The DNA Cops Who Make Sure the World’s Deadliest Viruses Aren’t Rebuilt

June 28, 2018

(Bloomberg) – Genetic engineering could help produce more resilient crops and more effective vaccines. Some fear that it could also be used to make a biological weapon. In January, a small research team at the University of Alberta engineered a cousin of the lethal smallpox virus called horsepox, using strands of DNA they received in the mail. The organism that they built wasn’t a threat to humans. But when the scientists published their findings in scientific journal PLOS ONE, an uproar ensued.