[Mr. K]

"The purported purpose of this Gain-of-Function work—i.e., generating a chimeric virus (combining genetic material from two different viruses) capable of infecting human airway cells—was to lay the groundwork for vaccine development and testing in the event that a wild bat coronavirus were eventually to infect humans.""

In other words: We created a new virus in order to be able to create a vaccine for it, in case it evolved on it's own.

For smart people, that's a pretty stupid idea.

[DSH]

For smart people, that's a pretty stupid idea.

True enough. But there's money to be made in doing it -- or, rather, public monies to be scrounged up in doing it -- and that's what amoral mad scientist types like Ralph Baric do for a living.

There are many involved in the matter who should simply be taken out and hanged. But it will never happen.