This image obtained March 31, 2016 courtesy of Purdue University/ Kuhn and Rossmann research groups shows a representation of a near-atomic level map of Zika virus.
Credit: AFP

Some horror movie tropes just come off as unbelievable, they’re so ridiculous and overused. Like, “Girl who falls down for no apparent reason while being chased by a killer.” Or, “Group of friends that decides to split up when it’s obvious being alone will get you murdered.” And then there’s this one: “Science laboratory creates horrible disease that will inevitably escape and kill all of humanity,” which might be the most unbelievable, since it defies both logic and actual laws. Or rather, it did until Tuesday, when the U.S. government announced it was lifting a three-year ban on federal funding for experiments that alter viruses to make them even deadlier.

“Gain-of-function” research, in which scientists make pathogens more powerful or easily transmissible, is aimed at preventing disease outbreaks by better understanding how they might occur. The studies allow scientists, working in a highly controlled environment, to […]