How to create a virus that completely evades vaccine

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of creating a virus that could evade vaccines, touching on ethical implications, the potential for misuse of scientific research, and the role of satire in scientific discourse. It includes perspectives on virology, public health policy, and the implications of synthetic biology.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern that research could be misused to create a designer virus, drawing parallels to the development of synthetic drugs from marijuana research.
  • Others argue that the referenced paper is more of a satirical critique of COVID-19 policies rather than a genuine blueprint for virus creation.
  • There is a suggestion that creating a virus from nanotechnology could be a possibility, though this raises ethical questions about the intent behind such actions.
  • One participant questions the rationale behind creating new viruses, citing the existing challenges posed by SARS-CoV-2.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus, as there are competing views regarding the interpretation of the paper and the implications of creating viruses. Concerns about ethical considerations and the potential for misuse are highlighted, but no agreement is found on the necessity or desirability of such research.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the motivations behind scientific research and the implications of synthetic biology, but these assumptions are not universally accepted among participants.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those involved in virology, public health policy, ethics in science, and the implications of synthetic biology.

jim mcnamara
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Paul Biensiasz is a virologist at Rockefeller Medical, he authored this on twitter, titled "musings of a
pissed virologist"
Screenshot_2021-02-09 Paul Bieniasz on Twitter.png
 
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One can only hope that some bad actor skilled in the art doesn’t take this paper as a high level blueprint for a designer virus such as happened with research into marijuana that devolved into K2 and other designer drugs.
 
jedishrfu said:
One can only hope that some bad actor skilled in the art doesn’t take this paper as a high level blueprint for a designer virus such as happened with research into marijuana that devolved into K2 and other designer drugs.

It's not so much a "blueprint" for designing a virus, but a satirical criticism of policy decisions surrounding COVID-19 containment measures.

Also, there's no need to make designer viruses, when it would be pretty easy just to artificially synthesize smallpox and unleash that: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/201...-extinct-poxvirus-100000-using-mail-order-dna
 
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A virus made from nanotechnology.
 
Flatland said:
A virus made from nanotechnology.

Why would you want to do that? There's enough hell on Earth thanks to the SARS-CoV-2 virus!

[Post edited by the Mentors]
 
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