DOOMSDAY FLU decision time. “Last year, two flu research groups created what could be extremely dangerous viruses through their research into bird flu. Both studies will be censored when they are published, and all similar work has been put on hold – unprecedented actions in biomedical research. Ahead of a World Health Organization meeting to plot a way ahead, New Scientist explains how we have arrived in these uncharted waters.”

UPDATE: Reader Patrick Anders writes:

Frank Herbert’s The White Plague, written over 30 years ago, predicted that some day all it would take would be one mentally disturbed scientist and a small lab to create a disease capable of wrecking civilization. That day is now, or ten years from now. If A.Q. Khan could run a covert network teaching the North Koreans how to create nuclear weapons, why haven’t we had a plan to deal with research into genetic modification of diseases since, I dunno, the minute A.Q. Khan was discovered?

Perhaps we could do with fewer Georgetown Foreign Service grads in the government, and more science fiction readers. The notion has been out there for decades, and yet the powers that be were caught with their pants down by a medical paper.

Obligatory Amazon link.

Well, it’s not obligatory, but it’s appreciated. And yeah. I think we’re seriously underprepared for this kind of thing.