r******i
发帖数: 1445 | 1 https://mbio.asm.org/content/3/5/e00359-12
Putting aside the specter of bioterrorism for the moment, consider this
hypothetical scenario: an important gain-of-function experiment involving a
virus with serious pandemic potential is performed in a well-regulated,
world-class laboratory by experienced investigators, but the information
from the experiment is then used by another scientist who does not have the
same training and facilities and is not subject to the same regulations. In
an unlikely but conceivable turn of events, what if that scientist becomes
infected with the virus, which leads to an outbreak and ultimately triggers
a pandemic? Many ask reasonable questions: given the possibility of such a
scenario—however remote—should the initial experiments have been performed
and/or published in the first place, and what were the processes involved
in this decision?
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.
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. However, we must respect that there are
genuine and legitimate concerns about this type of research, both
domestically and globally. We cannot expect those who have these concerns to
simply take us, the scientific community, at our word that the benefits of
this work outweigh the risks, nor can we ignore their calls for greater
transparency, their concerns about conflicts of interest, and their efforts
to engage in a dialog about whether these experiments should have been
performed in the first place. Those of us in the scientific community who
believe in the merits of this work have the responsibility to address these
concerns thoughtfully and respectfully. | c*******e
发帖数: 5818 | | r******i
发帖数: 1445 | 3 The "hypothetical scenario" may have came true. Thank you, Dr. Fauci!
【在 c*******e 的大作中提到】
: 12年的，
:
: ：https://mbio.asm.org/content/3/5/e00359-12
: ：
| l****z
发帖数: 1 | |
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