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"?
Correct Answer
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”
Former CIA director John Brennan is correcting Donald Trump for claiming that Brennan and 50 other former intel officials called the Hunter Biden laptop “Russian disinformation” when they actually said that it “bore the hallmarks of Russian information operations.”
