Some scientists have been working to make the flu, SARS, and MERS viruses more infective to better study them. At least, Tabitha M. Powledge writes, that was the case until last week, when the U.S. government announced a "pause" on funding such "gain-of-function" studies: "Bioterrorism has been much less of a risk than accidents emanating from well-meant research efforts to protect ourselves," she writes. "Thus the White House has decided to err … on the side of safety."
October 25, 2014
