U.S. weighs crackdown on experiments that could make viruses more dangerous

.news-article__hero--featured .parallax__element{ object-position: 50% 40%; -o-object-position: 50% 40%; } .scroll-wrapper { overflow-x: auto; } .scroll-wrapper .news-article__figure__image{ width: 2680px; max-width: none; padding-bottom: .75rem; } .scroll-fade-before, .scroll-fade-after { position: absolute; width: 1.5rem; transition-duration: .1s; opacity: 1; } .scroll-fade-before { left: 1rem; /*margin-left: -1px;*/ background: linear-gradient(90deg, #fff, #fff 35%, hsla(0, 0%, 100%, 0)); } .scroll-fade-after { right: 1rem; /*margin-right: -1px;*/ background: linear-gradient(270deg, #fff, #fff 35%, hsla(0, 0%, 100%, 0)); } .scroll-fade-hide { opacity: 0; } @media (min-width: 1248px) { .scroll-fade-before { left: 3.875rem; } .scroll-fade-after { right: 3.875rem; } } In a U.S. government lab in Bethesda, Maryland, virologists plan to equip the strain of the monkeypox virus that spread globally this year, causing mostly rash and flulike symptoms, with genes from a second monkeypox strain that causes more serious illness. Then they’ll see whether any of the changes make the virus more lethal to mice. The researchers hope that unraveling how specific genes make monkeypox more deadly will lead to better drugs and vaccines. Some scientists are alarmed by the planned experiments, which were first reported by Science . If a more potent version of the outbreak strain accidentally escaped the high-containment, ...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news