as far and wide as it can; speaking from the evolutionary standpoint. A well engineered bioweapon would be a virus that goes undetected for a few months and then happens to kill the host due to complications. That can wipe out an entire country or possibly the whole human race. I don't think this is possible biologically.
- generalizations 6y ago
  > Viruses engineered to kill people do not spread as fast. It needs a host, a living one to be able to spread effectively... All it needs is a long period when the host is contagious and asymptomatic. That way it spreads easily before killing the host.
  - fermienrico 6y ago
    That's what I said in the second bit: > A well engineered bioweapon would be a virus that goes undetected for a few months and then happens to kill the host due to complications. That can wipe out an entire country or possibly the whole human race. I don't think this is possible biologically. "Killing the host" is not some natural thing that happens with Viruses. It's a complex process of immune system + dosage. It's not like virus has any evolutionary interest in demobilizing the host. It goes against the evolutionary pressure. That's why I said "happens to kill the host", due to complications.

by gedy 6y ago

draugadrotten 6y ago

There was a former MI6 boss mumbling about something like that this summer. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/03/exclusive-coronavirus-began-accident-disease-escaped-chinese/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/03/exclusive-corona...

fermienrico 6y ago

Viruses engineered to kill people do not spread as fast. It needs a host, a living one to be able to spread effectively unless you bomb a whole country at once with bio-bombs. You might as well use nuclear weapons then. Ebola has a very high death rate but doesn't spread as fast. A virus doesn't have some internal goal to kill humans. It'd rather not kill the host, it'd rather spread as far and wide as it can; speaking from the evolutionary standpoint. A well engineered bioweapon would be a virus that goes undetected for a few months and then happens to kill the host due to complications. That can wipe out an entire country or possibly the whole human race. I don't think this is possible biologically.

generalizations 6y ago
> Viruses engineered to kill people do not spread as fast. It needs a host, a living one to be able to spread effectively... All it needs is a long period when the host is contagious and asymptomatic. That way it spreads easily before killing the host.
- fermienrico 6y ago
  That's what I said in the second bit: > A well engineered bioweapon would be a virus that goes undetected for a few months and then happens to kill the host due to complications. That can wipe out an entire country or possibly the whole human race. I don't think this is possible biologically. "Killing the host" is not some natural thing that happens with Viruses. It's a complex process of immune system + dosage. It's not like virus has any evolutionary interest in demobilizing the host. It goes against the evolutionary pressure. That's why I said "happens to kill the host", due to complications.