Constructing a Monster
March 20, 2018 | Terry Sharrer
Variola major, the virus responsible for smallpox, killed half of all human children who died before age 5 for almost all of history. It was eventually beaten down with Vaccina virus (responsible for cowpox) until 1980 when smallpox was eliminated entirely—the only human disease ever completely eradicated. This piece reports on research at the University of Alberta where virologists have used chemically synthesized DNA to construct a horsepox vaccine which, as they say, supports “a novel replication-proficient smallpox vaccine.” Someone might inquire why a smallpox vaccine is needed. MORE
Image Credit: Public Domain Files