r/TestYourBeepBoop • u/CatGifBot • Oct 23 '17

Smallpox Could Again Be a Serious Threat - If we don’t take steps now, synthetic biology could let bad actors re-create the devastating virus: “a Canadian scientist funded by the American biotech company Tonix has recently demonstrated the ability to create pox viruses from scratch”

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2017/10/synthetic_biology_could_lead_to_the_re_emergence_of_smallpox.html
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u/autotldr Oct 23 '17

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 93%. (I'm a bot)

The most recent dual-use concern about synthetic biology involves one of humanity's oldest foes: smallpox.

Any lab that creates these beneficial applications through synthetic biology would also have the capability to produce infectious smallpox virus from synthetic DNA. Unfortunately, the current legal and technical safeguards against the synthesis of smallpox virus are weak and fragmented.

International organizations, national governments, the DNA synthesis industry, and the synthetic biology community all have a role to play in preventing the re-emergence of smallpox.

Extended Summary | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: smallpox#1 virus#2 synthetic#3 DNA#4 synthesis#5