The Risk of a Flu Pandemic is Very Real

I have paid close attention to the subiect matter. Some real experts expressed exasperation with the virus, not the first time. A virus's genome appears simple, a few hundred to a few (ten) thousand nucleotide long. It should be a trivial exercise to decode and counteract.

Not so.

Consider viruses as a three dimensional puzzle in a basically two dimensional world. Complex in its function and its effect. Normally befuddling the investigating scientists.

For history. Not too long ago the dogma was: one genetic expression = one protein. For that, we needed 100thousands genetic expressions (loosely spoken). Then the Genome Proiect came along, and we were left with some 28thousand. And scrambling to make it work, to make sense of it. Hence epigenetic (loosely spoken), where genes control the expression of other genes.

So, instead of the old linear model, we got a matrix of a two dimensional problem to solve.

As I see, a virus is a 3 dimensional Rubic Cube needing a solution, that eludes the best minds yet.

So forget conventional concepts. It is a brave new world.

From the article - "But we should not spend so much time debating whether scientists are crying wolf that we forget that wolves really do exist."

My comment:

Nor should we be creating new ones - intentionally designed to support airborne transmission. It not only violates good sense - it probably violates bio-weapon treaties.

I disdain paranoia on general principles.

But, sometimes it is iustified, as a chinese case illustrates:

Lab creates virulent strain

Not everything that can, should be created. Especially when the learning from it is minimal to nonexistent.