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originally posted by: Ghostsdogood
Ah, so your ONLY issue with this is how it was worded by some random internet guy and you completely agree that ccp was absolutely working on bioweapons when their lab accident occured?
originally posted by: Ghostsdogood
That the research quoted absolutely says that this is the case, but not in the exact words that you want them to use?
originally posted by: EvilAxis
originally posted by: Ghostsdogood
Ah, so your ONLY issue with this is how it was worded by some random internet guy and you completely agree that ccp was absolutely working on bioweapons when their lab accident occured?
If you wish to think I believe that, though I neither said nor implied it, that's up to you.
originally posted by: Ghostsdogood
That the research quoted absolutely says that this is the case, but not in the exact words that you want them to use?
The research doesn't say, "they wanted to weaponize" (in other words, harm people with) a virus, whether you or ElectricUniverse would like those to be the words they used.
originally posted by: Ghostsdogood
The words mean exactly that.
originally posted by: EvilAxis
The words don't say it or mean it. Claiming they do is disingenuous.
Your opinion about the intent of the research is just your opinion. Your opinion that any other opinion is absurd is also an opinion.
originally posted by: ElectricUniverse
It isn't opinion when they combined three man-made coronaviruses which are more lethal and more infectious to a natural bat coronavirus which easy infects humans. That is gain-of-function.
originally posted by: ElectricUniverse
This research states quite clearly that they wanted to weaponize and make coronaviruses more lethal and infectious for humans.
originally posted by: EvilAxis
originally posted by: ElectricUniverse
It isn't opinion when they combined three man-made coronaviruses which are more lethal and more infectious to a natural bat coronavirus which easy infects humans. That is gain-of-function.
They didn't combine three man-made coronaviruses. Where are you getting this from?
In my opinion it was gain-of-function, but I'm not a virologist, and clearly, nor are you. Scientists have different opinions on it.
All parties involved in the NIH grant to EcoHealth Alliance and the Wuhan Institute of Virology (unsurprisingly) say it was not GOF, as do molecular biologist, Alina Chan, microbiologist, Stanley Perlman, and evolutionary biologist, Joel Wertheim. In the opinion of biologist, Kevin Esvelt and professor of chemistry and chemical biology, Richard Ebright, it was GOF.
originally posted by: ElectricUniverse
This research states quite clearly that they wanted to weaponize and make coronaviruses more lethal and infectious for humans.
No it doesn't - fact (not opinion).
Even if our opinion is correct, and it was GOF research, GOF does not equal weaponization. The flu vaccine is produced by selecting for a virus clone that has accumulated mutations which enable it to “gain the function” of growing in a fertile chicken egg.
The researchers did not "clearly state" that they wanted to cause harm to humans (I.e. "weaponize" the virus). They stated the opposite.
.
originally posted by: OccultMind2021
The big question for me is the motive.
originally posted by: Ghostsdogood
Nonsense.
gof was illegal in the U.S. and most western cointries for a reason.
The FDA requires that animal testing be performed for vaccines before human trials can go ahead. However, as viral tropism towards the model species is unlikely to exist already, in cases where human viruses are under investigation, then strains that are able to infect the model species must be generated. This can be achieved using gain-of-function research where the virus is passaged through the animal, allowing molecular determinants of transmissibility to be identified, and vaccines under investigation to be tested.
originally posted by: EvilAxis
originally posted by: Ghostsdogood
Nonsense.
gof was illegal in the U.S. and most western cointries for a reason.
Specifically, it was a moratorium on influenza, MERS, and SARS pathogen dual-use research and funding introduced by Obama in 2014, and lifted under Trump in 2017.
Vaccine development still uses GOF research:
The FDA requires that animal testing be performed for vaccines before human trials can go ahead. However, as viral tropism towards the model species is unlikely to exist already, in cases where human viruses are under investigation, then strains that are able to infect the model species must be generated. This can be achieved using gain-of-function research where the virus is passaged through the animal, allowing molecular determinants of transmissibility to be identified, and vaccines under investigation to be tested.
originally posted by: Ghostsdogood
It was lifted by obama, a few days before Trump took office...
originally posted by: EvilAxis
originally posted by: Ghostsdogood
It was lifted by obama, a few days before Trump took office...
No it wasn't. As I said, it was lifted under Trump, on 19 December 2017, almost a year after Obama left office.
Also under Trump, in 2018, the US government approved funding for two experiments to make bird flu more transmissible. Two “gain of function” projects halted more than 4 years ago have passed new U.S. review process Science, 8 Feb, 2019
originally posted by: Ghostsdogood
January 15th, under obama.
Today, the National Institutes of Health announced that it is lifting a funding pause dating back to October 2014 on gain-of-function (GOF) experiments involving influenza, SARS, and MERS viruses.