Question of the Day

Gain-of-Function Research

Which of the following scientists wrote before the Covid-19 pandemic that "the benefits" of conducting "gain-of-function" experiments on "highly pathogenic" viruses "outweigh the risks"?

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In a 2012 commentary published by the American Society for Microbiology, Anthony Fauci wrote that a "moratorium on gain-of-function research" for a "highly pathogenic" influenza virus "should continue" until certain conditions are met, but "scientists working in this field might say - as indeed I have said - that the benefits of such experiments and the resulting knowledge outweigh the risks." He added, "It is more likely that a pandemic would occur in nature, and the need to stay ahead of such a threat is a primary reason for performing an experiment that might appear to be risky." During a federal "gain-of-function research funding pause," Fauci funded such experiments on "bat coronaviruses" in the lead-up to the Covid-19 pandemic. Emails released in 2023 prove that Fauci suppressed scientific evidence indicating the virus came from a lab.




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“Disinformation” v. “Information”

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