WHO decides to keep the last remaining Smallpox stocks.

[Annuhh5]

What do you guys think of this?
Personally, the little guy has been sequenced and studied for so long since it's eradication, that if anyone was going to create some sort of bioweapon from it, could create it from scratch. So what the point in keeping it? Only 2 countries have these last stocks, and I'm sure research for vaccinations are being done in more than just these countries.
Thoughts?

http://www.livescience.com/14297-smallp ... tocks.html

[Feck]

I'll look after it for them

[Annuhh5]

Creepy...

[charlou]

What do you guys think of this?
Personally, the little guy has been sequenced and studied for so long since it's eradication, that if anyone was going to create some sort of bioweapon from it, could create it from scratch. So what the point in keeping it? Only 2 countries have these last stocks, and I'm sure research for vaccinations are being done in more than just these countries.
Thoughts?

http://www.livescience.com/14297-smallp ... tocks.html

Thought provoking ... and good question.

[Annuhh5]

Thank you. Also, I was just thinking. What if they DID destroy the last remaining strains of Smallpox, and a whole new strain decided to show itself? And then there's always the risk of some crazy scientist deciding to release it back into the environment. Haha.

[Atheist-Lite]

People might see, at some unseen collective level, some leverage in having a bio-weapon of mass destruction on a shelf somewhere. If politicans start looking at a reduction in research expenditure then researchers can start talking about smallpox and how it still exists in the lab.

[Annuhh5]

People might see, at some unseen collective level, some leverage in having a bio-weapon of mass destruction on a shelf somewhere. If politicans start looking at a reduction in research expenditure then researchers can start talking about smallpox and how it still exists in the lab.

In that case, keep it.
Dangle the vaccine in front of them until they give us more money. Excellent.

[charlou]

People might see, at some unseen collective level, some leverage in having a bio-weapon of mass destruction on a shelf somewhere. If politicans start looking at a reduction in research expenditure then researchers can start talking about smallpox and how it still exists in the lab.

Speaking of the bio-weapon threat aspect ... there may be a MADness underlying it.

[Atheist-Lite]

People might see, at some unseen collective level, some leverage in having a bio-weapon of mass destruction on a shelf somewhere. If politicans start looking at a reduction in research expenditure then researchers can start talking about smallpox and how it still exists in the lab.

Speaking of the bio-weapon threat aspect ... there may be a MADness underlying it.

The money printing press operator will want to survive and succumb in the mindgame.

[charlou]

[Annuhh5]

I can imagine this being a theme song for all mad scientists everywhere.

[Clinton Huxley]

Keep it. Deliberately making something extinct would be quite a step.

[Atheist-Lite]

Keep it. Deliberately making something extinct would be quite a step.

A significant improvement over the haphazard extinction program we have at present.

[Clinton Huxley]

Keep it. Deliberately making something extinct would be quite a step.

A significant improvement over the haphazard extinction program we have at present.

We'd have to decide what to get rid of next. Maybe wasps.

[charlou]

mosquitos