The Influenza Pandemic of 1918

Scientists have built an organism from scratch in an experiment that raises questions about the very nature of life.
The research, reminiscent of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, will horrify many religious leaders, politicians and philosophers. The world's first synthetic organism is a tiny polio virus constructed artificially in the laboratory. But it is a first step towards creating more complex forms of life.
Within a century, some scientists believe it will be possible to 'reconstruct' species that have become extinct, or create totally new organisms.
The researchers who created the version of the polio virus said they wanted to prove how easy it would be for terrorists to make deadly biological weapons. A team at the University of New York at Stony Brook assembled the virus and then injected it into mice. The animals were just as they would have been by a naturally-occurring polio virus, and then killed.
'The reason we did it was to prove that it can be done and it now is a reality,' said Dr Eckard Wimmer, leader of the research team, which reports its findings today in the journal Science. 'This approach has been talked about, but people didn't take it seriously.'
The polio virus is tiny in genetic terms, but building an artificial replica took several years. The scientists followed a genetic 'recipe' for polio downloaded from the Internet and using genetic material - DNA --from a mail-order supplier to use as building blocks.
They made a series of small genetic changes to its structure compared to a normal polio virus - a kind of 'artist's signature' to prove that they had produced it artificially. Most scientists do not consider viruses to be alive, because they depend on host organisms for survival.
Dr Wimmer added: 'No, I would not say I created life in a test tube. We created a chemical in a test tube that, when put into cells, begins to behave a little bit like something alive.'
But the research paves the way for the construction of more complex organisms. For instance, smallpox, which has been eradicated in the wild, is a much larger and more complex virus than polio.
Some experts believe it would now be possible to recreate it for use as a biological weapon. Vadim Agol, a virologist at the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Moscow, said: 'In principle, yes, it's possible to synthesise smallpox.' James LeDuc, director of the Division Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, added: 'It is a little sobering to see that folks can create a virus from scratch.'
Despite the concerns, there are potential benefits to research on synthetic viruses. Viruses are increasingly being used in gene therapy, carrying genes into the cells of patients and correcting genetic disorders.
Organisms to clean up pollution, or even generate fuel, could also be created. Dr Clyde Hutchison, of the University of North Carolina and The Institute for Genomic Research, told a recent scientific meeting that he is not concerned about the ethics of creating lifeforms in the laboratory.
Ultimately, perhaps within 100 years, Dr Hutchison said mankind might be able to use the technology to reconstruct species that have become extinct.
'I like the idea of making extinction obsolete, ' he declared.
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[songbirdannie]

great post.....I totally want to watch more...

[rdkt123]

original clip only goes on to say

they were carrying pouches of garlic.

[rdkt123]

go and google man made viruses

and you will find this has been done b4

this vid just explains how it can spread

not that is man made...

This could be the precurser to a much more deadly outbreak,they may be testing the waters with the swine flu...

[rdkt123]

had trouble getting this converted and uploaded

[rdkt123]

SORRY about the film length..

[nukiwimet]

man made

[jbreezes]

Last year a University in Texas (was on RSOE alert map) had a Hazmat due to someone accidentally leaving lab door open in biology dept. of school while testing bird flu and another virus.

[konatychuk]

@fadsmashers no the 1918 flu killed more get your facts right

[Fadsmashers]

The bubonic plague killed way more, the plague of Justinian even more, wtf is this bitch talking about

[MrCraig1930]

I remember my parents talking about this, they lucked out. My father never got drafted for WW1.

[TheHeroOfSatan]

bad ass video

[98bigbutt]

I first heard this from Morgan Freeman in the movie Outbreak.

[TheTreck116]

Stupid woman, listen to 0:20 - 0:28 carefully! Thats impossible!!

[VooDooU22X]

WW1 and this flu was their first try at it . What were getting now is their next attempt .

[inkey2]

@chuckballer : a childrens riddle sung during this peroid....I may be slightly off on some of the words....."I had a little bird his name was enza I opened my window and "in-flew-Enza" ". My late father who was alive during this time would sing this riddle to me as a joke

[deemilieu]

h5n1-avian virus. 60% mortality rate even with modern medical support. swine, bird-when people live with their livestock, organisms will find a way to jump from animals to humans given enough time to mutate.

[chuckballer]

My friend said i never get the flu....I said when PIGS fly! he said i have an pet pig that FLYS! i said sure you do ! he said open the WINDOW his name is enza! i did INFLEWENZA!