Today’s Sign of the Apocalypse: Lethal Virus Manufacturing!

*sigh*

*permanently affixes gas mask to face*

*suddenly gets compliments on how good I'm looking now*

So...with everything going on in the world, this is just what we needed.

Research that involves making germs & viruses MORE lethal -- ya know, for SCIENCE! -- had a 3-year-old moratorium lifted by Federal officials this week.

Scientists are champing at the bit to study lethal-er grossness, claiming it could lead to better vaccines and understanding of why/how viruses mutate.

The rest of the sane world is worried that they'll accidentally release a super virus that'll kill us all.

The Ebola virus isn't transmittable through the air; mad scientists want to create an Ebola virus that is.

What happened three years ago to trigger the moratorium?

1) The CDC exposed lab workers to anthrax (not the thrash metal band). Accidentally. What a whoops!
2) Then they sent a deadly active flu virus to a laboratory that had specifically requested a benign strain.
3) The National Institutes of Health discovered a freezer of smallpox vials that had be forgotten for 50 years. Half-century old freaking forgotten smallpox.

"Hey Dave, what ever happened to that freezer of smallpox?"
"No idea, other Dave."
"Sounds good, Dave. Let's get lunch!"

H/T: New York Times