Possible virus construction

2002/07/12 Orobengoa, Olatz - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Mikrobiologia
• Osasuna

It took two years to build the virus. They knew the gene code of the virus from the Internet and bought the DNA fragments from a biotechnology company. Later these parts were joined and, once the whole gene sequence was obtained, they were deposited in a cultural liquid with all the necessary ingredients to form the virus. Scientists were surprised to activate DNA mechanisms and create viruses.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the new viruses, they saw that they were able to introduce mice and cause disease.

Scientists claim that the technique opens new avenues to create biological weapons. In short, the construction of the completely eradicated smallpox disease virus would now be much easier. In addition, the genome of many viruses is available on the Internet for anyone.

However, before turning on the alarms it is necessary to remember that the technique is complicated. Polio virus has taken two years to build and is one of the simplest viruses, as it has only 7,741 bases. For example, Baztanga virus has 24 times more bases in its code. In addition to the number of bases, it should be noted that some viruses have a much more complex synthesis pathway, so the process can last quite a while.