3 ms·

Why the fuck would anyone do this?

by deadlinermusic 3y ago

jaggs 3y ago
So they can try to be prepared for when such a mutation does arise in the wild? I agree it's incredibly risky, but...?
- wang_li 3y ago
  What does this gain them over hypothesizing that it can happen and working accordingly? Researchers always make this kind of claim but it’s bullshit. When we’re interested in making earthquake resistant structure we use shake tables, not full on earthquakes. When we want to make more fire resistant buildings we don’t go about making better fires. When we want to understand the harms of child sexual abuse we E: dom't go around raping children. Everyone involved in this should be permanently barred from entering laboratories or working in the broader field at all. They can go become artesian lumberjacks or subsistence farmers.
  - CeiThieyohmahgh 3y ago
    > When we want to understand the harms of child sexual abuse we do go around raping children. That's one way to go about it, I suppose.
    - wang_li 3y ago
      Thank you.
    - Bluescreenbuddy 3y ago
      That's an incredibly stupid analogy.
      - wang_li 3y ago
        We don't allow people to make automatic weapons. We don't even allow people to buy automatic weapons manufactured under government license after something like 1980. We don't allow people to build nuclear weapons. You're not allowed to broadcast radio waves willy nilly. Fact is we restrict things people are allowed to do all over the place in many different areas of life for the purpose of public safety. Yet we have researchers doing GOF research creating lethal germs that can spread through the air and kill the majority of people exposed with simply institutional review board at most.
- jerzmacow 3y ago
  From a layman's perspective, the GOF research that may or may not have caused covid in the first place, never actually yeiled anything useful for the pandemic. I'm pretty pro research, but I haven't seen anything good come from GOF.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
theGnuMe 3y ago
Cause it will likely happen in nature as well.
- wang_li 3y ago
  What selective pressure exists in nature to result in a virus like this naturally evolving?
  - pillefitz 3y ago
    Do terrorist cells count?
  - theGnuMe 3y ago
    Selective evolutionary pressure is the mechanism. Mutants like this would be benign in a host (bats) and lethal in another species.
- NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
  Viruses do not want to be 100% lethal or have rapid action. That is bad for their spread and longevity. If a virus always kills its host and does it quickly, how does the virus spread? A virus does better when it can incubate awhile, hopefully asymptomatically, while its host goes about normal business, while the viral load increases and the contagion can spread in the open. By the time that symptoms are noticeable and debilitating, it's game over, because the host is going to notice, and curtail his activity, thus curtailing spread of the virus and limiting its longevity. People were so afraid of Ebola, but its lethality was a key factor in limiting its spread and keeping it rather contained, geographically speaking. The main fear about COVID-19 was asymptomatic infection and the resultant spread from people who had no idea they were carriers, and that's why socal distancing and face mask mandates were so important.

Why the fuck would anyone do this?

jaggs 3y ago

So they can try to be prepared for when such a mutation does arise in the wild? I agree it's incredibly risky, but...?

wang_li 3y ago
What does this gain them over hypothesizing that it can happen and working accordingly? Researchers always make this kind of claim but it’s bullshit. When we’re interested in making earthquake resistant structure we use shake tables, not full on earthquakes. When we want to make more fire resistant buildings we don’t go about making better fires. When we want to understand the harms of child sexual abuse we E: dom't go around raping children. Everyone involved in this should be permanently barred from entering laboratories or working in the broader field at all. They can go become artesian lumberjacks or subsistence farmers.
- CeiThieyohmahgh 3y ago
  > When we want to understand the harms of child sexual abuse we do go around raping children. That's one way to go about it, I suppose.
  - wang_li 3y ago
    Thank you.
  - Bluescreenbuddy 3y ago
    That's an incredibly stupid analogy.
    - wang_li 3y ago
      We don't allow people to make automatic weapons. We don't even allow people to buy automatic weapons manufactured under government license after something like 1980. We don't allow people to build nuclear weapons. You're not allowed to broadcast radio waves willy nilly. Fact is we restrict things people are allowed to do all over the place in many different areas of life for the purpose of public safety. Yet we have researchers doing GOF research creating lethal germs that can spread through the air and kill the majority of people exposed with simply institutional review board at most.
jerzmacow 3y ago
From a layman's perspective, the GOF research that may or may not have caused covid in the first place, never actually yeiled anything useful for the pandemic. I'm pretty pro research, but I haven't seen anything good come from GOF.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

theGnuMe 3y ago

Cause it will likely happen in nature as well.

wang_li 3y ago
What selective pressure exists in nature to result in a virus like this naturally evolving?
- pillefitz 3y ago
  Do terrorist cells count?
- theGnuMe 3y ago
  Selective evolutionary pressure is the mechanism. Mutants like this would be benign in a host (bats) and lethal in another species.
NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
Viruses do not want to be 100% lethal or have rapid action. That is bad for their spread and longevity. If a virus always kills its host and does it quickly, how does the virus spread? A virus does better when it can incubate awhile, hopefully asymptomatically, while its host goes about normal business, while the viral load increases and the contagion can spread in the open. By the time that symptoms are noticeable and debilitating, it's game over, because the host is going to notice, and curtail his activity, thus curtailing spread of the virus and limiting its longevity. People were so afraid of Ebola, but its lethality was a key factor in limiting its spread and keeping it rather contained, geographically speaking. The main fear about COVID-19 was asymptomatic infection and the resultant spread from people who had no idea they were carriers, and that's why socal distancing and face mask mandates were so important.