Virology - Resurrected influenza virus yields secrets of deadly 1918 pandemic

As worries about a new flu pandemic mount, researchers have figured out the traits that made the 1918 influenza virus, which killed between 20 million and 50 million people, so virulent. The experiment has stirred debate over safety procedures for handling such a deadly virus and a new federal biosecurity boardgave the paper an unusual last minute review to ensure the merits of its publication outweighed the risks of releasing potentially dangerous knowledge.